Folk Alliance Australia

Connecting the folk community, industry & culture

The Water Runners – New Album

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From the New South Wales South Coast, The Water Runners have released their album Further Down the Road.  Recorded in January 2021 over just five days, the release contains twelve original tracks of bluegrass-infused folk, with a focus on local tales and songwriting themes such as environment, treatment of First Nations people and bush fires.

The Water Runners were voted Best Band at the 2020 Australian National Busking Championships and Further Down The Road can be streamed and downloaded through the usual platforms (Spotify, Apple Music and iTunes) and a hard copy can be ordered through the band’s website.

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FAA Annual General Meeting (AGM) & FAA Board

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Photo: Listening Through The Lens

The 2021 AGM of Folk Alliance Australia will be held as an online meeting on Sunday 5 September at 3.30pm EST 3.00pm SA & NT  2.00pm WA.

All FAA members are invited to attend.

Zoom Link details will be published in our next newsletter.

We invite expressions of interest from anyone who is interested in contributing to FAA as a board/committee member. Please contact president@folkalliance.org.au for more information.

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Great Response for Australian Folk Music Awards

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Photo: Listening Through The Lens

120 Nominations Received

Folk Alliance Australia is excited to have received 120 fantastic nominations for the inaugural AFMA (Australian Folk Music Awards).

Nominations came from around the entire country and covered all areas of the Australian folk music scene.

Currently our panelists are assessing the nominations and the AFMA Finalists will be announced on 1 September through the FAA newsletter and on this site.

We would like to thank everyone who submitted a nomination. The quality of the nominations shows how active, diverse, creative and special the folk music sector is and our contribution to music, community and Australian culture.

The AFMAs award recipients will be announced at our AFMA Awards Night to be held on Thursday 14 October. Full details of this live and live-streamed event will be in our September 1 Newsletter and online.

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Kyle Taylor’s new single – “Assange”

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Kyle Taylor is an Australian singer-songwriter who has just released his seventh music single titled “Assange”, a groovy and fun song with a melodic, sing-along folk sound about political prisoner Julian Assange.

The new single “Assange” was added to several Spotify playlists including the Indie Mixed Tape playlist. Trap Town Records gave the new single three stars out five.


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Liam Gerner and the Bush Poets

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Liam Gerner: Photo: Listening Through The Lens

Liam Gerner is releasing a new album called The Bulletin Debate – Henry Lawson vs Banjo Paterson.

It’s on Bandcamp HERE.

The ‘Bulletin Debate’ was a public dispute in The Bulletin newspaper between two of Australia’s best known writers and poets Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson and a few others.  The debate took place via a series of poems about the merits of living in the Australian bush, published in 1892.

Gerner found these poems in an old book and felt they helped him think about his connection to the bush, turning these poems into an album of songs with Luke Moller.  The album was recorded on Banjo Paterson’s childhood farm ‘Illalong’ NSW.

Gerner will be doing a Bulletin Debate live national concert tour to accompany the release of the album in late 2021/22 featuring special guests.

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Haystack Mountain Hermits – One Last Ride

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Family band Haystack Mountain Hermits were inspired to write an emotional ANZAC tribute ballad “The Horses Stay Behind (One Last Ride)”, from a great-grandfather’s World War 1 reflection and distress in leaving his horse behind.  This prompted a folk song, telling the tragic tale of the thousands of Australian horses left behind after that war ended.

You can hear the song and contribute to the making of a video below HERE for which over 500 hand-made purple poppies will be sent by people all over Australia to honour their Light Horse forebears. 

A worthy cause.

More info at the band’s Facebook’s Page

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Folk Alliance International Conference 2022

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In-Person Attendees Must Be COVID-Vaccinated

Our aligned body Folk Alliance International (FAI) will be holding a hybrid version of its annual Conference in February 2022, both on-line and in-person at its regular location Kansas City, Missouri.

Recently announced by the FAI:

“To protect the health of all delegates, based on survey feedback, and in an abundance of caution regarding the ongoing pandemic, advance proof of vaccination will be required by every attendee at FAI’s 2022 in-person conference in Kansas City next February. Online access will be available for anyone who is not vaccinated or cannot attend.”


OFFICIAL SITE

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We Mavericks – New Album and Video

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Originally from the NSW Riverina and New Zealand, the duo We Mavericks (Lindsay Martin and Victoria Vigenser) have a new album Grief’s a Gardener out 23 July and available on their website and Bandcamp.

A video of one of the songs “Weight & Time” was filmed in beautiful Bundanoon with the duo’s friend and fellow artist Bruce Pryor in his pottery studio:

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Two Days Left To Nominate For Awards

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Photo: Listening Through The Lens

NOMINATIONS CLOSE THIS SATURDAY at MIDNIGHT 31 July

AUSTRALIAN FOLK MUSIC AWARDS

Be part of Australian folk music history with the inaugural AFMAs.

Eight Awards will be presented. Finalists announced 1 September and Awards Night 14 October.

Artist Awards

•    Folk Album of the Year  – Traditional             
•    Folk Album of the Year – Contemporary        
•    Folk Artist of the Year  – Solo            
•    Folk Act of the Year – Duo/Group/Ensemble    
•    People’s Choice                    
•    Youth Artist of the Year                

Industry/Community Awards

•    Folk Community/Cultural Project of The Year    
•    Contribution to Folk   

NOMINATE HERE

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Folk Alliance Australia (FAA)

is the peak national body representing folk cultural activity and the folk industry of Australia. We are a membership organisation that provides an information resource and networking, showcase and professional development opportunities for the Australian folk community.

 

 

FAA Membership

Provides discounts for industry insurance and website building.  Members can also actively participate in the Australian Folk Music Awards

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FAA Partner

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Insurance Discount

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Website Discount

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Listening Through The Lens Music Site