Articles:Features

The award-winning festival had its humble beginnings at Maleny in March 1987, and relocated to the present site at Woodford in 1993. Woodford is run largely by volunteers, which results in a chilled-out atmosphere among performers and audience alike. Not only does Woodford provide a great week of entertainment, it’s also a platform for the Australian creative industries, and has been known to host local performers who have gone on to achieve wider recognition in the Australian music industry. Xavier Rudd and the John Butler Trio are among the established Australian artists who have returned to perform on this occasion.
		Bill Smith joined by enthusiastic  children dancing to his tunes and beats (above)

Added to this list are 2006 ARIA award winners The Audreys, who performed at Woodford in 2005-2006, and this year returned as nationally renowned artists. “It’s a gorgeous festival,” says lead singer Taasha Coates. Five-time ARIAs nominee Lior performed at Woodford for the second time, and is equally enthusiastic about the festival. “There is a sense of community to Woodford and a sense of ownership, people have this pride in Woodford, they don’t feel they are paying just to come in. It’s really inspiring for an artist to be in that environment, I honestly think it’s the only festival that has that huge size and diversity but can also retain that sense of community,” says Lior.
		First time ARIAS nominee and Award winners for the 2006 ARIAS Blues and Roots album category - The Audreys (above) return to perform at the festival.

Double whammy: Talented Lior and special guest appearance by Xavier Rudd,  just prior to Xavier's own performance at the festival (above). It’s not just the musicians who love Woodford.   First-timer Shane Dundas of comedy duo The Umbilical Brothers enjoys the festival’s cruisey feel: “It’s amazing, it’s so much bigger than I thought it would be and it’s really well run.  I don’t sense any bad behaviour or any ill feeling here, it’s all positive and relaxed…..the hippy feel actually lives!”		Another musician who knows Woodford well is Brisbane-based Tyrone Noonan.  Tyrone is the originator and lead singer of the successful band George, who have performed at the festival in the past.  Tyrone returns this time as a solo artist and is quickly making his mark in his new career.  His opinion of the Woodford Folk Festival is simple and to the point: “It’s the best value festival in Australia”.
		Multi skilled artist and ARIA award winner Tyrone Noonan (above) adds some heavy soul to the festival which co-coincides with his current mini album title Heavy Soul Part 1.

From a first-timer to a regular, actor and television personality Ernie Dingo loves the diversity of the festival and the fact that it gives him a chance to catch up with regular festival mates, as well as see some of the regular performers.  Ernie says that the good thing about the festival is that he can just continue conversations left from the previous year’s festival. He says, “I love it. I used to go to the Maleny Festival when it was up there…I love it here, the thing about [Woodford] is that it has its own path; it’s not something that will shift. This is where it’s held every year. The streets are basically the same, the faces are basically the same, and the characters are basically the same.  It’s like: ‘here it is for one week of the year, and the other 51 weeks is getting back here again’.  It’s good fun”.

Article and photos by Chrissy Layton, AusNotebook Music & Creative 12/1/07

Associated article click on:  Woodford Folk Festival 2007/8

The Woodford Folk Festival website  www.woodfordfolkfestival.com