With guitar strings tightened, cases packed and voices primed to share a tale or two, Adelaide Guitar Festival proudly announces the lineup for On the Road, delivering free one-day events and concerts by some of the country’s best musicians to ten South Australian towns; an increase from eight in 2021.
Employing 75 individual artists across 120 paid opportunities in 55 regional venues, each town will enjoy either an evening community hall concert, or a town-wide “micro festival” throughout the day and evening, whereby the entire township is activated with free-entry, family-friendly live music presented in pubs, bars, cafes, sports clubs and community halls.
The tour begins in the Eyre Peninsula on 8 July in Elliston and Streaky Bay, followed by Tumby Bay (9 July) and Cleve (10 July). Artists will then visit the Mid North (Crystal Brook and Watervale on 15 July), Yorke Peninsula (Edithburgh on 16 July and Wallaroo on 17 July), Kangaroo Island (Eleanor Downs on 17 July) and the Adelaide Hills (Gumeracha on 24 July).
Confirmed artists include three-time ARIA Award winner and festival favourite Jeff Lang, indie folk singer-songwriter Laura Hill, soul/roots/alt-country singer-songwriter Kelly Menhennett, young First Nations storyteller Nathan May, roots and pop poetic performer Lucie Thorne, blues stalwarts Chris Finnen and Cal Williams Jr, energetic tour-de-force blues band Hussy Hicks, and Tibetan lyric musician Tenzin Choegyal. Full musician lineups and individual event details are listed below.
Adelaide Guitar Festival Artistic Director (and On the Road artist) Slava Grigoryan: “In 2021, the overall economic benefit of On the Road to the communities exceeded $1.8 million, and on average, 24% of audiences were visitors to the regions. That shows us how strongly the program was valued everywhere by both locals and tourists, and we’re so glad to get to bring it back and expand it even further in 2022.
We thank our funding partners who have enabled us to do so and to all of the communities who have welcomed us so enthusiastically. We can’t wait to visit you all in July!”
On the Road also includes additional regional town visits via Resonance, where artists entertain residents of 11 individual Helping Hand residential care services in Whyalla, Port Pirie, Jamestown, Clare and Adelaide; Adelaide Festival Centre’s CentrED school visits, bringing musical entertainment and information sessions to over 400 school children in Kadina, Maitland, Tumby Bay and Cleve; and Adelaide Guitar Festival’s Winter School and Orchestra programs.
In 2022, On the Road has been fortunate to receive seed support from Festivals Australia, Australia Council for the Arts, RISE and the Live Music Events Fund, as well as support from local councils and the Office for Health and Ageing.
Minister for Arts, The Hon Andrea Michaels MP: “The South Australian Government – through the Music Development Office and Events South Australia – is proud to support Adelaide Guitar Festival’s On The Road initiative.
On The Road also supports and builds capacity in our regional towns: it gives local and visiting artists new audience opportunities and will help develop South Australia’s regional touring circuit, which is integral to the development and employment of our talented live music artists.”
All On the Road events are free to attend.
Ticketed Adelaide Guitar Festival events run from 15 – 24 July at Adelaide Festival Centre and Her Majesty’s Theatre, and are on sale now, online and via Ticketek.
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Adelaide Guitar Festival On the Road Program – 2022
(Artists listed in order of appearance)
Friday 8 July – Elliston Community Agricultural Hall
Doors open 6pm
Joshy Willo, Laura Hill and Hussy Hicks
Friday 8 July – Streaky Bay Institute
Doors open 6pm
Slava Grigoryan, Lecia Louise and Jeff Lang
Saturday 9 July – Tumby Bay, various locations
Entertainment from 12pm – 9pm
Tumby Bay Ukers, Slava Grigoryan, Gospel Bluegrass Revival, Laura Hill, Alana Jagt, Rafa Godoy, Aloysius Leeson, Lecia Louise, Nancy Bates, Glenn Skuthorpe, Hussy Hicks and Helpless
Sunday 10 July – Cleve, various locations
Entertainment from 11am – 7pm
Laura Hill, Rafa Godoy, Nancy Bates, Joel Davies, Alana Jagt, Aloysius Leeson, Hussy Hicks, Tom West, Joshy Willo, Ryan Martin John, Glenn Skuthorpe, Jeff Lang and Beinke Brothers Band
Friday 15 July – Watervale, The Vale
Doors open 6pm
Duo Antipodes, Nathan May and George and Noriko
Friday 15 July – Crystal Brook Institute
Doors open 6pm
Tenzin Choegyal, Lucie Thorne and Nigel Wearne
Saturday 16 July – Edithburgh, various locations
Entertainment from 11:30am – 8pm
Duo Antipodes, Kelly Menhennett, Trav Collins, Tenzin Choegyal, A.P D’Antonio, Nathan May, Nigel Wearne, Lucie Thorne, George and Noriko and The Swamp Donkeys
Sunday 17 July – Wallaroo, various locations
Entertainment from 1pm – 8pm
Nathan May, Nigel Wearne, Tasman Guitar Duo, Glenn Skuthorpe, Stefan Hauk, Kelly Menhennett, Mike Bevan and Alain Valodze, Lucie Thorne and The Yearlings, Tenzin Choegyal, George and Noriko and The Yorke Band
Sunday 17 July – Eleanor Downs Shearing Shed, Kangaroo Island
Entertainment from 11am – 6pm
Richard Glatz, Aidan J Jones, Slava and Sharon Grigoryan, Jimmybay and Aimee Volkofsky, Lecia Louise and The Jacky Winter Band
Sunday 24 July – Gumeracha
Entertainment from 12pm – 7pm
Jimmybay and Aimee Volkofsky, Elli Belle, Chris Finnen and Cal Williams Jr, Mike Bevan and Alain Valodze, Magic Steam Train, Banjo Jackson, Kelly Menhennett, A.P D’Antonio, Frank Yamma, Matt Walker and Sweet Baby James and Rob Eyers with band
