The 2015 Gympie Music Muster is just under a month away from kicking off yet another year of rockin' rural revelry, and the final elements are being put in place to ensure this year's event continues to be the cracking good time we've come to expect of the regional event over its lifetime.
It's certainly looking good as far as that's concerned, as organisers have now released the final batch of acts joining the line-up for next month's festival, which already carries significant gravitas thanks to drawcards such as Sheppard, Adam Brand, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Troy Cassar-Daley. Nonetheless, there's always room to be more impressive, so, to that end, Gympie Music Muster must be pretty stoked with nabbing ex-Goanna frontman Shane Howard to lead the last charge of artists, which also includes Golden Guitar-winning acts Melinda Schneider, Kristy Cox and Jetty Road, as well as acclaimed vocalist Adi Burgess and 2014 Talent Search finalist Mitchell King.
Also returning to Gympie will be Roo Arcus and local faves Stealing Lincoln, while veteran country stars Lindsay Butler & Shaza Leigh will perform together in a full-show format, punters can treat themselves to a spot of extra culture at Muster Poets at the Muster Club, led by Marco Gilori, or also massage the grey matter at a series of workshops, including Harmonica with Lawrie Minson and Guitar with Tim Gaze.
Meanwhile, there are a handful of new faces making the cut this year too, including The Mercurys, Jenny Queen, Mickey Pie, Matt Stillert, The Settlement, Briggenshaw and Tasha Amaraso, so it's not like you're short on reasons to venture Gympie way between 27-30 August, when the Music Muster comes to town.
Finally, it bears mentioning that the Gympie Music Muster isn't just your run-of-the-mill profit-making, charge-$7-for-warm-bottled-water type of festival; rather, it's got a heart as big as its grounds, having spent the past 34 years(!) donating funds to community groups and charities — it's an event by the people, for the people. This year, Youngcare — which creates choice, dignity and independence for young Aussies with high-care needs — has been named as the festival's charity partner.
"The Muster is proud to be associated with Youngcare," festival director Jeff Chandler said in a statement. "We've always striven to provide quality access and amenities at our event for all members of the community and we truly believe that the work carried out by Youngcare makes such a huge difference to the lives of young people living with high-care needs."
Tickets for the 2015 Gympie Music Muster are available now; see the event's website for more details.
