Manjimup Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Festival to bring entertainment for long weekend

Manjimup will be the place to be this long weekend for those wanting to enjoy a weekend of music, with the Manjimup Bluegrass and Old Time Music Weekend taking place. The Melbourne and Adelaide-based bluegrass quartet The High Street Drifters will headline the September 20-23 weekend with a seated concert at the Tall Timber Brewery on Saturday night. The performance will mark their first visit to WA and their only planned performance in the State, with the band bringing a “youthful and unpredictable” sound to their original bluegrass music, according to Warren Arts Council president Mary Nixon. There will also be several bluegrass music workshops, including mandolin sessions with Melbourne-based Canadian musician Justin Vilchez, guitar workshops with Daniel Watkins, and double bass, banjo and fiddle workshops. Hosted by the Warren Arts Council since 2012, the weekend has brought niche bluegrass and old-time music fans to the Southern Forests region. Ms Nixon said the weekend would give budding musicians the opportunity to jam with professional players and learn to play bluegrass music. “The focus is on the people who come and want to learn from professional musicians,“ she said. “The players are all keen to play and jam with each other, and we always bring professional musicians for people who don’t have the opportunity to play with during their everyday life. “It’s a boutique event — there’s nothing like it.” Ms Nixon said it was an “ideal event” for people to play their own instruments and learn to play with others.