After outgrowing a series of indoor halls, concert spaces and ballrooms, Melbourne’s favourite annual bluegrass festival is heading outdoors amongst the Heritage Village in Bundoora Park.
“We always felt that the natural home for JamGrass was outdoors, and this year it will be”, said festival director Jason Taylor.
What started in 2010 as celebration of jambands and more traditional forms of string band music has evolved into an outdoor, genre-crossing music festival. Complete with a huge line-up, art installations, and food vans set amongst the large trees, sloping lawn and heritage buildings of Bundoora Park, the setting couldn’t be more perfect. Conveniently, it’s all still easily accessible from the 86 Tram.
In tradition of the festival, Friday night is always a high energy party, a reunion of musos, fans and regular festival goers who keep coming back year after year. This year will be no different with a launch party at the Spotted Mallard headlined by Sydney band The Morrisons, Melbourne’s own Scrimshaw Four and a rare appearance by The Ramblin’ Roses. The smaller Friday venue means tickets for the launch party will be extremely limited.
The main festival day includes a massive line-up of JamGrass favourites and exciting new acts will play through the afternoon and into the night surrounded by the JamGrass psychedelic garden. This year’s program is the most diverse yet, continuing to demonstrate the link between traditional forms of music, and new progressive genres. Headlining the Saturday program are:
- Harts – the one-man music making machine that blends classic 70s Rock, and Funk into his own hybrid sound that is uniquely, Harts.
- TinPan Orange – who will have a recently launched EP of their 60’s inspired trippy folk.
- Mustered Courage – Melbourne’s bluegrass rockers fresh back from a massive US tour including
appearances at the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado.
- Richard In Your Mind – Sydney’s sitar wielding, 5 piece, psychedelic-pop rockers.
- Quarry Mountain Dead Rats – with their highly danceable bluegrass music played with a rock ‘n’ roll
spirit.
SATURDAY 7-Nov
JAMGRASS MUSIC FESTIVAL @ Bundoora Park Harts
Tinpan Orange
Mustered Courage
Richard In Your Mind
Quarry Mountain Dead Rats
The Morrisons
The Imprints
The String Contingent
The Stetson Family
John Flanagan Trio
Mr. Alford Country
The Drunken Poachers
FRIDAY 6-Nov
JAMGRASS LAUNCH PARTY @ Spotted Mallard The Scrimshaw Four
The Morrisons
The Ramblin’ Roses
Astro Cobalt
Little Rabbit
The Weeping Willows
