The River Folk Festival once more transforms the picturesque town of Warburton in the Yarra Valley into a colourful haven of music and arts for three days in March.
The festival features regional, national and international folk music performers across multiple stages throughout the town. In its third year, The River Folk Festival creates an intimate community experience with world-class programming and an enchanting atmosphere set to entice even the weariest of folk music fans.
The 2020 line-up boasts excellent diversity of musicianship promising a weekend of foot-stomping concerts and captivating solo performances. The dynamic collective rhythms and mindful lyrics of The Northern Folk feature as headliners as well as 2017 International Folk Music Artist of the Year, Ordinary Elephant from the US.
Hailing from Albury, NSW, and now based in Melbourne, The Northern Folk are a collective of ten musicians spreading their unique brand of folk/ pop/ stomp/ rock into the roots of small towns and big cities alike, combining two powerful vocalists, roaring horns, bashful bass and addictive percussion.
The collaboration of husband and wife Pete and Crystal Damore, Ordinary Elephant captivate audiences with their emotionally powerful and vulnerable songs, letting the listener know that they are not alone in this world.
From sweet to sweaty, 22-year-old Australian folk roots singer-songwriter Tullara will endear with her charming stage presence, alluringly powerful voice and masterful percussive fingerstyle.
Cigány Weaver is one of Australia's most exciting gypsy-jazz ensembles, with a dedicated and passionate following around the country. Their sound is reminiscent of jazz Manouche, traditional swing and Romani music, interwoven with compelling originals and the band’s reinterpretations of classics from popular culture.
ARIA Award-nominated ensemble Chaika meld the earthiness of folk, the dexterity of jazz and the craft of classical – their vast influences create superb genre-blending music that transcends labels. Lauded songwriters in their own right, Luke Watt and Nigel Wearne join forces in Above The Bit, shining a light on the true tales of mutiny and civil disobedience that lie in the shadows of Australian history.
Born of a campfire sing-along, Tinman is a group of friends making dreamy, acoustic folk music. With a cigar box guitar, piano accordion and ukulele, Tinman dance around the genres of folk, gospel and pop – never settling for too much of the same.
Dancing between rhythmic cello lines, powerfully vulnerable vocals and heart-tugging harmonies, Monique Clare is an award-winning cellist and singer-songwriter. Since 2017, she’s showcased twice as an official artist at the Folk Alliance International Conference and has begun work on a full-length album.
Introspective and playful, bilingual singer-songwriter STAV continues her story of migration with soaring melodies and bursts of rhythmic fire. An expressive voice playing as one instrument with her guitar, she has a compelling ability to tell a story, blurring the lines between singing and spoken word using both English and Hebrew.
Todd Cook's emotive lyrics, earthy tones and raw appeal connect to a wide variety of listeners. His songs float from intricate folk fingerpicking styles, to driving rhythms that stir the soul. Folk troubadour Anna Smyrk paints stunning pictures of places she’s lived – from remote islands in the Pacific, to a dusty Cambodian city.
From the hills of the Dandenong Ranges, petite Chilean-Australian Pia Nesvara is one powerful songstress. Always armed with her flamenco guitar and cheeky spirit, she fuses elements of folk, roots, jazz, soul and Latin music. Phoebe Laidlaw is an emerging Melbourne-based, singer-songwriter with a style straddling indie pop and indie folk grounded by a rich and resonant voice beyond her years.
Lastly, Yarra Ranges Climate Choir is a group of people in the Yarra Ranges and beyond, available for peaceful protest and random acts of beauty. All voices are welcome, especially those who say they 'can't sing’.
The River Folk Festival rounds out its 2020 programming with a raft of initiatives reaffirming their continued commitment to ecological and social sustainability, including partnering with Humanitix, who will donate 100 per cent of all booking fees to Yalari Indigenous Education Scholarships, and joining the Green Music Australia #BYOBottle campaign, among others.
The River Folk Festival is on in Warburton (Yarra Valley) 13-15 March.
The River Folk Festival 2020 Line-up
The Northern FolkOrdinary Elephant
Tullara
Cigány Weaver
Chaika
Tinman
Above The Bit
Monique Clare
STAV
Todd Cook
Anna Smyrk
Pia Nesvara
Phoebe Laidlaw
Yarra Ranges Climate Choir
