The Hillbillygoats

From the Port Douglas Hinterland, Australia, the Hillbillygoats have travelled and performed over 250 live shows at festivals, pubs, clubs and corporate events.
The dynamic duo of Bryce and Mahney Wearne take their influence of Hillbilly Roots, Ole Time Music and Modern & Traditional Bluegrass and combine it with Rock’n’Roll Favourites and Australiana to present 4 different shows that have been described as “knee-slapping, toe-tapping, high tempo fun!”.
Melding their energy with “top shelf” session musicians on banjo, fiddle, mandolin, honky tonk piano, accordion and vocal harmonies, the metamorphic line-up creates a sound and experience that can be enjoyed by all age groups.

GIG HIGHLIGHTS:
Yungaburra Folk Festival 2006/07/08/09/10
Wallaby Creek Festival 2007/08/09/10
Cooktown Discovery Festival 2008/09/10
The Tanks Unplugged Feature Act 09 Redlands Bluegrass Convention (Sat concert) 2009/10
Cairns Blues Festival Roadshow #1 - 2009
Coast Acoustics Festival 2010

The Hillbillygoats Hoedown Band - SHOW #1

Using 2-5 musicians, this show is a 3-4 hour set that is performed at pubs & clubs, private functions and corporate events, and can be condensed to a 1 hour festival slot. The evening may start with quiet background music through dinner, but is assured to evolve into a high-flying country/hillbilly/bluegrass show that will create and sustain a great energy throughout the performance. Any Rock and Roll covers performed for crowd pleasers have been rearranged into our own up-tempo hoedown style.

The Hillbilly Roots & Bluegrass Show - SHOW #2

Suitable for 1 hour festival slots, this is an intimate show that tells the story and progression of this genre of music from the late 1800’s to the present day. Performing songs from different decades starting with “Ole Time porch sessions from the deep south”, to the mid-century experimentation period of bluegrass, to the contemporary style of modern artists. This journey is educational and gives the audience a better understanding of grass roots.
(3-5 musicians required for this show)

The Australiana and Bush Dance Band - SHOW #3
Performing droving, shearing and settlement songs, we not only tell a story of Australia, but get the audience participating in our traditional Australian Bush Dances. Using 4-5 musicians plus our fabulous dance caller, we have performed this show for many North Queensland schools, several corporate functions and the Famous Yungaburra Folk Festival Bush Dance (where we had more than 300 dancers in the hall!).
BUSH DANCES include:
The Barn Dance
Strip the Willow
Heel & Toe Polka
Pride of Erin
The Waves of Bondi
The Gallopede
The Stockyards
The Kangaroo Hop (great for kids)
The Hillbillygoat Fling (our own dance)

(3 dances take approximately 1 hour including instruction of steps)

An added extra to our bush dance and Australiana show is the Cane Toad Races. Starting off with a brief history and introduction of the cane toad, this comical show includes the auctioning and racing of the toads.
Complete with a bookies board, racing mat, lights and PA, this can be booked separately, or at a reduced rate with our band/toad package.

WANDERING MINSTRELS - SHOW #4

Our wandering minstrel act consists of 2-5 musicians performing at the entrance of a venue, wandering around dinner tables, or jamming around a campfire. We also work well as interlude performers between other acts. Throughout this show we use a cross section of songs from our other shows and can tailor our costumes and tempo to suit the required environment.