News Archive
2009
2008
Fringe Festival Kicks Off
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday January 3, 2009
Today, Bulli; tomorrow the world. The Illawarra Folk Festival is getting stronger and branching out from folk-festival headquarters at Bulli Showground to Mt Kembla, Nowra, Sydney and many towns in between.
The 24th Folk Festival will be held as usual at Bulli Showground from January 15-18. But this year, a number of fringe festival activities will be held in the lead-up to the main event.Among them is a jam session on Sunday, 3pm at the Mt Kembla Hotel. This is a chance for musicians to meet and play with other musos in a relaxed environment. Anything could happen when African drummers, for example, jam with Italian folk musicians."It's a chance thing; it depends on who turns up," festival director and accordion player David De Santi said. Jam sessions provide musicians with a great opportunity to make music with people they may not otherwise meet. They can stretch themselves musically, gain confidence and learn some new songs.Listeners can always sing along if they hear a tune they recognise."Everybody has a good time and maybe have a few pints," De Santi says. "Jam sessions have a communal feeling and a spontaneity that can never be repeated."Fringe Folk FestivalThis is the second year of the Fringe Folk Festival and there are 15 events. Among them are: * Today, 6pm, Folk in the City, Harp Hotel, in the Sydney suburb of Tempe. Eight acts, $10, free for festival pass holders. * Tomorrow, 3pm, festival jam, free, musicians welcome, Mt Kembla Hotel. * Thursday, January 8, 8pm, Illawarra Folk Festival preview with Michael Azzopardi and High Fidelity, free, Ryan's Hotel, Thirroul. * Friday, January 9, 8pm, The Lurkers, Big Erle, and Mahri Autumn, Tea Club, Nowra, $10.* Friday, January 9, silent film from 1924, Dall'Italia All'Australia, with live Italian folk music by Kavisha Mazzella and The Viaggiatori, Fraternity Club, Fairy Meadow. * website: www.illawarrafolkfestival.com.au
© 2009 Illawarra Mercury
Share This