Radio Woodfordia

"Why can't we just live at Woodfordia? And why isn't this just how we all live?"In this episode, Harley sits down with Katie Noonan. It's Katie's 30th year at Woodford, and she's just finished her 30th studio album - serendipitous! Katie's Woodford journey started in 1995 when she won the Woodford band competition (prize: a ticket to next year's festival). That hook worked, and she's been back every year since, volunteering, performing with her band george, performing solo, with her family, and now with her new album "Alone But All One," which she's premiering at the festival.But this isn't just a musician's story. It's about growiing up with the opera-singing mum and witnessing the super talented Jeff Buckley at 18, before deciding to become a "musical weirdo." Katie now runs the Eumundi School of Music to provide children with free music education and still references Woodford as her church. This episode is for:Musicians wondering if they can survive making art in the streaming eraParents trying to explain to their kids why music matters more than moneyAnyone who's ever left Woodford wondering "why can't life be like this?"Dive in to hear about:Taking on Jeff Buckley's five-octave range (the ultimate artistic challenge)Brisbane's unique 90s music scene The joys and struggles of Woodford campingTo learn more about Katie Noonan: https://www.katienoonan.com.au/To come to the Woodford Folk Festival: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/FOR MORE: Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.auCREDITS:Host: Harley BreenGuest: Katie NoonanProducer: Benny WallingtonExecutive Producers: Cameron Scurrah, Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Georgia ShawVideo editing: Amelie BarhamAudio mastering: Kieron AtkinsonMusic by: The East PointersRecorded on Jinibara Country#RadioWoodfordia #KatieNoonan #George #WoodfordFolkFestival #JeffBuckley #AustralianMusic #HarleyBreen #Woodfordia

"You can still dream. And I think that's what keeps me coming back."In this episode, Harley sits down with Chelsea, the circus programmer who's been shaping what happens under the big top at Woodford for the past decade.She's someone who's seen the festival from every angle, first as a punter drawn in by friends working the pedal-powered juice bar, then as a performer touring her own contemporary circus company (Scotch and Soda, Cantina), and now as the one deciding who gets to step into that big top circular space at Woodfordia.Chelsea's story is about choosing creative freedom over institutional validation.. These days she splits her time between programming aerial acts and teaching the fundamentals of being human to five-year-olds, and somehow both jobs make perfect sense.This episode is for:Programmers and curators navigating the messy reality of building festival programsCircus artists wondering what it takes to startParents who build carts for their kids and are looking for tipsDive in to hear about why:The buggy meet is a legitimate highlight of the festival where families line up to discuss their carts like hotted-up carsA 16-year-old aerialist who came as a punter five years ago, stayed in the circus tent the entire festival, and is now performing at WoodfordProgramming is a puzzle where "it still seems a bit out of order and I'm a bit unsure... but it all kind of works"To come to the Woodford Folk Festival: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/To learn more about the circus programme: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/programme/FOR MORE: Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.auCREDITS:Host: Harley BreenGuest: Chelsea McguffinProducer: Benny WallingtonExecutive Producers: Cameron Scurrah, Bree Hickson-JamiesonVideo Editing: Nicholas HaddowAudio mastering: Kieron AtkinsonMusic by: The East PointersRecorded on Jinibara Country#RadioWoodfordia #WoodfordFolkFestival #CircusProgrammer #TrashTestDummies #Astrodinotto #ContemporaryCircus #FestivalLife #HarleyBreen #Woodfordia

"Never play for exposure is a big piece of advice that we've taken... It makes a big difference."In this episode, Harley sits down with three members of Dizzy Days (Aisling, EJ, and Bridget – with Mikaela absent in Melbourne), Brisbane's disco-dance-pop-band, who came together through unlikely connection: a mysterious Facebook post and an awkward audition.The band is a unique blend of each member's cultural influence, but the artists have found cosmic chemistry in their unlikely network. The trio shares their stories through the years, and how they've mastered the art of staying in haunted prisons and national park bungalows to keep within tour budget.They're aware about what it takes to survive as emerging artists: never playing for exposure, making the most of resources provided (airport bikkies), and accepting that being a musician now means being an influencer, whether you like it or not.This episode is for:Emerging bands learning the economics of touringMusicians wondering if formal training helps or harms creativityArtists navigating the pressure of algorithmsDive in to hear about how:You should accept that random friend requestPost-COVID crowds have changedPlaying for exposure doesn't pay rentTo learn more about Dizzy Days: https://www.instagram.com/dizzydaysband/?hl=enTo come to the Woodford Folk Festival: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/FOR MORE: Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.auCREDITS:Host: Harley BreenGuests: Dizzy Days (Aisling O'Byrne, Bridgette Dabinet, EJ Carey)Producer: Benny WallingtonExecutive Producers: Cameron Scurrah, Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Jack Tindall, Georgia ShawVideo Editing: Nicholas Haddow, Amelie BarhamAudio mastering: Kieron AtkinsonMusic by: The East PointersRecorded on Jinibara Country#RadioWoodfordia #DizzyDays #AustralianMusic #DIYTouring #EmergingArtists #WoodfordFolkFestival #HarleyBreen #Woodfordia

"There's something magical here. If you don't believe in magic or serendipity or whatever, you will by the time you leave."In this episode, Harley sits down with comedian and old friend Jen Wynter, who is a mother of six, a grandmother, and a Woodford veteran since 1998, back when she was throwing mud with hippies.Jen's story is about trust, timing, and the cosmic connections that so many Woodfordian's have experienced from the festival. From losing her wallet (and getting it back with extra cash) to having her mum's folk music legacy unexpectedly intersect with a stranger's memory, Woodford has given her lifelong memories that defy logic.Also, Jen shares her incredible story of meeting a British mum in a children's sandbox at Woodford, who just happened to be childhood friends with comedian-musician, Bill Bailey. Fast forward through years of friendship, and a wild leap of faith, now Jen is writing a TV show starring her comedy hero.This episode is for:Comedians navigating improv, standup, and live performanceWoodfordians with a festival connection storyArtists wondering if they should pitch their heroesDive in to hear about how:Improv saved Jen's sanity when she was raising her childrenThe kindest heckle she ever received was "improvise!"Woodford is the only place you'd lose your wallet and expect it back with moreTo learn more about Jen Winter: https://www.jennywynter.com/To come to the Woodford Folk Festival: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/FOR MORE: Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.auCREDITS:Host: Harley BreenGuest: Jenny WinterProducer: Benny WallingtonExecutive Producers: Cameron Scurrah, Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Jack Tindall, Amelie Barham, Georgia Shaw, Eliza CowanVideo Editing: Amelie BarhamAudio mastering: Kieron AtkinsonMusic by: The East PointersRecorded on Jinibara Country#RadioWoodfordia #JenWynter #JennyWynter #BillBailey #WoodfordFolkFestival #ComedyMagic #Serendipity #HarleyBreen #Woodfordia

"I think the thing that has struck me the most is that if you just trust yourself and do the thing that feels the most honest to you, it always goes better."In this episode Harley connects with Georgia Mooney, who landed in Brisbane just hours before this conversation after a 60-hour journey from Prince Edward Island, Canada.She's a solo artist now, but you might know her from All Our Exes Live in Texas, the band that graced Woodford's stages and toured relentlessly for years.Georgia's story is about transformation, from studying jazz at WAPA (where she encountered the rigid, male-dominated world of jazz school), to finding her voice in a four-piece harmony band, to now stepping out on her own with her debut solo record, Full of Moon and her follow-up on the way.She's someone who's done the work. The unglamorous reality of being a touring musician, the loneliness of hotel rooms, the immediate consumption of complimentary biscuits, the strange intimacy of band life that's part marriage, part small business, part creative collaboration.This episode is for:Musicians navigating the shift from band to solo workAnyone interested in what the reality of touring feels likePeople curious about the Festival of Small HallsArtists wondering if formal training helps or hinders finding your voiceDive in to hear about why:Jazz school taught Georgia music theory but she had to unlearn the rules to find her creative voiceRegional audiences bring something to a performance that city crowds simply can't replicateThe stage is the one place you absolutely cannot fake it and that might be what saves live performance from AITo learn more about Georgia: https://www.georgiamooney.com/ To come to the Woodford Folk Festival: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/To keep up to date with Small Halls Tours: https://festivalofsmallhalls.com/FOR MORE: Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.auCREDITS:Host: Harley BreenGuest: Georgia MooneyProducer: Benny WallingtonExecutive Producers: Cameron Scurrah, Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Jack TindallVideo Editing: Nicholas HaddowAudio mastering: Kieron AtkinsonMusic by: The East Pointers Recorded on Jinibara Country#RadioWoodfordia #GeorgiaMooney #FestivalOfSmallHalls #AllOurExesLiveInTexas #AustralianMusic #RegionalTouring #harleybreen #woodfordia

Just a heads up: There's going to be some chainsaw action, tree-dropping sounds and reversing of a crane thing during this chat. An arborist decided mid-interview was the perfect time for some timber work above our heads. An example of living and working on an ever-evolving site in the middle of a valley. "Everything we do in a modern society is to pull us away. So we forget how much we're just truly... a piece of the puzzle."Harley sits down with Joe H. Henry, a Métis musician from Nova Scotia who's returned to Australia for the Festival of Small Halls tour after falling in love with Woodfordia at our last Folk Festival.Joe's story is steeped in the Red River Valley, where his grandparents walked 260 miles with oxen and Red River carts to settle. He grew up between two worlds – his father's Métis community of fiddle music, trapping, and self-sustaining bush life, and his mother's world of horses. Music isn't just what Joe does; it's "the Henry curse," running through generations of riders, singers, and instrumentalists.He left home young with just his dog and his guitar, busking outside liquor stores and bars to survive. But that transient lifestyle was embedded in his DNA – the Métis people were always the storytellers, carrying songs and poems from community to community.The conversation moves between the profound and the practical, from raising five kids (aged 17 to 3) without screens dominating their lives, to the trapping industry keeping remote communities alive, to why we all need to feel our insignificance in nature.Joe explains why Woodford showed him the consciousness level of all Australians, how technology is changing the valley he once knew, and why he makes music.This episode is for:Anyone who needs reminding that we're magnificently insignificantPeople interested in Indigenous culture, storytelling traditions, and how communities preserve identityParents navigating the wilderness of raising teenagers in the digital ageMusicians and artists wondering if following their frequency is actually a viable life choiceDive in to hear about why:Feeling small in nature might be the most important thing we can doWoodford just might be proof of who we all can be in the "real world"Sometimes the best parenting advice is "be water" and ALSO know your kid's best friend's parentsKeen to come to Woodford: https://www.woodfordfolkfestival.comFor more Joe H. Henry: https://joehhenry.com/ FOR MORE: Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.au/CREDITS:Host: Harley BreenGuest: Joe H. HenryProducer: Benny WallingtonExecutive Producers: Cameron Scurrah & Bree Hickson-JamiesonAudio mastering: Kieron AtkinsonMusic by: The East Pointers Recorded on Jinibara Country#RadioWoodfordia #WoodfordFolkFestival #JoeHHenry #MetisMusic #FestivalOfSmallHalls #IndigenousStories #metis #canada #novascotia