With a voice described as ‘truly astonishing’ by Rolling Stone, Anna Smyrk is a powerful singer and song-maker from Australia. Her songs are anthemic indie-rock bombshells, equally satisfying for word nerds and pop obsessives alike.

Anna has had a huge couple of years. When the pandemic cancelled her touring plans, she set to writing and recording a new EP, teaming up with producer Joel Quartermain (Eskimo Joe, Meg Mac, Merci Mercy). ‘The Hour Between Us’ is out now.

The first single from the EP, Human Condition, was instantly added to high rotation on national broadcaster Double J and described as ‘soul-stirring’ by Dave Ruby Howes (Triple J). The video for the track was added to rotation on MTV and launched with a string of sold-out shows.

The EP’s second single, The Excavator, was described by UK music site Backseat Mafia as ‘pure orchestral, anthemic indie rock that brings to mind artists like Sharon Van Etten’ while Scenstr called it ‘a mesmerising listen that will instantly hook you.’

The latest most recent single, Daylight Saving, was premiered by Rolling Stone, who called it “a cathartic anthem,” cementing Anna’s reputation as an ‘artistic force to be reckoned with’ (Actua News France).

Prior to her 2021 offering, Anna released two EPs that were applauded by critics; ABC Radio National called her first record “exquisite,” while her second release was described as “a glorious piece of musical storytelling” by the AU Review.

She’s toured widely, performing at festivals and venues throughout Australia and the UK. 2022 sees her touring to the USA and Canada for the first time.

Since leaving the small town where she grew up, travel has been a big part of Anna’s life- she spent about five years living in Cambodia, the Solomon Islands and the Philippines, working as a consultant for the World Health Organization. She’s currently juggling releasing new music with supporting the COVID-19 vaccine roll out in Papua New Guinea. With a life shared between places, it’s no wonder many of her songs are about long-distance relationships, loneliness and trying to connect.

Move. And be moved. Find your flow and go about each day to the rhythm of your own making. That’s the theme for Byron Bay singer, ukulele strummer and drummer Bobby Alu. It’s been a long-time musical mission for the tropical ambassador too.

Amidst smooth harmonies & rhythms inspired by a family lineage of Polynesian performance, Alu’s tunes have a way of sneaking into the subconscious, popping up as a reminder to take it slow, enjoy the ride. It’s the curator of calm’s way – deliver island-time vibes with gentle optimism rather than forceful instruction, and encourage the type of reflection best achieved in a hammock. Though it’s not all palm trees and daydreams – there’s a robust energy in Alu’s mastery of traditional Samoan log drums, and a vitality to his songwriting that nods to world, soul & pop intelligence.

After dedicating his world-class percussion skills to touring internationally with Xavier Rudd for five years, it was time for Alu to chart his own course again in 2018. He played 132 shows across 14 countries, supporting John Butler Trio (EU), Trevor Hall (EU/AU), UB40 (AU) and The Beautiful Girls (EU/AU) along the way. For the Gold Coast raised artist, performing and co-writing a song for the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony was a surreal homecoming. 2019 saw BIGSOUND showcases, a support tour across North America with Xavier and a national run opening for Busby Marou.

Following his Self-titled 2010 debut, the island-time intention of 2013’s Take It Slow, and the cruisy grooves of 2015’s Bay Sessions EP, Alu spent 2019 in the studio completing third album Flow, landing Double J feature album on release week and no.1 AIR 100% Independent Album Charts. ‘Move’, ‘Other Side’ and ‘Finally’ were added to ABC Local Radio and Double J, with ‘Move’ scoring a nomination for Best Blues & Roots song at the QLD Music Awards (2019), alongside ‘Dust’ in 2020. In 2020 Alu spent lockdown reimagining the songs from his debut self-titled album to create a 10-year anniversary reflection – Bobby Alu (2020).

With a reputation as a performer that leaves audiences feeling truly good in the heart, Bobby Alu continues to observe the ebb and flow of life while locking into his tried and always true grooves. There’s a fire that comes from the ability to hold a 20,000 strong festival crowd captive with beats, and when mixed with the love that comes from serenading your nearest and dearest with an instrument handed down from your mother, special moments always emerge.

Sister duo Charm of Finches from Melbourne, Australia, make haunted tunes about love, grief and whispering trees; indie folk with many stringed things, awash with seamless blood harmonies traversing melancholy and wonder in equal measure.
Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes grew up busking old time tunes and singing on festival stages around Australia.

Their 2019 sophomore album YOUR COMPANY won the 2020 Independent Music Awards’ Best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Album .

Winners of the 2021 Music Victoria Best Folk Act and 2021 Australian Folk Music Awards Youth Act of the Year, their music has featured on the ABC TV series Mustangs FC and nominated for the 2020 Music Victoria Best Folk Album Award and the prestigious Australian Music Prize in 2020 & 2021.

They released their third full length album WONDERFUL OBLIVION in October 2021 through New York-based label AntiFragile Music to critical acclaim.

The duo is currently touring the UK and Europe over the northern summer months.

Colin Lillie is certainly one of a kind. This gypsy Scotsman has found a new life in Alice Springs in the Australian central desert where he has thrived as a songwriter. Colin released his debut album “Glass Homes” in 2016 and managed to take out the AU Review people’s choice Australian Artist Of The Year award. In early 2020 he released the Mark Lizotte (DIESEL) produced “Petrichor” EP. August 2021 saw the release “Shades Of Love” Colin’s second studio album, In February 2022 he released a new EP produced Catherine Britt.

You don’t have to delve very deep into Colin’s lyrics or the heart of his voice to know his songs are driven by someone who has all of the shades of life experience to lean into. This rang true with his 2017 and 2019 awards for Best Live Voice at the National Live Music Awards. Colin has also been getting into co-writing with the likes of Rohin Jones (The Middle East) & Tyrone Noonan (George).

Pre 2020 Colin was well on the way to becoming one of Australia’s hardest touring artists supporting the likes of DIESEL, BUSBY MAROU, JAMES REYNE, and THE ANIMALS on their relentless tour schedules and making friends everywhere he went. Colin also performed five shows at the 2019 Woodford Folk Festival and made it to New Orleans in early 2020 as part of the Folk Alliance International Festival.

The time since that has been as unpredictable for Colin as anyone else in the music industry – but certainly not without its highlights. Colin recorded a new EP from with two critically acclaimed songs have already been released – The War, followed by The No 1 hit The Road, a duet with Catherine Britt who also happens to run Beverley Hillbilly Records, the label that Colin is now signed too. Add to that Colin has been once again invited to perform at the prestigious Folk Alliance conference/showcase in Kansas City in May this year – with the plan being that this will be followed by a serious of American dates with Catherine Britt.

Realising Colin’s increasing profile he was offered and has accepted a sponsorship from Takamine guitars.

And of course, Colin – like every other musician – is hoping to get back on the road and performing again as much as possible. In the meantime he’s always writing as well as working with people in recovery from drug and alcohol addictions. Colin visits rehab centres and uses his songs and life experience as a way to assist others.

Ernest Aines is a Melbourne singer-songwriter whose style ranges from Americana to folky lore type storytelling and personal discovery. His fingerpicking style and his search beyond the formulaic has gained him several songwriting awards.

His most recent gigs were supporting Charm of Finches in Melbourne and Castlemaine in May 2021 to sold out crowds.

This February Ernest was selected to showcase online at the International Folk Alliance Conference where his performance was met with positive and solid offers of assistance in North America from radio pluggers and bookers in Canada, the USA. and more.

Last year during Melbourne’s two long lockdowns, Ernest recorded 12 songs in a new home studio. Two of these songs, So Far and Broken Doorway, were mixed and mastered by Grammy award winning Hugo Nicolson, who is onboard to assist with promotion of the songs as well. The asset production has begun, starting with a cowboy video for “So Far” set in Maldon in Victoria. His new band will tour as soon as borders allow.

2019 – Ernest released his debut EP, “Already Found”.

As one quarter of beloved ARIA-winning indie-folk band All Our Exes Live in Texas, Georgia Mooney has received abundant critical acclaim and picked up a slew of musical trophies. Since forming in 2015, All Our Exes fast became festival favourites the world over, touring extensively and building a loyal fanbase everywhere they visited.

Now Georgia Mooney steps out on her own with a striking new sound. Her voice is at once bold and fragile and her melodies, beguiling and transcendent. Georgia’s songs artfully carry you from the intimate to the allegorical. There is a lushness to the sound that merges a character reminiscent of Kate Bush, melodiousness remindful of the Wainwrights and a lyricism honouring the poetry of the folk foremothers.

Georgia has performed on stages and in studios with such diverse artists as Midnight Oil, Backstreet Boys, Kesha, Passenger, Kate Miller-Heidke, Nathaniel Rateliff, Matt Corby, Tim Minchin, Boy & Bear, Colin Hay and many more.

In 2022, Georgia finished recording her highly anticipated debut solo album with acclaimed LA producer, Noah Georgeson (Cate Le Bon, Joanna Newsom, Marlon Williams). Recorded remotely across three continents, it features a stellar international cast of musicians including Rob Moose (Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver), Marcus Hamblett (Laura Marling, Villagers), Sam Dixon (SIA, Adele), Ben Edgar (Gotye, Angus & Julia Stone) and Evan Mannell (Paul Kelly, Tim Minchin).

There is beauty, drama, sentimentality and breathtaking musicality in this record, all culminating in a truly unique sound that marks the arrival of a major talent.

Honest, and refreshingly self-assured, Georgia State Line’s unique brand of country-infused melancholy yields music that’s equal parts heartsick and hopeful. It is the stage moniker of Australian singer songwriter Georgia Delves, whose voice has a depth and grace to rival even the most revered of talents.

“Delves has the sort of velvety-rich voice that could tell you the wildest stories and you’d want to believe her. It is deep, warm, momentarily heartbroken, then soaringly defiant.” – Audiofemme (NY)

Since the release of 2021’s long-awaited debut album “In Colour” (Cheatin’ Hearts Records/ Spunk Records) Georgia State Line has been nominated for Best County Act by Music Victoria, debuting at #4 on the ARIA Australian Country Albums Chart, and placing in the Top 10 Australian Independent Records (AIR) chart. The album received 4 stars by NME, praising Delves as a “Bendigo-born Lucinda Williams.”

Shining with empathy and courage, it’s a release that further cements Georgia State Line’s place at the heart of exciting Australian music-making.

Together with her band of the country’s finest players, (Tom Brooks, Patrick Wilson, Laura Baxter) their unparalleled blend between old and new world country music has seen them become festival favourites across Australia including Out On The Weekend, Tamworth Country Music Festival and Australian Music Week. They’ve shared line-ups with Margo Price (USA), Erin Rae (USA) and Courtney Marie Andrews (USA), opened tours for heavyweights Eilen Jewell (USA) and Justin Townes Earle (USA), and continue to carve out their infallible imprint as “emerging hot-shots” to watch. (Love Police Touring)

With six highly-regarded albums and music featured in movies and documentaries such as The Emu Runner and John Pilger’s Utopia, Nhunggabarra, Kooma man and international touring singer-songwriter Glenn Skuthorpe is a powerful lyricist and composer who gives voice to those whose stories must be heard.

A compelling performer whose playing style is captivating, engaging audiences in the stories behind his journeys. Glenn has performed on stages big and small with some living legends in his career including Buffy Sainte-Marie, Steve Earle, Tex Perkins, Troy Cassar-Daley, Kev Carmody, Archie Roach, Rory McLeod, Michelle Shocked, Buddy Miller and Mary Gauthier.

Glenn is currently recording his 7th double album following a string of highly successful tours, Byron Bay Blues Fest, Woodford, The Gulf Country Frontier Days Festival, Cygnet, Calgary and Edmonton Folk Festivals, Woodford Folk Festival, Meeanjin Markets Festival, Broome Saltwater Festival and the overall Best Music Award at Adelaide Fringe 2021. Prepare for an infusion of genres with vibes of dirty street blues to dusty plains and wide-open skies.

Gretta started her career as an Opera singer and Bagpipe Teacher, her vocal style has changed somewhat since then, she does on the odd occasion incorporate bagpipes into her set… after all, there aren’t many folks that can sing AND play Long Way to the Top !!

But Gretta isn’t just a one trick pony, If you’ve been foolish enough to think you’ve nailed down her sound then prepare to have the rug pulled out from under you. Ziller’s roots span jazz, blues, rock, pop and classical, and that eclecticism is reflected in her songwriting. Her sound may bear the hallmarks of classic Americana music but its essence is far more diverse.

Her 2017 debut album ‘Queen of Boomtown’ received critical acclaim, it was long-listed for the Australian Music Prize in 2018 and received an Age Music Victoria Awards Nomination. In 2020 Gretta received an AIR Women In Music mentorship. 2020 also saw Gretta release the first single from her forthcoming album from a new home, signing to ABC Music.

Gretta Ziller returned in 2021 participating in the Global Music Match program through Sounds Australia she also released her sophomore album ‘Judas tree’ in September, which was also long-listed for the Australian Music Prize. 2022, sees Gretta return to the studio to record her third album as well as head back to touring across Australia.

Joel Havea is a man of many talents. A skilled songwriter, natural singer, unique guitarist and an overall engaging performer whose songs demonstrate his wide ranging musical and cultural influences. Since 2012, the Tongan born, Melbourne raised and European-based musician has played more than 800 concerts in over 20 countries on 4 continents and established himself (whether solo or with his trio) as a fixture on the European club and festival circuit. Highlights include performances at Bardentreffen World Music Festival (Nuremberg, DE), Reeperbahn Festival (Hamburg, DE), London Folk Festival (UK), Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival (Australia), Copenhagen Songwriters Festival (Denmark) and the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

Since 2015, Joel has been playing with his Hamburg based trio, namely Leo Lazar (Drums) and Arnd Geise (Bass). Both are highly sought-after session musicians whose varied musical influences of rock, jazz and fusion, add another dimension to Joel’s soulful blues and roots songwriting. Having honed their live show over countless European tours, the band is a dynamic force whenever they take the stage. In addition to his debut album “You Make Me Believe” (2012) and the follow up acoustic EP “Strings & Wood” (2014), he has also released “Setting Sail” (2017) with his trio and “One Hand Clapping” (2018), a soundtrack to the novel “Rowan & Eris” by Australian author Campbell Jefferys. All of these records have been released on his label, Tastic Records, and were all self-made, self-financed productions. Songs from all releases have racked up generous radio plays in Europe including NDR Hamburg, Nordwestradio Bremen, FM4, FluxFM Berlin, Radioeins and Deutschlandradio Kultur.

On his trio’s latest record “Ki ‘a Lavaka”, (Apr, 2020) Joel delved into the music from his country of birth for the first time. The album pays homage to the long line of well-respected Havea songwriters from the tropical island Kingdom. The result is a reflection of his roots as a true world citizen, adding another element to his already eclectic style. Furthermore his unique background made him an ideal candidate for the ”Outlaw Ocean Music Project“ from Pulitzer Prize winning Journalist, Ian Urbina. The resulting songs on the ”Mother Moana EP” (Dec, 2021) are a reflection of the books disparate themes and Joel’s varied and diverse musical influences.

2022 Star Maker Grand Finalist, Loren Ryan, is a Twenty-seven-year-old, First Nations Australian from the Gamilaraay people, native to North-West NSW – Tamworth. Loren combines her love of music and language and showcases both in a captivating splendour.

Writing original songs and translating well-known Australian songs into her “Ngamba Dhalaay” mother’s tongue. Honest & careworn, Loren’s voice can touch on zealous, limitless, and convicted all in a line resonating over a modern-acoustic grass-roots, country sound. It’s an alluring blend, like Chris Stapleton meets Beyonce.

Throughout her career, Loren has shared the stage with Troy Cassar-Daley, performed a duet on the main stage at the 2017 Gympie Music Muster with Jessica Mauboy and harmonised with Kelly Rowland on the 2017 series of The Voice AU. Her most loved release is a version of Flame Trees, that she translated into Gamilaraay language, recieving over 100k streams on Spotify. Loren has had her first ever hit single with her latest release “Eventually” landing the #1 spot on the Australian iTunes Country Chart.

Loren wants to continue to seamlessly blend her traditional language with English and good country music, open for big acts, record albums, travel, tour, win Golden Guitars, and break into the US charts.

Singer/songwriter Martha Marlow has received widespread critical acclaim since the release of her ARIA nominated debut album ‘Medicine Man’ last year. Recently shortlisted among 9 artists from a field of 110 finalists for the 2022 Australian Music Prize, in January Martha performed songs from her album at a sold-out Sydney City Recital Hall with her band of jazz luminaries including bass player Jonathan Zwartz and a 17-piece chamber orchestra conducted by Nigel Westlake. This performance was “to an audience that rewards her with a rapturous adulation and no less than three standing ovations… a voice which promises in time to rank alongside the greats whose influences she wears so well.” SMH 16 January 2022 S. Razavi.

Recent accolades for Medicine Man
• ARIA Award Nomination 2021 – Best Blues & Roots Album.
• Australian Music Prize 2021 Shortlist of 9 Finalists
• Australian Women in Music Awards 2021 Nominated Best Emerging Artist
• Album of the Week auReview June 2021
• Double J Best 50 Albums of 2021, “Packet Album” June 2021 ; ABC Local Radio airplay
• Featured in Daily Telegraph; Spectrum Sydney Morning Herald/Age; Women’s Weekly; Inside Story; The Music Show Radio National
• Performed on stage at TEDxSydney November 2021

Martha lives with a rare auto inflammatory condition that provides many challenges in terms of accessibility in the music industry. Living with a disability, however, positively informs the narrative of Martha’s song writing and she bravely overcomes these challenges and is excited to perform for her upcoming touring schedule.

Melanie has been described by the Sydney Morning Herald as having a voice of ‘the utmost delicateness’, as a ‘songwriting gem’ by The Australian. Based in Candelo in southern NSW, Melanie has recorded Eleven albums and EPs including her latest solo album, ‘Trobairitz’. Melanie’s critically acclaimed album The Cloud Appreciation Society was long-listed for the 2013 Australian Music Prize, Quatre Chemins for the 2015 Australian Music Prize, and she was nominated for an APRA award in 2011.

She has toured with Glen Hansard and The Frames, Jason Mraz, Bernard Fanning, Lou Rhodes, Slaid Cleaves and Sarah Blasko among others, as well as touring extensively on her own in Australia and Europe. Melanie recorded an album in French, which was funded by the highly successful Pozible campaign and gave Melanie a six month residency in France, writing songs with poet Alain Rivet and pop icon Helena Noguerra. Melanie has also written songs with Wendy Matthews and Catherine Britt, and for film and television. She has recently returned from showcasing at the International Folk Alliance in Montreal. She is also in Australian country band THE NEW GRACES who debuted at number one on the ARIA chart.

Nancy Bates is a celebrated First Nation’s Australian singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and current nominee for the Australian Women in Music’s Humanitarian Award. Bates has been formally acknowledged by the Australian Performing Rights Association as an Ambassador, recently joining forces with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra on a performance of her original composition, ‘Ruby’, a dedication to the late Ruby Hunter.

Four years on the road with arguably Australia’s most compelling writers and performers, Archie Roach, have spurred Bates on to become a powerful presence on stage, an advocate for Mental Health, and tireless campaigner for climate action, and human rights. In recent years she has collaborated with many women in prison, turning their experiences of pain and loss into beautiful music. Currently under way is the production of documentary, “Songs from the Inside” premiering internationally in 2023.

“Nancy has weaponised every bit of her privilege and used her own survival to liberate the hearts and minds of people on the inside. She literally gathers up all her light and takes it into one of the darkest places I have ever known – she’s like an angel dancing in the depths of hell, but an angel who brings two buckets of water with her to alleviate the pain of those burning alive.” – First Nations Abolitionist Tabitha Lean.

In 2022 Nancy performed at WOMADelaide as part of the Dhungala Baarka Quartet, receiving a standing ovation, and favourable reviews. Bates’ production of ‘Still Talkin’ Bout a Revolution’ received the Adelaide Fringe Festival’s Best Music Award.

Nigel Wearne is an Australian singer-songwriter, luthier, poet and gleaner. Equipped with personally handcrafted instruments, he melds finger-style guitar, ‘up’-hammer banjo, piano and honest storytelling. Gleaning diverse influence from Tom Waits, Joe Henry and Gillian Welch, he tells stories of forgotten rebels, wandering poets and true tales of Australian history. Nigel has toured Australia, New Zealand and Canada and he’s performed at a long list of music festivals, including the Port Fairy Folk Festival, Adelaide Fringe and Queenscliff Music Festival.

His sophomore album, ‘Black Crow’ garnered wide critical acclaim including a 4-star review in Rolling Stone, a nomination for Best Country Album at the Music Victoria Awards and it debuted at #1 on the AMRAP Charts. A storyteller at heart, Nigel paints lyrical pictures with “the narrative-fuelled prose of Paul Kelly” – Beat Magazine. “One of Australia’s emerging songwriters” – Tone Deaf. “Warmth flecked with grit… beauty awaits” – 4 Stars, Rolling Stone.

Nigel’s upcoming album ‘The Reckoning’ is set for release in early 2023.

Parvyn Singh is a Punjabi Australian singer, dancer and musician based in Adelaide. Best known for her work as vocalist in cult psychedelic band The Bombay Royale, Parvyn’s creative practice extends to beat making, composition and choreography. Her work is informed by electronica and jazz, her background in Sikh devotional music and her training in classical Indian music and dance.

Parvyn has spent her life on the stage, beginning her international touring career in her father, Dya Singh’s ensemble at the age of seven. As performers of Sikh relifious music, their work is held in high esteem by Sikh communities across the globe.

In 2010 Parvyn was a founding member of The Bombay Royale, who in 2012 released their first album ‘You Me Bullets Love’, which went straight to number 1 on the iTunes ‘world’ charts. Licensing deals with HBO TV’s ‘Better Call Saul’ and Unisoft Games ‘Far Cry 4’ helped to increase the bands international profile.

Parvyn’s current solo project synthesises a lifetime of work and represents a new step in her practice.

Her debut record ‘Sa’ released late 2021, was heralded as a ‘multigenre, multicultural masterpiece’ (The Australian newspaper), and nominated for the prestigious Australian Music Prize (AMP). With influences from Bjork to Anoushka Shankar, it is immersed in a reflective world of different cultures and perspectives.

Australia-based musician and writer Ruby Gill was raised in the forests of South Africa. It was there where she learnt to tell stories. But it is in Naarm/Melbourne where she has truly learnt to fly.

Her captivating lyricism, effortless musicality and unforgettable honesty – reminiscent of early Joni Mitchell or Fiona Apple – have earned Ruby’s recordings and performances the reputation of unmissable, sharing her unique insight into the worlds of birds, border security and panic attacks to rave response. The music speaks for itself, with her lyrics almost always appearing in quotation marks.

In 2018, the Johannesburg-born songwriter unleashed her debut single ‘Your Mum’ to hundreds of thousands of streams, shocked global reviews and a full add from triple j in its first week – In the words of triple j’s Zan Rowe, “excuse me while I scrape myself off the floor.”

Her immense voice, heavy Jaguar, heavier piano and scarily vulnerable stage presence have since appeared on festivals and stages around the world, from Oppikoppi to Woodford. She was awarded the Emerging Artist of the Year at Port Fairy Folk Festival and has previously supported the likes of Lime Cordiale, Didirri, Liz Stringer and The Teskey Brothers.

Ruby’s most recent work, ‘you should do this for a living’, is a song about what it takes to navigate male power, pressure and coercion in the music industry. The song was written, recorded and produced in Melbourne/Naarm and features a choir of prominent female-identifying voices, Angie McMahon, Maple Gilder, Mimi Gilbert, Hannah Cameron and Hannah Blackburn.

One of Australia’s most highly regarded folk singers, Ruth Hazleton is a multi-award-winning instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. In 2021 Ruth participated in Global Music Match and was also awarded ‘Artist of the Year (solo)’ at the inaugural Australian Folk Music Awards.

In a career spanning over twenty-five years (with multiple acts including duo Kate Burke & Ruth Hazleton), she has recorded and toured nationally and internationally and been privileged to work with some of the world’s most iconic folk & roots musicians including Andy Irvine (IRE – Planxty), Nancy Kerr & The Sweet Visitor Band (UK – 2015, BBC Folk Singer of the Year), James Keelaghan (Canada) & Bruce Molsky (USA).

Equipped with an electric guitar tuned to DADGAD and an open-back 5-string banjo, Ruth began her solo journey in 2019, releasing ‘Daisywheel’, produced by acclaimed musician and composer Luke Plumb (Shooglenifty). The album was nominated for ‘Best Folk Album 2020’ at the Music Victoria Awards and has been described as “…compelling and intimately fierce” (Living Tradition – UK).

‘Daisywheel’ is a lyrical voyage of history, struggle & resilience in song; a confluence of ancient and contemporary and a cross-cultural zeitgeist. At times unapologetically political, the repertoire incorporates the many influences that have shaped Ruth’s musicianship over the years, escaping strict boundaries of genre. There are flavours of Celtic trad, old-time American music, Eastern European & Middle Eastern music and folk-rock with washes of electronic programming and beats.

Intrinsic to her musical identity, Ruth also works as a rogue folklorist and oral historian and is a committed activist and advocate for independent music and folk culture in Australia.

“Imagine Fleetwood Mac with more of an organic, Celtic-inflected lilt of vocals and melody and you have a rough idea of why Australia’s Heart Collectors are so instantly appealing. There is a vibrant and timeless allure to their music that is resistant to the fashion of the moment, and all the more enduring because of it. Kymrie’s voice is the stuff angel’s wings are made of.” – John T Davis, author of ‘Austin City Limits: ’25 Years Of American Music’

With the sentimentality of 70’s inspired harmonies, Australian four piece ‘Epic Folk’ band The Heart Collectors have graced stages around the world, accomplishing three international tours and releasing four studio albums. Picked as one of the ‘Top Bands To See’ at SXSW (The Austin Statesman), this independent group have found creative ways of staying connected throughout the 2020 lockdowns and the cancellation of their USA and UK tours. The Hearts released their latest album Time To Say I Love You (2020) one single a fortnight, featured on Spotify with The Guardians “Australian Music for Isolated Times” and Sounds Australia’s “Sounds Australia Selects” playlists. In September 2020, The Hearts were selected to be 1 of 12 Australian artists for the Premier Event Global Music Match – a world wide initiative to connect musicians and industry in the face of COVID-19 restrictions.

The Heart Collectors have momentum in 2021, joining Folk Alliance International for ‘Folk Unlocked’ Private Showcases, ‘ISOL-AID Unlocked’, and the ‘Artists In (Their) Residence’ programme. As possibilities opened for touring in Australia again, The Hearts embarked on a Statewide tour of Tasmania this January/February to Sold Out audiences. With soaring cello, intricate guitar, sparkling mandolin, boot banging banjo, passionate strikes of a tambourine and the thundering of the bodhran, these four charismatic performers create real musical synergy, marrying progressive folk/rock sensibilities and clean classical precision.

Get ready to have your heart collected.

2021 CMAA ‘Golden Guitar’, Australian Folk Music and Music Victoria Award winners, The Weeping Willows (Laura Coates and Andrew Wrigglesworth) are a couple of old souls, steeped in Bluegrass tradition and draped in Gothic Americana imagery. They regale their audiences with stories of sunshine and romance, God and The Devil, murder and decay. That kind of description might make them sound like some carefully contrived concept-act but there’s something truly different about The Weeping Willows: they really mean it…

2017-2021 saw The Weeping Willows nominated for 10 x CMAA ‘Golden Guitar’ awards, 4 x Country Music Channel (CMC) awards, 2 x Australian Folk Music Awards (AFMAs), Live Act of the Year (Country) in the National Live Music Awards (NLMAs), performing at AmericanaFest (USA), Folk Alliance International (USA), Maverick Festival (UK), Port Fairy Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Out On The Weekend and the Australian Americana Music Honours.

In recent years they have supported Lukas Nelson & POTR (USA), Hayes Carll (USA), Iris DeMent (USA), Eilen Jewell (USA) and Willie Watson (USA) and completed national and international tours in support of their sophomore album, Before Darkness Comes A-Callin’, which received four-star reviews in Rolling Stone, The Australian and The Music. A Weeping Willows performance, whether live on location or caught on tape will always delight.

They’re folk that resemble everything else: Bringing captivating originals, strange stories and incredible energy, they pack punches but have songs to heal your scars.

Featuring a foot-stomping Kiwi girl and an Australian country boy, We Mavericks make music that is more than the sum of its parts. Lindsay Martin’s masterful strings and vocal meets Victoria Vigenser’s mesmerising voice, with driving rhythms and a connection you have to hear to believe.

A certain trademark tightness and their strangely gritty, evocative performances have seen them on a steep and fast rise to festivals and shows in both home countries;
Nominated “Best Folk Artist” in the Aotearoa (NZ) Music Awards 2022, nominated Australian Folk Music Awards “Artists of the Year, Best Duo/Group/Ensemble” 2021 and recipients of the 2020 Troubadour Foundation Award, We Mavericks’ organic blend of lyrical pop and acoustic folk vibes has echoes of soulful Americana and Celtic roots amongst the harmonies.

The songs are born of Vigenser and Martin’s shared and somewhat unusual exploration of the harder subjects in life, especially the relationships with self, with others, with memories and with hope. They’re rich in vocal harmony, hooky melodies and beautifully dexterous string work.

Now with the keenly-awaited duo debut album “Grief’s a Gardener” they bring connected and grounding original songs that can melt even the hardest of hearts.

Fuelled by a fiercely uncommon authenticity and limitless vision for the magnitude of her craft, violinist and collaborator, XANI (Xani Kolac) is amongst the most celebrated musicians of her generation.

An AU Review Best Live Instrumentalist award nominee and ten-year stalwart of the Australian indie scene as a member of The Twoks, Xani has since joined forces with Tim Rogers, Jens Lekman, Kate Ceberano, My Friend The Chocolate Cake and Clare Bowditch, appearing live at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall and Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and on ABC’s RocKwiz. Xani’s unbridled joy and onstage energy has cemented her spot as sought-after feature performer for theatre shows including the multi-award-winning Come From Away (2019-20) and festival projects with Melbourne Theatre Company and Malthouse Theatre (Melbourne).

It’s for good reason too: this spellbinding brand of music-making is boldly, brilliantly, her own. Mesmerising adventures into the spaces between pop, jazz, electronic and chamber music repertoire are coloured by contrasts between the ferocity of her instrumental output and the unassuming warmth of her voice. Drawing parallels with the ethereal, multi-skilled likes of Camille, Björk and Australian legend of song-and-stage, Tim Minchin, pedals, effects and completely improvised live sets are all home turf for Kolac, a true musician of the rarest skill.

The corner of the music world that Xani has come to occupy has neither walls nor ceilings. All-at-once unique in artistic quality and fearless in her defiance of genre-based boundaries, “I’ve never strived for anything but freedom,” she says, “using what I’ve learned in one world to create a bridge to the next.”

Rising from the COVID-driven assault on Australia’s music scene to embrace live streaming, self-production and co-writing with her audience, new album, From the Bottom of the Well is XANI’s brave, intimate, and cutting exploration of personal growth, revelations and sadness from the rock-bottom of 2020.