THANK YOU

The 2008 festival is looking like a whopper! The line-up has more highlights than you can poke the proverbial stick at. The stand-out feature this year is the quality of singer-songwriters. From North America we have Louden Wainwright III, Ron Sexsmith and Lucy Wainwright Roche. The iconic Danny O’Keefe comes to us from Seattle, accompanied by Kristina Olsen. Eleanor McEvoy joins us again from Ireland. We celebrate the bounty of Australia’s contemporary writing with Shane Howard, Kerrianne Cox, Kate Miller-Heidke, Andrew Winton, Kate Fagan and Dan Sultan.

On the instrumental front we have a tremendous variety of talented musicians. Jake Shimabukuro is the world’s most exciting ukulele exponent, who rose through the YouTube ranks to be an unmistakeable star on his diminutive axe. Mamadou Diabate is regarded as the stand-out virtuoso of the harp-like African Kora. Martin Hayes has no peer on Irish fiddle, beautifully supported by the guitar tracery of Dennis Cahill. Elana James, fresh from tours as fiddler with Bob Dylan plays ebullient swing and roots with her band of mates from the Hot Cub of Cowtown. Genticorum bring their powerful take on Québécois musical culture. Tjupurru will open your ears with his didgeribone and for aficionados of percussion we have the drum sounds of Circle of Rhythm.

There won’t be any shortage of the Blues influence in the Blue Mountains either. Hans Theesink makes his much anticipated return, and then there’s the Brewster Brothers with Jim Conway, The Fumes, Psycho Zydeco, Andrew Winton, Method and Clarke’s Gray Vest.

Add to all this the roots and gospel power of Ruthie Foster, the magic of the Chipolotas, the quirky bluegrass based satire of Truckstop Honeymoon and a smorgasbord of local Blue Mountains talent.

All this happens in the centre of a world heritage listed wilderness, in a town full of great restaurants, cafes, specialty shops and galleries.

Just some nice things people have said about the festival

• " ...easily the most substantial festival of its type" John Shand. SMH

• "exquisite! It really lifted everyone's spirit" Kavisha Mazzella

• "It is a beautifully crafted creature you have made" Bernard Bolan

• " ..Thanks for the enormous amount of energy, vision and dedication. Each of us has had an unforgettable weekend..."
  Alison De Jong and Family, Central Coast NSW.

• "I'm sure everybody there was as musically satisfied as I was, but importantly, the festival set a fine example of togetherness, appreciation and sanity for a crazy world" Julius Timmerman. Cornstalk Gazette