A Queensland country and Americana band is set to play four New England North West towns in four days, from a heritage theatre to a free show in the front bar of the Baan Baa pub.
Rusty Pickups, a Country and Americana five-piece whose members include Michael “Cookie” Cook, will tour Tenterfield, Bingara, Gunnedah and Baan Baa between Thursday, 3 September and Sunday, 6 September, as part of the Arts North West On Tour program.
Expect clawhammer banjo, rolling upright bass, blazing fiddle and acoustic guitar wrapped around storytelling vocals and rich harmonies, delivered with the relaxed warmth of a campfire jam. The Queensland outfit has appeared at the Gympie Music Muster and the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and has shared festival stages with the likes of Kasey Chambers and Troy Cassar-Daley.
The tour kicks off at the Sir Henry Parkes School of Arts in Tenterfield on Thursday, 3 September, before rolling on to the Roxy Theatre in Bingara the next night. Saturday’s show moves to the Gunnedah Art and Photography Pavilion at Gunnedah Showground from 3pm, and the tour wraps up Sunday with a free show at the Baan Baa Hotel from 1pm.
Each host venue has covered the cost of bringing the tour to town, working with their community to make it happen, and each has kept ticket prices deliberately accessible.
Organisers say independent and community venues are increasingly recognised as the backbone of the live music industry, not simply places where bands play, but hubs that keep towns connected to touring artists and to each other. In a region where major acts rarely tour, that role matters more than most people realise. For Baan Baa, whose free Sunday show starts at 1pm in the local pub, it is the difference between never seeing a touring act and having one turn up on the doorstep.
At the Gunnedah leg, Gunnedah Conservatorium is swapping the concert hall for the Showground for the day, with audiences invited to bring a chair, pull up a hay bale and settle in for the afternoon. A barbecue and bar will be onsite, with tickets $15 for adults, $5 for children and $35 for families.
Gunnedah Conservatorium Director Rebecca Ryan said the Showground concert was a chance to offer audiences something a little different from the Conservatorium’s usual performance program.
“We loved the idea of making this a really relaxed Saturday afternoon event,” Ms Ryan said.
“People can bring a chair, grab something from the barbecue or the bar and settle in for some great live music.”
“Rusty Pickups have that wonderful mix of fiddle, banjo, bass and acoustic guitar that really suits an outdoor setting.”
The tour is delivered through the Arts North West On Tour program, backed by the NSW Government through Create NSW, in partnership with Gwydir, Gunnedah, Narrabri and Tenterfield shire councils. Each venue is running its own promotion, so ticket and event details are best sought directly from the venue.
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