Barn Lovers have been asking us to include more blues bands in our lineup so in 2021 we are going to deliver! We are kicking the year off with one of Australia’s best….Kings and Associates! Although Adelaide based this great bunch of musos seem to spend most of their time touring the world. How lucky are we to be able to hear them in The Barn at Wombat Flat! At 50% Covid capacity these tickets will go like hotcakes. Be there!

INTRODUCING THE AUSTRALIAN NEO-SOUL BAND KING AND ASSOCIATES

Led by husband-and-wife duo of singer and lyricist Anjii and songwriter and bassist Steve Portolesi, the award-winning Adelaide, Australia group thread blues, soul, funk, R&B, and gospel together in an eight-track vinyl patchwork stitched tight by live virtuosity and thought-provoking vulnerability.

Since coming together in 2014, Kings & Associates introduced themselves on 2016’s Red Dress and reached critical mass on Tales of a Rich Girl a year later. Produced by seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner Jim Scott and mixed by four-time GRAMMY® Award winner Vance Powell, the latter picked up three honors at the 2018 Australian Blues Music Awards, including “Best Group of the Year,” “Best New Talent,” and “Best Producer” out of six nods. They received acclaim from Huffington Post, Blues Blast Mag, and more as their total stream count approached 1 million. Additionally, they made fiery appearances at Summerfest and Bluespalooza, sharing stages with everyone from Buddy Guy to Trombone Shorty.

In 2019, they shifted gears to record what would become Neighbour in Los Angeles. Re-teaming with Scott, the band took a different approach, recording the bulk of material live and simultaneously playing alongside US organist Louie Higuera and Australian organist Paul White for the first time.

“This body of work is really about the human struggle and having love for each other,” says frontwoman Anjii.

“The new recording was a natural expression of where we are,” adds Steve. “We changed it up and added more energy and fire.”

“…. the album promises to be a humdinger.”

Randy Radic, HuffPost

“You are left emotionally drained after this soulful experience…… expert musicianship and top notch production propel this effort into greatness.!”

Peter Szalony, BluesBlast Magazine

Jimmybay

After spending many years living  in the red sands of outback South Australia Jimmybay decided to put  music to his long told campfire stories and bush poetry. He left South Australia and travelled to the tropical north, taking  only his suitcase kick-drum filled with his possessions and carrying his guitar. He Slept in the long grass on the outskirts of Darwin and walked into town each day to busk on the streets.

This was the beginning of what would evolve into Jimmybay performing in Festivals across Australia, including: Illawarra Folk Festival, Deep South Blues and Roots and the National Folk Festival

Blues-folk-alt country vagabond Jimmybay has been travelling from town to town in his beat up kombi van for the past five years.  In that time this multi-instrumentalist has captured audiences with his honest storytelling style and mesmerising live performances.  Drawing inspiration from his own experiences and stories told by other travellers.

Utilising guitar, harmonica and his suitcase kickdrum, his offbeat character and intuitive songwriting have combined to create a unique live show of genuine storytelling, emotive lyrics and a quirky charismatic stage presence.

Our feature visual artists: Jed and Jim Dunstan

The Barn at Wombat Flat offers a visual art exhibition at each show. We are proud to kick off with a local father and son team for our first four shows. So much talent in one family…hopefully Ronda will bring along some of her pottery!

Jed started drawing weekly editorial cartoons for the Stock Journal in 2015. His cartoon “Drawing Conclusions” is now published across Australian Community Media’s (ACM) rural newspaper network including the Stock Journal-South Australia, the Stock & Land – Victoria, Queensland Country Life and the North Queensland Register. Jed also draws a single panel gag cartoon titled “The Rabbit Trap”, which is published weekly.

Each year Jed creates two calendars, one depicting life in The Australian shearing industry. The other is a collection of The Rabbit Trap cartoons.

Jed draws is cartoons with pencil and ink pens on paper. He mostly scans his hand drawn line work and colours digitally but occasionally colours by hand for special projects.

Jim Dunstan is an artist based at Ngapala in the mid north of South Australia. Jim lives and works on his farming property named Gumvale where he has made a huge effort to preserve the native bushlands and revegetate large sections of his property. His artwork has appeared around Australia and overseas. Several of his paintings have been purchased by private collectors.

Jim mainly paints using oils or acrylic on canvas and board. He also paints with underglaze on stoneware tiles which are displayed around SA. His tile table tops depicting local history are displayed in public areas throughout the Mitcham council zones. He has also painted tiles for projects in other areas around SA and the APY lands.

Jim is also a stone mason. He has used his skills to complete large landscaping projects in his local towns of Eudunda and Marrabel. Most of Jim’s stone walls feature more of his artwork on tiles, hand painted with historical images and information from the area. Tiles are inlayed into the stone walls for the public to view when they visit the town gardens. While landscaping the towns gardens, Jim worked with school students from Eudunda Area School, St Johns primary and Robertstown primary.

Jim has conducted several other community art projects working with locals, often as part of SALA. He has painted murals in the Kapunda and Eudunda. He also worked for 10 years with primary and high school students, teaching them about the environment and sustainable food production. Often he would use artwork with gardening to help teach and make it more interesting for his students.

More recently Jim won the 2020 Clare Valley portrait prize and people’s choice for the Burra portrait prize.

Ricca Terra Wines, Food stall, Eudunda Bakery goods, beer, soft drinks, hot drinks for you to purchase on the night.

NO BYO FOOD OR DRINK PLEASE.

Gates open 5:30pm / Show 7:00pm