ARTS QUEENSLAND HELPS FUEL FOLK MUSIC ON THE ROAD
With thousands of kilometres to cover between Mullumbimby and Woodford, Festival of Small Halls organisers are grateful to Arts Queensland for their confirmed support of the recently announced Summer Tour.
Arts Minister, Ian Walker, said the Queensland Government was supporting the Festival of Small Halls through the Playing Queensland Fund for arts touring.
“The Playing Queensland Fund is all about ensuring regional Queenslanders experience great arts and culture locally and the Festival of Small Halls will deliver that to venues across the state,” Mr Walker said.
The funding will be used to assist in travel and accommodation costs on a tour that takes Australian folk outfit The Mae Trio and international artist Del Barber over 7000 kilometres to 17 destinations throughout Queensland from November 22 through to the end of December.
There’s a vast difference between the prairies of Manitoba, Canada, and the East Coast of Queensland, and Barber, one of Canada’s rising folk, Americana and alt-country singer-songwriters, will be able to sing about both after this summer’s tour. With Del’s latest album, his fourth to date, ‘Prairieography’, released this year through Planet MGM, the Canadian performer is keenly anticipating his debut tour to Australia.
“Australia really does seem like a world away from mine. It has always been mythical and other to me; a place I have been dreaming of seeing with my own eyes”, says Del.
“I’m most excited to visit rural Australia. It is after all a vast country not unlike Canada. What I truly cherish about home exists far from the skyscrapers and traffic of the cities, where I find peace is in small communities, usually around farmers and ranchers. I can’t wait for an Australian taste of that more than anything else.”
“Prairieography turns geography into poetry” – BOSTON GLOBE 2014
“Prairieography is full of stories of small town longing and big town regret.
Drifters choose between oil, iron, cattle or if they’re lucky, hockey …
the most fully realised, triumphant album of the songwriter’s young career … 4 stars”
– AMERICAN SONGWRITER 2014
The Juno nominated and Western Canadian Music Awards winning artist will be performing headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney, before undertaking 17 dates with The Mae Trio throughout regional Queensland, as well as performing at both the Mullum Music and Woodford Folk Festivals.
This is the second year the Mullum Music Festival has partnered with the Festival of Small Halls, bookending the five-week tour with the Woodford Folk Festival, and this year Mullum Festival patrons will be treated to two Halls show as part of the incredible weekend program.
The shows at Mullum will be special. Not only are they Del’s first shows on the tour, they’re the coming together of both the Spring and Summer Small Halls tours, which means the concerts are a folk-pop explosion of all the artists who’ve appeared: Del Barber (Canada), Andy Brown (Canada), The Mae Trio (Australia) and Mullum’s own, Starboard Cannons.
See ‘Big Smoke’ from ‘Prairieography’ HERE
See what happened when Del Barber met The Mae Trio earlier this year at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City HERE
Modeled on a traditional Australian hall experience, the Festival of Small Halls Summer Tour concentrates on visiting towns where communities are strong, but may not have access to high quality musical acts due to their remote locations, or lack of a suitable venue. Artists playing the Festival of Small Halls are chosen not only for the high calibre of their music, but for their enthusiasm and willingness to become part of the community for the brief time that they pass through – a perfect fit for the country halls that populate our country.
Tickets are on sale now at www.festivalofsmallhalls.com and at community outlets.
The Festival of Small Halls Queensland Summer Tour is presented by the Woodford Folk Festival in partnership with the Mullum Music Festival.
This project is supported by the the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts.
FESTIVAL OF SMALL HALLS 2014 SUMMER TOUR DATES
Saturday 22 November – Mullum Music Festival (NSW)
Sunday 23 November – Mullum Music Festival (NSW)
Saturday 29 November – Hervey Bay
Sunday 30 November – Yeppoon
Monday 1 December – St Lawrence
Tuesday 2 December – Sarina
Wednesday 3 December – Thuringowa
Thursday 4 December – Carmila
Friday 5 December – Degilbio
Saturday 6 December – Mt Nebo
Sunday 7 December – Carbarlah
Thursday 11 December – Beerwah
Friday 12 December – Wallaville
Saturday 13 December – Eumundi
Sunday 14 December – Cleveland
Wednesday 17 December – Caloundra
Thursday 18 December – Mudgeeraba
Saturday 20 December – Moore
Sunday 21 December – Mt Mee
Saturday 28 December – Woodford Folk Festival
For more information or tickets go to www.festivalofsmallhalls.com
