Andrew Maher will add to his family history when he takes to the stage at the Newport Folk Festival at the weekend.
The musician’s family – including his great great grandfather who founded the Newport Bowls Club – has a long connection with the suburb. The opening concert will be at the bowls club on Friday night.
Maher’s band, The Dirty Birds, will play their high-energy hybrid of country blues and blue grass at Paine Reserve on Saturday.
“We play a mix of mainly pre-war acoustic blues mixed with banjo so we call it delta blue grass,” Maher says.
The band is a tribute to the legacy of musician Dock Boggs, known for his unique combination of Appalachian old-time music and African-American blues.
Maher (or Curtis Nightshade as he’s known on stage) will perform with Don Kingsley (King) Crabbe and DG Beatless in the band’s first outing together.
Now in it’s fifth year, the Newport Folk Festival is a mix of music, entertainment, concerts, jam sessions, workshops, artists’ markets and children’s activities. It’s an initiative of the Newport Fiddle and Folk Club
“It’s a small festival but has a great range of music,” Maher says. “There’s acoustic music, rock’n’roll, Australian bush folk; pretty much everything from the blues, folk and roots area.
“It’s easy to get to, cheap and child-friendly – just a nice thing to do on a winter’s day.”
The festival line-up includes six orchestras, 12 local choirs, storytelling sessions, swing bands and guest speakers.
Festival-goers can learn juggling, percussion, didgeridoo, blues guitar, gypsy fiddle and how to sing in three-part harmony.
One of the showcase events is Ashley Davies’ production of Ned Kelly at the Substation, which includes a multimedia show and a six-piece band.
The festival will conclude where it began: at the bowls club, with Dancehall Racketeer playing a set of Western Swing on Sunday night.
Newport Folk Festival is on July 6-8.
For more information, visit nffc.org.au
