Just as Cigány Weaver stepped out onto the River Folk Festival stage (their first appearance at the regional Victorian multiple day event) back in March 2020, stay-at-home orders were issued by the Australian government and the event was cancelled without the band playing a single note.
A deflating moment, certainly, particularly when the Brisbane outfit had been looking forward to the opportunity.Lucky for them – and for all attending this October's edition of the folk music event – Cigány Weaver return to River Folk Festival to complete their festival set.
Presenting folk music decorated with the exactness of classical music and the exciting freedom of jazz, Cigány Weaver's violinist, Gareth Mewes, elaborates on that description of the outfit's blended soundscape. "We're definitely trying to bring the eastern European world into the modern period," he says.
That certainly fits with the aesthetic of River Folk Festival, though it was something of a coincidence that Cigány Weaver came by the style of music with which they perform today.
"I was trying to find a band where I could do the fast, wild gypsy stuff," Gareth says. "Some of the other guys were looking for more of a Manouche band, like Django Reinhardt."
To obtain that bohemian folk meets 1920s Parisian swing, the songwriting process, despite the eclectic musical backgrounds of the band's members, comes from a natural jamming vibe.
"We jam acoustically, so we'll be hanging around, noodling around on someone's idea, which will eventually become a riff, which eventually becomes a song.
"Lately we've been writing more separately, a solid verse or solid vibe for the song – I definitely let Rory and Conner [guitarists] add guitar chords to my songs rather than try to tell them how to play guitar!"
It's been three years since Cigány Weaver released any new material; their last release was their 2019 self-titled debut album.
Gareth says they've got some new tunes in the bag, some of which will be performed at River Folk. "There's a couple of instrumental ones – very wild party songs. There are a few softer ones too."
The new material isn't necessarily a continuation of what we heard in the self-titled release, rather it represents, Gareth says, the band's journey down new sonic avenues.
"We've kind of drifted away from covering as many classics – I guess the inspiration comes from classically influenced jazz or even folk music.
"Subtlety is one word for us. It might be a well-known [cover] but if you do it in a complicated way, it might sound more intricate."
Cigány Weaver, of course, have a lot of admiration for some of the acts billed at River Folk Festival, and these artists, Gareth says, have made an impression on how his band write their own music.
"The Northern Folk are a massive band; it'll be exciting to see them again. Monique Clare is a brilliant cello player – she's a dream and a genius as well.
"There's Liz Frenchman, who I've been watching since I was seven or eight years old at different festivals. Always nice to see her."
As for the rest of the year, Cigány Weaver are gearing up for a multitude of other performances and festival appearances. "We've got Brisbane Festival, which will be exciting," Gareth says, reading from a long list.
"We're hoping to get to Woodford [Folk Festival], we'll be touring, and we'll be setting up a home-town show very soon."
River Folk Festival returns to the Yarra Valley (Victoria) running 30 September to 2 October. Cigany Weaver play a free lunchtime concert at Brisbane City Hall as part of Brisbane Festival 20 September.
