|
|
Cygnet Folk Festival
|
 |
Just some of the action from Cygnet in January 2007
Quality prints or high resolution files of these pictures can be ordered from Tom Giblin's website
The Black Nonnas
These wicked Italian grannies from W.A. were so naughty with their irreverent humour and infectious Italian songs, that they were everyone's instant favourite. The Nonnas were everywhere - on the Town Hall stage, at the Shaddap Your Face competition (obviously) and in the parade.
Bradfield Dumpleton
Ex of the Spondooli Brothers and new Cygnet resident, Bradfield is a compelling tunesmith and talented guitarist. He captivated the audience at the Carmel Hall and here on the Loongana Park stage with his bluesy ballads with a dark twist.
Commedia Academy
W.A. Commedia dell' Arte exponents Giri Mazella and Sanjiva Margio conjoured up some of the finest childrens' entertainment we have ever had the pleasure to present. Their audience participated enthusiastically, as many characters, from the Beautiful Princess to the Crazy Old Woman in Il Frutto Magico.
Dolly Putin and Senator Bob Brown
Local comedian Naomi Edwards and Senator Bob Brown's show was so popular that in order not to disappoint the people who missed out on Saturday afternoon, they put on a second showing of their Melbourne Comedy Festival sell-out show on Sunday afternoon.
The Embers
The Embers are a world class act from Launceston and they tore up the Town Hall on Saturday night. An electric energy and an eclectic mix of intstruments that worked together to make the dance floor packed.
Emily Barker
Western Australian Emily is a young girl with a disproportionate amount of talent. Fresh from touring in the UK where she has made a name for herself as an alternate-country performer, her original songs won hearts in Cygnet.
Fabio Chivanda and the Jivemasters
Zimbabwean mbira master and Hobart resident, Fabio Chivanda has teamed up with some of Hobart's finest musicians, including Martin Tucker, who make up the Jivemasters. Their driving African rhythms and skin-tight percussion had the Carmel Hall rocking on Friday night.
Golden Fleece
Cygnet audiences got the taste for Georgian harmonies last year, so this year we were delighted to be able to present Georgian ethnomusicologists Joseph Jordania and Nino Tsitsishvili and German musicologist Christoph Maubach performing as a trio. They also performed with Joseph's male vocal ensemble, Gorani.
Gorani
This Melbourne ensemble brought not only the haunting harmonies of the male choral tradition from Georgia but also striking Bulgarian polyphony. Their ethnic costumes cut quite a dash and their performances were brilliant and none more so than in St James on Sunday morning. It was so beautiful there wasn't a throat in the audience without a lump.
Jeff Lang and Grant Cummerford
Guitar legend Jeff Lang and accomplished young bass player Grant Cummerford make a guitar duo that blew the town apart with their astonishing picking, intense wall of sound and the lonesome bluesy sound of the slide guitar. Jeff very kindly agreed to be one of the judges in the Young Person's Blackboard concert.
John Palmes
Alaskan singer/songwriter, mouthbow player, naturalist, fisherman and artist, John Palmes always presents something in a way that, even if it is familiar, he casts it in a whole new light. John's mouthbow workshop was fascinating and his irrepressible creativity was evident all through the festival from the concert in the Carmel Hall to the mobile in the Drill Hall.
Jurithm
Tasmanian Jodi Haines and Jude Reid from NZ are two nationally acclaimed indigenous singer/songwriters and they gave some of the beautiful, soulful, open hearted performances that they are renowned for.
The Locals
Young blues star Dylan Eynon is from a Cygnet Family and he applied as a solo perfomer and then managed to pursuade his mainland friends Luke Escombe and Cliff Flax to come on down to Cygnet to make up a group that seemed to come out of nowhere and then stole the whole show with their offbeat energy and crazy songs. We predict that they'll be back at Cygnet and that they'll be big before too long.
Melanie Gent and Kate Burke
Erstwhile Tasmanian songstress Melanie Gent has teamed up with Melbourne folk legend Kate Burke and together they make up a sensational acoustic vocal duo.
Monique Brumby
One of Tasmania's most adored success stories, Monique Brumby brought her band, her yearning sound, insightful lyrics and compelling stage presence to Cygnet for the first time and it was spellbinding. Monique's committment to encouraging young performers was evident when she jammed with Jessica Royce and Julian Oates at the Festival launch and was a judge at the Young Persons Blackboard.
Nick Rheinberger
ABC regular, singer/songwriter, kids performer and troubadour of the Australian festival circuit Nick played solo, graced the Generations Concert with his Hobart based family and presented a rollicking kids show that kids go mad for but it's difficult to say who enjoys Nick's rock songs for kids more - the kids or their parents.
Not Quite Latin
Paddy Affley is the son of Declan Affley who was on the bill at the very first Cygnet Festival, so he was really living the 'Generations' theme. Along with his sidekick, James Southan, they were a guitar duo that won hearts and minds. Declan would be proud.
Peter Daffy and Steve Gilchrist
Pete Daffy and Steve Gilchrist are regulars at Cygnet, bringing their superlative vocal and instrumental talents to Bluegrass and old timey tunes from the US. Not many people can make a single microphone work for an ensemble but these guys sure can. This year they brought two talented young musicians along with them, Sally Taylor on Violin and Tom Collins on Bass.
Steve Turner
UK Folk Legend Steve Turner has great reviews and even the most effusive only come close to the mark - Steve really does have something special: he's not only a great instrumentalist, with a terrific vocal style, he exudes the British folk tradition in his charismatic performance style.
Swing Wizard
Steve Gadd is a leading music educator in the Huon Valley, and he has teamed up with some of his guitar proteges, Django Synge, Josh Dunn and Julian Oates to form Swing Wizard. They have been performing Gyspy Swing and a range of guitar music for the last few years to astonished and appreciative audiences.
Ten Cent Shooters
Scott Wise, Sean Diggins and Peter Woodward from WA rocked Cygnet at the Top Pub, the Carmel Hall and outside the Conservatory with their country blues. They wound up the festival with a high energy dance set at the Cabaret on Sunday night.
Tribal Dance Company
Tribal Dance is a modern fusion of many different folkloric dance styles from along the Silk Road to make what could be described as a more earthy form of belly dance but it is much more than this. Denise McMaster gave a workshop in the technique and her dance troupe from Hobart performed in Loongana Park before they brought their gourgeous spectacle to grace the parade.