On Saturday February 23, Junction 142 in Katoomba will host a unique folk music event. Sénor Cabrales, acclaimed six-piece band hailing from Northern Spain and Australia, will perform traditional music from the lesser known Celtic regions of Europe.
The stomping trad-folk-noir of local trio Witches Leap will open the night in the beautiful acoustics of Katoomba’s historic Uniting Church building.
In an unusual quirk, the event is billed as a “Folk Picnic”. Punters are being encouraged to bring their own cheese platters and refreshments, and lay their own tablecloth on tables provided for a homely touch of DIY in their folk experience.
While Celtic music is usually associated with the British Isles, Sénor Cabrales provide the uncommon opportunity to soak up the ancient tunes of the Celtic regions of Asturia and Galicia in Northern Spain.
Along with fiddle, flute, mandolin, bouzouki and bodhran, Sénor Cabrales showcase the rarely seen traditional instrument of Asturias, known as the ‘gaita asturiana’ played by Juan Cordero, who grew up steeped in the rich tradition of Asturian music:
This is a rare chance to get an authentic taste of this unique culture, joined by some of the best Celtic musicians in the country.
Opening the night, local trio Witches Leap will feature uilleann pipes, wooden flute, prog-folk bouzouki and stompbox to filter trad Irish music through the hanging swamps and mythology of their Blue Mountains home: From folk-punk tales of rum-soaked redcoats give to wartime laments and lively Irish polkas.
Folk Picnic is at Junction 142 on Katoomba St on February 23. It is a seated event so places are limited. Tickets are $20 and are available online from trybooking.com. For more information, call 0425 318 376. A portion of the sales will go to support the work of local homeless service, Earth Recovery Australia