Port Fairy Folk Music Festival 2012

Port Fairy Folk Music Festival 2012

The first round of artists for the 2012 Port Fairy Folk Music Festival has been revealed, with 2012 seeing the Port Fairy Folk Music Festival celebrate 35 years of delivering world class music to the masses!

From 9th-12th of March 2012 the picturesque fishing village of Port Fairy plays host to one of the world's great folk festivals with the promise of four days of pure (and not so pure!) music heaven.

Each year this famous Celtic and colonial seaside landscape swells with artists from the far flung corners of the globe as 30,000 people descend upon the town to enjoy the surprising and at times quirky line-up that is Port Fairy Folk Music Festival.

Artists are brought in from countries including Finland, Sweden, Canada, UK, USA, French-Algeria... and of course within Australia.

With over 20 international and many national acts set for its 35th year celebration in 2012 the program pays homage to the best in folk, country, blues, jazz, bluegrass, acoustic rock and world roots with plenty more to be announced.

The 2012 line up won't disappoint with the bill boasting world renowned performers such as legend of the original New York folk scene Judy Collins; international folk-blues master of songcraft Eric Bibb (USA) in an exciting collaboration with one of Sweden's best guitar players of all time, Staffan Astner and Abigail Washburn from the smoke filled club scene of Beijing where she plays her banjo and sings old time Appalachian mountain music in Chinese to packed houses.

Also on the bill is Pierre Bensusan, French-Algerian innovator of modern Celtic flavoured guitar; from Canada the 2010 John Lennon Songwriting Contest winners Madison Violet with their utterly beautiful vocal style and the UK's Chris While & Julie Matthews who are recognised as two of the best songwriters to come out of the British Isles...

Add to that UK's internationally renowned troubadour Passenger; also from the UK Ahab, of whom the BBC's Bob Harris said “blistering live - alt-country edge and sheer class"; Canadian fiddler, singer, songwriter and stepdancer April Verch with her band and genre-bending cellist and vocalist Ben Sollee (USA) known for his percussive playing style and political activism.

Also popping by will be the band at the forefront of the new Irish wave, Beoga who have been described as "trad folk on steroids!"; Finnish fiddle fanatics Frigg who hail from the Fjords of the old country and promise a toe-tapping mix of Finnish and Norwegian folk; Kristina Olsen, one of the most entertaining and compelling performers on the international folk circuit; and many more to come....

On the Australian home front there is plenty to feed the local music cravings with performances by Clare Bowditch, My Friend The Chocolate Cake, Lanie Lane, The Bamboos, Mama Kin, Jeff Lang, The Davidson Brothers, Lucie Thorne, Tripod.

If that's not enough, these folks are also popping by : The Stiff Gins, The Pigs, Watussi, Flap!, Ami Williamson, Carus Thompson, The Cartridge Family, George Kamikawa & Noriko Tadano, Woohoo Review, Blue Heat, Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson, Damian Howard, Jugularity, Kamerunga, The Junes to name just a few....

More Details : www.portfairyfolkfestival.com