The Americana Carnival at Fitzroy Victoria Bowling & Sports Club

Dainton Beer presents – The Americana Carnival @ Leaps & Bounds

The Americana Carnival is an immersive mini festival that not only offers patrons some of the best acts the genre has to offer but a full cultural experience including:

A pop-up market with vintage and bespoke fashion, an exclusively curated record stall, food by Roadside Barbecue, a VIP after party plus a showcase by Australia's champion independent brewer Dainton Beer!

Our lineup for this event is;

Henry Wagons - Emcee

Tracy McNeil & The Goodlife

Tracy McNeil & The GoodLife deliver a distinct shimmering indie Americana sound, combined with McNeil’s Canadian roots. Their latest album ‘You Be the Lightning’ earned the powerhouse outfit an ARIA nomination for Best Blues/Roots Album, a win for Best Country Album (Music Victoria Awards) and longlisted for the prestigious Australian Music Prize.

Released through Cooking Vinyl Australia - home to such luminary songwriters as Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin and John Prine - ‘You Be the Lightning’ struck a widespread chord of love and support with fans and media around the country, picking up Feature Album on Double J, PBS FM and 2SER and critics hailing it as “an essential chapter of Australian alt-country and one of the first truly great records of 2020” (Double J) and “steeped so strongly in a sound that references Fleetwood Mac, Gram Parsons all the while pure McNeil…proof of her standing as a world class songwriter” (The Music).

After sell-out album launches and national tours, they have performed at many major festivals and most recently at some of the most iconic theatres around the country as guests on James Reyne’s 40th Anniversary national tour.

Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes

Lachlan Bryan and the Wildes are a genre-bending, critically acclaimed band from Melbourne. Their eclectic, literate records and live shows have gained them a loyal fanbase in Australia and The UK over the past decade. They’ve flown the flag of the Americana genre in Australia since their first record in 2010, and have supported many of the greats including Steve and Justin Townes Earle, Joe Pug, John Hiatt, Shawn Colvin and Joan Armatrading - as well as more contemporary acts like The North Mississippi Allstars and Lord Huron.

This year Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes released Nearest Misses, a live record recorded on the road in 2019 and featuring the current lineup of Bryan, founding-member and bassist Shaun Ryan, producer/guitarist Damian Cafarella and newest addition Riley Catherall. The album also served as a ‘best of’ their first decade as a band. Nearest Misses debuted at #1 on the ARIA Country Charts and reached #38 across all genres.

The band’s 5th Studio album is set for release on September 17th.

Catherine Britt

It’s the singer and the song that makes for truly distinctive and enduring artists. Lots of great songs and some mighty fine singing. Catherine Britt has a voice that instantly gets your attention . . but unlike others, it is the craftsmanship of this singer/songwriter who unashamedly boasts a worthy story to tell that truly keeps her audience enthralled.

She has lived a life in the world of entertainment most will never experience or dream of. The archetypal Aussie girl from the coal works of Newcastle uprooted herself at 17 years old and moved for six years to Nashville TN (USA) where she gained a deep knowledge of country/roots/folk history as well as touring extensively and releasing top 40 Billboard hits.

And at the end it all comes down to the singer and the songs. Catherine Britt is at a creative career peak on a musical journey that has seen her constantly evolving, developing and honing her craft. And you know what – she’s pretty darn good at it and getting better with every release. That’s a home truth you’d better take on board – simply ‘cause it’s true.

Duncan Phillips

Hailing from the Shetland Islands, north east of Scotland, Duncan Phillips may be an unlikely candidate for an Americana singer songwriter. But having the good fortune to grow up on a musical diet of country, folk and rock and roll he knew he wanted to write his own songs from an early age.

He picked up his first guitar aged eight and by fourteen was playing local gigs and festivals. Influenced by the likes of Tom Petty, Gram Parsons, Steve Earle and Bruce Springsteen, Duncan’s take on the Americana/rock genre has given him success on the Melbourne live music scene, as well as national radio stations PBS and 3RRR.

Having had the honour of supporting both Steve Earle and the late Justin Townes Earle, Duncan undoubtably has what it takes to stand alongside the best in Americana. He enjoyed his first trip to the Tamworth Country Music Festival back in January where his performances brought new opportunities his way, notably an invite to play the renowned Deni Ute-Muster.

Duncan’s band features the dynamic pairing of Luke Richardson (Bass) and Chelsea Allen (Drums). With rich vocal harmonies and guitars ranging from fingerstyle acoustic to all out rock, the live show will keep you captivated from the first note to the last beat.

Duncan’s first album ‘The Wilderness’ was released in 2016, and he’s back in the studio with new music coming in 2021.

Jess Parker

Guitar-picking, coffee-drinking songstress, Jess Parker, knows how to sling a verse as well as she knows how to put the kettle on.

Taking inspiration from the old time pickers and ragtime balladeers of early rural Country and Blues, she takes the warm tones of Patsy Cline and throws them in the pot with Bob Will's humour, Doc Watson's picking, and a decent slog of honey whiskey for good measure.

After the release of her latest record, 'Death Songs and Kitchen Spirituals' in December 2020, Jess has since played sold-out shows from Castlemaine to Melbourne and supported the likes of Tex Perkins and Matt Walker.