Wongawilli Bush Band 

WHAT'S ON THIS PAGE -

About the Band Dance Recent Performances Quotes Song List Awards Gigs over the Years 1992 Australian Tour The Wombats, North American Tour, 2001

Recordings        Australian Traditional Dance Tunes - NEW          Live at the Local - NEW          Australian Selection -                    SOUND SAMPLES        Australian Tradition        After The Tradition        Tunes of Bert Jamieson        Bush & Folk Australian Mood Recording Wongawilli Band Recordings ORDER FORM Full Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club Catalogue with over 60 Australian traditional recordings and publications

BAND GIG GUIDE - where they're playing - pubs, dances, concerts, schools, folk festivals...

| Wongawilli Band Gig Guide | Wongawilli Band Page | Band Recordings & Details | Wongawilli Band Recordings Order Form |
| Introduction to Australian Bush Music and   Dance |
| Traditional Folklore Articles | Publications & Recordings for Sale |
| Australian Folk Festival | Illawarra Folk Festival | Illawarra Folk Club |
| Wongawilli Colonial Dancers | | David De Santi's Home Page | Links |

For more Australian recordings and publications see
Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club Inc. catalogue.

CONTACT DETAILS: David De Santi, PO Box 17, Albion Park, NSW, 2572
tel: 61 2 4257 1788 home   mobile: 0409 57 1788    fax: 61 2 4257 1787

The Band   Graeme Murray - main vocal, lagerphone, whistle, spoons Reg Murray - mandolin, banjo-mandolin, banjo Jason Roweth - guitar, vocal Chloe Roweth - main vocal, mandolin Jane Brownlee - violin, viola Tania De Santi - piano David De Santi - accordion, concertina

   About The Band  

The band was originally formed in 1987 to help promote, preserve and perform Australia's rich tradition of music, song and dance. The year 1988 proved to be a busy one with the band gaining quick popularity and performing at over 50 functions. The band combined on many occasions with the Wongawilli Colonial Dancers to present a unique presentation of Australian bush music and dancing.

The band has become well known throughout Australia with performances at all major folk festivals - Maleny, Port Fairy, Victor Harbour, the National Folk Festival (10 times).

The year 1998 saw a major change for the band. Two of its long standing members John Harpley and Neil McCann decided to move on. John moved to Yass and Neil, the band's primary songwriter, is enjoying music with his family band, Cara.

The new youthful additions to the band are Jason and Chloe Roweth from Bathurst and fiddler Jane Brownlee from Sydney. They join father and son, Graeme and Reg Murray, and husband and wife, David and Tania De Santi (Jane's older sister). Jason

Last year also saw the release of a compilation recording of the band's two previous productions - After The Tradition and Australian Selection. They were released in North America by Musica Pangaea, who are specialising in world and Australian Folk Music. The new recording is titled Australian Tradition and is 78 minutes long and is receiving airplay in the US, Canada, Europe and the Mid-East.

Other projects during the year have been playing with the BHP Youth Orchestra and the SBS Radio Television Choir  as part of a special presentation on migration songs, dances and music in Australia, titled the Southern Cross is Calling.

The band continues to help with the organising of the Illawarra Folk Festival at Jamberoo, with David De Santi as director for the past 5 years.

The band along with Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club have also established the Australian Folk Festival at Kiama to provide a more focused event based on Australian folk music.

The aim of the group was and still is to perform and promote and hence preserve Australia's rich heritage of music, singing and dancing. The band prides itself in the truly Australian dances it performs such as the Varsoviana, the Schottische, the Quadrilles and Galops in addition to the normal bush dances expected by bush bands.

The new band has just released a new recording 'Live at the Local' and members have continued publishing books on Australian folk material through the Pioneer Performer Series.

   Dance  

The band is well known for its dance music and Australian dance repertoire, with over 80 dances in the band's repertoire. Performances have been provided for the National Folk Festival on a number of ocassions, Bush Music Club, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide Colonial Balls.

The following is a selection the band can teach and present.

The band has issued a Double CD of 85 tunes arranged in 23 sets for Australian Bush Dances. There is also a bonus CD Rom with dance instructions, music, notes and articles. Order the Dance CD.

   Recent Performances  

Mount Bueaty Music Muster, Woodford Folk Festival, Canowindra BalloonFest, the National Folk Festival at Canberra (over the past 11 years), High Country Muster at Mount Hotham, Sydney Opera House Outdoor Entertainment, Opera House Folkloric Festival, Australian Bush Festival, Rockhampton, Qld, FolkFestival at Port Fairy (Vic.), Jamberoo, Maleny, Adelaide, Concert in the Abercrombie Caves, appearances in the film, Kings in Grass Castles.

   What they've said about the band  

... this ensemble is highly regarded in the field of interpreting authentic Australian traditional music, song and dance as a performance art. The group is recognised in Australia as a leading force in the revitalisation of our folk traditions ...   
Warren Fahey AM, JP, Festival Records

... Wongawilli Band, based in the culturally-rich Illawarra region are nationally recognised as one of, if not the, finest exponents, collectors and presenters of Australian traditional 'Bush' music. Their stage performances are distinctively 'Australian' whilst having a wide general appeal with their lively rhythms and music coupled with lyrics which frequently carry the wry humour of the Australian 'bushie' ....   
Bernard Bolan, President Folk Federation of NSW

... They present entertaining and distinctive interpreations of traditional and tradition-influenced Australian folk songs and tunes and have won many awards and appeared at many major festivals and venues ... 
Jamie McKew OAM, Festival Director for Port Fairy Folk Festival

   Awards 

The band has aimed at trying to be different from the average bush band by performing unfamiliar yet entertaining music. This formula seems to have received national recognition with 16 awards at the 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994 Australian Bush Music Festival and Bush Band Championships namely in the Australian Bush Music Awards (pre-recorded entries)

• Best Traditional Bush Band, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 & 1994
• Best Instrumental, 1990
• Best Contemporary Bush Band, 1991 & 1994

and in the Australian Bush Band Championships (live at the Festival)

• Best Traditional Bush Band, 1990 & 1992
• Best Bush Dance Band, 1990 & 1992

In particular the band's singer, Graeme Murray, received the 1991 Australian Bush Music Awards Best Male Vocalist ahead of John Williamson and Alan Scott. He has repeated the award in 1993 and 1994 and has become the "Voice of the Bush". He shared the award in 1993 with Pat Drummond.

Also the band's accordionist, David De Santi, along with Rob Willis of Forbes received the 1992 Australian Bush Music Heritage Award for their work in promoting and preserving Australian dance and music with the Pioneer Performers Series, a compilation of books and cassettes.

   Gigs over the years 

The band has played at numerous functions around the Illawarra and around Australia since 1987. Notable functions include

• 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993 , 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 & 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 National Folk Festivals in Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra respectively
• 1994 Ted Egan Spectacular, Alice Springs
• 1993/94 Maleny Folk Festival (Qld)
• 2000/2001, 2001/2002 Woodford Folk Festival

  2001 Mount Beauty Music Muster

• 1993, 1995, 1998 Port Fairy Folk Festival (Vic.)
• 1993 National Folkloric Dance Festival, Sydney Opera House
• 1990 to 1995 Australian Bush Music Festival
• 1987 to 2001 Jamberoo Valley Folk Festivals
• 1991 1994, 1996, 2000 South Australian State Folk Festival, at Goolwa & Victor Harbour
• 1996 & 2001 Tour of Tasmainia
• Canberra Colonial Ball
• Canberra Shearer's Ball
• Melbourne Colonial Ball
• The Sydney Opera House, Star City Casino & Regent Hotel
• Many 1988 Bicentennial Celebration functions such as the Bicentennial Exhibition, Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama and Shoalhaven Council Australia Day celebrations.

   1992 Australian Tour 

The band toured Australia from July to September 1992 with functions at the Adelaide Colonial Ball; Alice Springs Folk Club, Bush Dance; The Overlander Steakhouse, Alice Springs; Tennant Creek Folk Festival (NT); The Four Seasons Resort, Jabiru; Darwin Folk Club, Bush Dance; Armadale Folk Club (WA); Nannup Music Club (WA); and WA Folk Federation, Bush Dance in Perth.

   The Wombats  

Three members of Wongawilli - David and Tania De Santi and Jane Brownlee - were joined by Bruce Cameron from Bathurst for a tour of the western coast of North America in February 2001. They performed a majority of Wongawilli repertoire and received great responses.

More details on the tour and The Wombats.

   Recordings  

  Australian Traditional Dance Tunes  

$35 for the Double CD including bonus CD Rom 85 tunes arranged in 23 sets for Australian bush dances. 2 hours of music! Performed by Wongawilli. Produced by Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club Inc. Distributed by Shoestring Productions, Item No. SR34. Tune Book and Dance Instruction Book are also planned. CD 1 also includes a CD Rom featuring information about Australian folklore, the Wongawilli Band and Colonial Dancers, articles, photographs, sheet music and dance instructions for 31 dances common at Bush Dances. Released in September 2001.

More information     Order Form for Dance CD

  Live at the Local   

Live at The Local CD $20, Cassette $15  NEW! released November 1999 Over 72 minutes of folk music with 17 tracks recorded live at the Jamberoo Pub with the new lineup. Includes 12 songs sung by Graeme, Chloe and Jason and 19 instrumentl tunes. Live at the Local Tracks 1. Barn Dance Set (trad) tunes - Little Angeline, Stan Treacy's Schottische, Cosgrove's Schottische, Click Go The Shears 2. Give Me A Hut (trad) 3. The Ballad of Les Darcy (Clem Parkinson) 4. Tangmalangaloo (John O'Brien/Wongawilli) 5. Old Blokes Set Tunes (trad) tunes - Luke Oakley's, Bill McGlashan's Two Polkas, MacGregor's March, Bill McGlashan's Prince Imperials Tune 6. Freehold on the Plain (trad) 7. Jog Along Till Shearing (trad) / March of the Fairy Penguins (Maitland Swallow) 8. Coal Miner's Lament (Neil McCann) 9. Fairly Reel Set (trad) tunes - Fairy Reel, The Breakdown, Frank Collins Polka, White Cockatoo 10. Songs of the Bush (Jason & Chloe Roweth) 11. Battler's Ballad (Jack Wright/de Hugard/trad) 12. Pink Harmonium (trad/Simon Jeffs) tunes - Pink Ankle Rag, Music for a New Found Harmonium 13. Bonnie Moon (trad) 14. Moss Vale Train (trad/Alan Scott) 15. Shearer's Jamboree (Joan Martin & Eric Tutin) 16. Snags (L.Sicard/Tristan Glover) tunes -Phillipe Bruneua's Reel, Pink Elephants 17. Shoalhaven Man (Geoff Drummond)

1. Rum and Raspberry
2. The Year of '79
3. The Southern Cross is Calling Me
4. Town of Kiandra
5. Queensland Shed's Begun
6. The Swaggies Have All Waltzed Matilda Away
7. The Bottle Run
8. The Windmill Run
9. Bail Up
10. And When They Dance
11. When You're Flush
12. Year of the Drum
13. Call of the North
14. Song of the Bullock Driver
15. Pit Street Cocky
16. Waltzes: Under the Willow / Goodman's
17. Digger's Song
18. Jackson's
19. Binda Ball 1864
20. Set Tunes: Railway Hotel / Moonan Flat
21. Dasher's Home Brew
22. Larkin's Bar
23. A Night at Daisy Park

  Australian Selection     CD $20, cassette $12 -   SOUND SAMPLES    Words to Songs  

Over 70 minutes of traditional, contemporary and original songs and tunes, released in March 1994. Has received 5 awards at the 1994 Australian Bush Music Awards. CD includes 24 page lyric booklet, cassette a lyric sheet.

1. And When They Dance (Roy.C. Abbott).
2. Bald Hill (trad arr. Rob Willis)
3. When You're Flush (Tom Brittain/Bob Rummery)
4. Year of the Drum (Wendy Joseph)
5. First Set Tunes - Colin Charltons, Orley Benson's
6. Call of the North (Jack Sorenson/ Bob Rummery)
7. Song of the Bullock Driver (Henry Lawson/John Manifold, Mike Jackson)
8. Saturday Night at Marshall Mount (Neil McCann/ tune trad.)
9. Pitt Street Cocky (Tim O'Brien)
10. Waltzes - Under The Willow, Ernie Goodman's
11. Shearing Time (Edward R. Murray/tune trad.)
12. Diggers Song (words trad/David De Santi)
13. Irish Lords (Charles H. Souter/Martyn Wyndham Read
14. Jacksons (Walter Stores/trad)
15. Binda Ball 1864 (John Manifold/John Harpley)
16. Set Tunes - Railway Hotel, Moonan Flat
17. Dashers Home Brew (Reg Murray, P. Garner/tune adapted David De Santi)
18. Blue Gold, Butter and Redwood (Neil McCann/ tune trad)
19. Gundaroo Bullock (Andrew B. "Banjo" Paterson/ tune trad)
20.Mazurkas - Clementine, Vera Lee's
21. Larkins Bar (trad arr. David De Santi)
22. A Night at Daisy Park (Neil McCann/D.De Santi, J. Harpley)

  After The Tradition     cassette only $12

A selection of 13 traditional and contemporary songs and 13 traditional dance tunes. Songs include the Waterwitch, Rum & Raspbery, Southern Cross is Calling Me, Windmill Run, The Wee One, Swaggies Have all Waltzed Away, Ocean Liner, Bottle Run, and Bail Up. The recording has won 10 awards.

1. Rum and Raspberry (anon)
2. The Year of 79 ("Snowy Baker"/Brad Tate)
3. Collected Tunes Medley No. 1 - Bill Cooper's Polka, Bill Glashan's God Bless You & Bugger Me, Stan Treacy's Polka, Charlie Batchelor's Orotaba Waltz, Bill Cooper's Waltz, Bert Jamieson's Lancers Set Tune, Paddy Godden's Set Tune
4. The Southern Cross is Calling Me (Joe Paolacci)
5. Town of Kiandra or Wee One (anon)
6. Queensland Sheds Begun (Will Ogilvie/Martyn Wydnham-Read)
7. The Waterwitch (J.H. Davies/Brad Tate)
8. The Swaggies Have All Waltzed Matilda Away (Alistair Hulett)
9. Bottle Run (Barry Skipsey)
10. Collected Tunes Medley No. 2 - Harry Schulz's Schottische, Mrs Phillip's Rocking Schottische, Babes in the Woods (Varsoviana), Fred Holland's Johnny Hopalong (Varsoviana), Bill Gilbert's First Set Tune, Jim Wilkinson's Lancers Set Tune
11. Ocean Liner (Barry Skipsey)
12. The Windmill Run (Alan Mann)
13. Bail Up (Rob Fairbairn)

  Tunes of Bert Jamieson     cassette only, $10

Accompanies the publication. Bert's harmonica playing is joined by Rob and Olya Willis and Wongawilli to create a uniquely Australian bush music sound. The music is arranged to suit old traditional dances including the Lancers Quadrille, Varsoviana, Schottische and Mazurka. Other instruments include concertina, accordion, piano, whistle, violin, banjo-mandolin and spoons.

1. The Lancers Quadrille
2. Varsoviana
3. Highland Schottische
4. Mazurka
5. Schottische - Little Angeline, Ben Davey's
6. Waltzes - Write Me A Letter, Goodbye My Bluebell
7. Polka - Jenny Lind
8. Lancers Set Tunes
9. Set tunes - Dad's Tune, Old Dan Tucker

  Bush & Folk     Not for commercial sale - available to Media producers
produced by Logical Choice / Boosey & Hawkes

A compilation CD of instrumental music used for television, film and radio. The CD included 12 tracks from Wongawilli - mostly instrumental versions of songs from Australian Selection. The tracks have been played at the Royal Easter Show, The D-Generation Show, Channel Nine sports shows and who knows where else!

Tracks were:

1. Bullocky Song
2. Quadrille Tunes
3. The North is Calling Me
4. Road to Omeo
5. Railway Flats
6. Forbes Medley
7. Binda Waltz & Polka
8. Daisy Park
9. Meredith's Waltzes
10. Click go the Shears
11. Waltzing Matilda
12. Botany Bay
13. Clementine

Last revised: January 28, 2002 by David De Santi

CONTACT DETAILS: David De Santi, PO Box 17, Albion Park, NSW, 2572
tel: 61 2 4257 1788 home   mobile: 0409 57 1788    fax: 61 2 4257 1787

| Wongawilli Band | Wongawilli Band Gig Guide | Wongawilli Colonial Dancers |
| Wongawilli Band Recordings Order Form | Introduction to Australian Bush Music and Dance |
| Traditional Folklore Articles | Publications & Recordings for Sale |
| Australian Folk Music and Dance Gathering | Illawarra Folk Festival | Illawarra Folk Club |
| Wongawilli Colonial Dancers | David De Santi's Home Page | Links |