All four of us come from Newcastle, where we are based. We play a range of dance tunes from Australia and abroad, but the core of our repertoire is traditional Aussie music. We also sing and teach bush dances. If you haven't heard us yet, you're missing something special. Unfortunately, we don't have a C.D. but you can hear us at local venues from time to time (watch this space!) or hire us for a private function.The musicians are:
Jeff Lawrie button accordion and melodeon
Julie Castles fiddle and button accordion
Sandy Gray flute and anglo-german concertina
Brendan Munns guitar
Jeff, Julie and Sandy all have long associations with traditional folk music (see Performer Profiles). Brendan, the youngster of the group, had little knowledge of this genre before joining Walcha Road, but played some American and Irish folk music in another group.
We have not played often in public as we have been "a work in progress", adding new musicians to our original duo. However, the three melody players have an extensive history of performance. The music we play in Walcha Road music is not only enjoyed but greeted with much enthusiasm wherever we go.
A brief history
Jeff and Julie have played traditional Australian dance music since the early 1980's. Back then, there was a last-minute rush by a few dedicated and single-minded enthusiasts to find and record the surviving traditional ("bush") musicians. Jeff and Julie were priveleged to be closely associated with some of these people, and quickly developed a fervent interest in learning this music. Both of them got to play with some of the old-timers in person, notably with the fiddler Charlie Batchelor. Whilst they had previously played other forms of folk music, a whole new world of music had opened up for them both.
Playing with Charlie and other devotees ("The Horton River Band") was a seminal experience. Charlie travelled to several folk festivals. Pictured here are Jeff and Julie with Charlie and friends at the Bush Music Club's Annual Festival held in Marrickville in 1983. (Julie is standing, with fiddle, and Jeff sits in front of her)
Whilst Jeff and Julie lived far apart, they continued to play and share their music whilst each raised their children. When Jeff moved to Sydney and then back to Newcastle, they played together more, and Julie began learning Jeff's repertoire of French tunes. They pooled their favourite tunes from other climes and added them to the mix, learning some from 78 recordings and others from tape recordings of musicians no longer around to share their tunes.
In 2003 they met Brendan Munns, and slowly began to transcribe the music they carried in their heads. Brendan gradually became familiar with the unusual rythms and sometimes bar structure of the band's repertoire.
In 2005, Sandy Gray joined the band, having returned to her home town. An outstanding musician with a superb ear, Sandy quickly began to pick up the band's repertoire.
So, here we all are. Email us at WalchaRoad@gmail.com if you want to enjoy a special occasion with Walcha Road. Jeff and Julie both have plenty of experience as dance callers, so we can teach dances as required. Sandy sings beautifully. (The rest of us just sing!) However, what we love to do best is just to play. If you haven't heard us yet you're missing something special. Cheers!
What's in a name?
Choosing a name for our band led us to look for one which would suggest that we play Australian music. We have no real connection with Walcha Road itself, except that Julie spent some hours on the railway platform there when it was still a rail link to the northern tablelands! So, here's the story:
Jeff and Julie had a long list of possible names, none of which appealed to both of them. They came across a tune called "Walcha Road" in a publication by Brad Tate. Brad is a noted folklorist who now lives in Northern N.S.W., but who originally came from Newcastle. He was Julie's musical mentor, loaning her a fiddle to get her started on the instrument, and passing on to her the tunes he knew.
Brad Tate is one of those rare people with both a wealth of expert knowledge and expertise, and boundless generosity. He has always made time for anyone who shares his interest in folklore, music and song and has helped numerous singers and musicians along their way, often teaching them for free. A mainstay of the Newcastle folk scene, Brad sang and performed locally for many years, whilst also finding time to do fieldwork (mostly in the local area), collecting traditional material.
In 1981, in company with the folklorist Chris Sullivan, Brad recorded Jack Hannaford at Teralba N.S.W.. Jack played a tune for which he had no name, but which he had learned up at Walcha Road when he lived there back in the 1930's. The tune was a varsovienna. BINGO! How appropriate for us: we love varsoviennas, much of the music we play comes from northern N.S.W. and, of course, the connection with Brad made it ideal.
If you don't know what a varsovienna sounds like, only a rough idea can be got from looking at the music...one section is in waltz time, and the next is played as a mazurka. The varsovienna is rarely seen these days, but is a beautiful couples dance which was popular late in the 19th century. Most traditional musicians had a varsovienna in their repertoire.
Performer Profiles
JULIE CASTLES plays fiddle and two-row accordion. Julie lives in Newcastle and has had a long association with the Newcastle Folk Club. For many years she played Irish music and also sang, favouring traditional folk songs. She has performed in various local "bush bands", and was the dance caller in "Raspberry Jam" for several years until it disbanded. Like many people in the folk revival, Julie has at different times helped to run folk events including the Newcastle Folk Festival, which sadly is no more.
Since teaming up with Jeff Lawrie to form Walcha Road, Julie has focused on playing Australian music, and the repertoire of foreign tunes they have acquired.
For many years Julie played quietly in the background at music sessions, and worried about" getting it right". She was a reluctant band musician. This has all changed. Her philosophy in relation to music performance is that if you wait til its perfect you could be waiting a long time... so just do it!!! "Walcha Road" is Julie's long awaited "ideal band" ... great people and great musicians who share this philosophy. Julie is a great fan of traditional music, and tries to play tunes in the spirit in which she heard them played by the old timers. Her ambition is to keep playing for as long as she can, and to share the music she loves with others.
JEFF LAWRIE
plays Hohner diatonic button accordions; 3 row DGA & GCF, and single row
melodeons in the keys of C & G. His interest in folk music came about after
being dragged kicking and screaming to a bush dance at the old Yarralumla
Woolshed in Canberra in the early 1970’s. He enjoyed himself so much; he kept
on going back, eventually teaching the dances and “calling” them for the Black
Mountain String Band. He borrowed an accordion and soon was playing the Little
Brown Jug and the Drovers Dream. He was
a member of the Feral Folk (
SANDY GRAY is the daughter of an opera singer. She grew up singing and also learned to play a number of musical instruments - mostly by ear. These days Sandy mostly plays flute and anglo german concertina.
Sandy took up the concertina in 1978, and in the early 1980's played with the dance band "String Bow and Bellows", based in Sydney. Moving to Canberra, Sandy was quickly snapped up by the group "Skedaddle" who played both for dances and listening, featuring four-part harmony singing in their performances. Sandy still appears with Skedaddle from time to time. She has featured on a number of folk-related C.D.'s including "Off the Wall", "Off the Wall & Back" and Skedaddle's "Take Me Down the Harbour". She has also recorded with Eric Bogle, and with Mike Jackson on the children's album, "Rufty Tufty". Her repertoire of songs covers a wide area from music hall and children's songs to light opera, contemporary and traditional folk.
Sandy first met Julie in the 1980's. On returning to Newcastle she played informally with Jeff and Julie, joining them for appearances at the Newcastle Folk Club. With a finely tuned musical ear, Sandy was soon learning their repertoire by ear as well as introducing them to her songs. Asked for a comment about playing with Walcha Road, Sandy says "Julie made me!".
BRENDAN MUNNS wanted to play guitar at age 3, but actually took up this instrument at age 17. A serious student of guitar, Brendan also sings and plays a range of contemporary, blues and bluegrass songs. He supports Martin Frohlich in the local band "State 51", singing and playing mandolin, harmonica and guitar.
Brendan still plays mostly for his own enjoyment. He says "I don't approach Walcha Road's repertoire from a folk tradition, but I try to play what's appropriate to the tunes. I get to enjoy Walcha Road's interesting selection of music."