At the National Folk Festival in 2015 the 5 Piece band played together on stage for the first time. As the festival progressed, there was a feeling on stage that this band could do anything - the smiles on our faces say it all.

 

Bill Browne (kit drums, percussion), Baz Cooper (Hammond, accordion) and Matt Nightingale (bass) bring a rare combination of talents, musicianship, great feel, and an extraordinary ability to use their instruments to tell a story. All three draw on their considerable experience in a variety of styles and use these influences with both care and a sense of adventure when presenting Australian traditional music.

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This extended line-up enhances the Roweths’ storytelling palette, reacting musically to the words of a poem or yarn as it’s being played, providing a gorgeous bed of sound for the ballads, and grooving as the need arises. The Roweth Band in concert resembles a radio play as pieces are tied together musically and thematically, music running under poems and expanding into songs. 

 

The words of writers such as Henry Lawson, John Dengate and others capture an Australia now seldom explored on radio or television, and largely ignored by the major newspapers as it flies counter to the mysterious world of our elected "representatives". Yet it is there still - in our home, village, and wherever our wide Australian travels take us. It is in the open hearts and hands of our mates.  The band’s music is part celebration of this hidden republic, and part call to action on its behalf in the never-ending struggle for social justice. The Roweth Band seamlessly combines new and old, extending our understanding of the value and power of folk music, reflecting on modern Australia with all the depth of our strong traditional roots.

 

The Roweth Band has enjoyed repeat bookings at the National Folk Festival where their concerts and themed presentations play to full houses. The Roweths have received national awards in recognition of their music and poetry performance.

 

High quality photos and short bios available in the Press Kit.