BIGSOUND 2013 Adds Gurrumul To Program, Release Timetable

This year’s BIGSOUND already has a very impressive list of speakers and musical guests, with the likes of Billy Bragg, Amanda Palmer, Regurgitator and the recent addition of Nick Cave leading the BIGSOUND Music + Design program. Today the industry conference, widely regarded as the biggest and most important gathering of the Australian music industry, announces the last batch of new speakers to appear at BIGSOUND this September in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.

Highly acclaimed indigenous singer Gurrumul will appear alongside friends, record label bosses, and Australian of the Year nominees, Mark Grose and Michael Honhen of Skinnyfish Music to deliver a keynote address at this year’s BIGSOUND.

Together the trio will unpack the fascinating career of the renowned Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, exploring the cultural conditions and business decisions that led to a blind prodigy writing and singing in the traditional Yolngu language making the leap from Elcho Island (near North East Arnehm Land in the Northern Territory) to becoming a multi-platinum selling, ARIA Award-winning, critically lauded performer who has played for both concert and festival audiences as well as Queen Elizabeth II and President Obama.

Along with the addition of Gurrumul and Skinnyfish Music’s Grose and Honhen, is music industry veteran and one of Australia’s biggest and most successful promoters, Michael Chugg, Triple J’s Assistant Music Director Nick Findlay and program director Ollie Wards, You Am I bassist Andy Kent, and over 50 other prominent figures in the music industry culled from around the country and the globe (full list of new additions below).

BIGSOUND have also unveiled the full festival program, allowing attendees to plan their BIGSOUND Live nights with schedules for all twelve venues hosting nearly 100 bands over two nights of live music.

New additions bolstering the already mammoth BIGSOUND Live lineup taking over Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley include Mitzi, Mama Kin, The Trouble With Templeton, Adalita, The Delta Riggs, Rainbow Chan, Arts Martial, Jackie Onassis, The Middle Names, Lakyn Ginger & The Ghost, Nat Dunn, Harry Hookey, Grizzly Jim Lawrie, Villainy, Bad//Dreems, The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer, Ashleigh Dallas, Willow Beats, Soheyla, We The Ghosts, MTNS and Major Leagues.

“There are only five weeks to go until we all get together in Fortitude Valley,” enthuses BIGSOUND Executive Programmer Graham Ashton. “I couldn’t be more excited about the line up of artists and industry that we have to share with you. The music and conference programs have come together better than we ever could have hoped!”

BIGSOUND full passes which include entry to all events including Music+Design and are available from www.bigsound.org.au
BIGSOUND festival-only tickets are available now through www.oztix.com.au
View the full BIGSOUND Live timetable here and Tone Deaf’s festival guide to BIGSOUND 2013 here.

BIGSOUND 2013 New Speakers

Gurrumul, Julia Zemiro, Michael Chugg, Michelle Cable (Panache), Andy Kent (You Am I), Megan Washington, Alan Galbraith (Wind Up Records), Jacob Fain (Sony/ATV), Brian Turner (WFMU), Mike Bell (Filter Group), Louis Meyers (Folk Alliance International), Paul Hitchman (Kobalt), Tony Harlow (Warner Music Australia), Kathy McCabe (News Ltd), Iain Shedden (The Australian), Bernard Zuel (Sydney Morning Herald), Peter Karpin (UMA), Nick Findlay (triple j), Oliver Wards (triple j), Emily White (Whitesmith Entertainment), Matt Coyte (Rolling Stone), Ruuben Van Den Huuvel (Google), Mark Grose (Skinnyfish), Michael Honhen (Skinnyfish), Simon Moor (Kobalt Music Group), Alex Ploegsma (Ploegsma Law), Troy Barrott (Hub), Mikey Cahill (Sun Herald), Adam Countrymen (The Agency Group), Henning Ahrens (Four Artists), Franz Schuller (Indica), Hugh Francis (Silo Arts) Bob Hunka (Roadrunner), Richard Moffat (Way Out There), Steve Whilton (Lastfm), Cary Caldwell (SxSW/Great Escape), Nash Chambers (Essence Music), Mark Wilson (Warner Music), Georgina Ingham-Myers (Nova 106.9), Steve Halpin (Groovin the Moo), Tim Pattison (Spirit Music), Martin Novosel (Boundary Sounds), Mollie Moore (Lip Sync Music), Nathan McLay (Future Classic), Chad Gillard (Future Classic), Ben Howe (Flying Nun/Arch Hill), Damian Costin (123 Artists), Greg Carey (Umbrella), Paul Barclay (Radio National), Mark Lackey (Wildfire Agency), Andy Gumley (Village Sounds), John Zucco (The Right Profile), Mark Dodds (Intertia), Jeff Beaulieu (Hopeful Tragedy Records), Steve Bell (The Music), Jackie Kralj (DigiRascal), Frankie Kimpton (Hub Touring), Trevor Jackson (ABC Radio), Matt Redlich (Grandma’s Place), Jeremy Stones (A Band Of Men), Basil Cook (Four/Four), Martin Brown (Story Baker), Dan Condon (The Music), Danny Yau (XYZ), Chelsea Sinnott (Upstairs Music), Charni Silk (SxSW/Great Escape), Stuart Johnston (CIMA), Nik Tropiano (Shake Appeal) and Meg Williams (AAM)