Streets, parks and businesses in regional towns across NSW are set to get a fat dose of live music, thanks to a new initiative to bring micro-festivals to the bush.
Punters living in Orange, Newcastle, Tenterfield, Tweed Shire, Wagga Wagga, Kempsey, Armidale and Mudgee will be treated to a new suite of “live and local” events, with the state government splashing out $150,000 to fund the program.
“From a bike shop to a butcher shop and plenty of other places in between, musicians will provide free family entertainment for NSW regional communities,” says Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro, adding that it’s all about giving local musos opportunities to perform in front of their communities, while boosting local business as well.
“These events are a fantastic way of bringing local musicians and businesses together, it’ll benefit local retail and we might just unearth the next big thing in Australian music,” he predicts.
While Minister for the Arts Don Harwin adds: “This is a great initiative where Councils can offer local artists a platform to be heard. From school bands to rock bands, locals will be entertained by locals for free.”
The funding is administered by Live Music Office on behalf of Create NSW, and will be used to cover the cost of fees for musicians, curators and technicians involved in the events (i.e. the artists won’t be expected to play for free).
Interested musos from the towns listed should be able to hit up their local councils for more info.
