On Saturday 26th October, Valley Road, Cate Taylor and Katankin will join forces for a special evening of beautiful singing and authentic storytelling, hosted by The Old Church on The Hill and Bendigo Blues and Roots. Bec and Marty from Valley Road are local to the area, while Cate Taylor and Katankin will be heading up the Calder from the big smoke to grace the good people of Bendigo with their beautiful music for the first time.
Valley Road love to sing together, using their voices to draw out the emotion in a song in a way that goes straight to the heart. The longtime friends have spent years sharing music around the kitchen table at Marty’s sheep farm. Their love of folk in all its forms is reflected in their thoughtful songwriting, sparkling guitar lines and easeful vocal harmonies. The duo released their acclaimed debut album in 2023 after winning a Troubadour Foundation Award, and their debut is currently a finalist for Debut Album of the Year at the Australian Folk Music Awards (to be announced on 23 October).
Cate Taylor is an award-winning, indie-folk singer songwriter from Melbourne. She has played festivals and venues across regional Australia and inner Melbourne. She performs with voice, guitar and mandolin and includes story-telling, ballads and upbeat songs, inviting audience participation. Her songs are delicately crafted and reflect social, personal and environmental themes. Cate will be accompanied by Amla Periarkan on violin. Her gorgeous debut album ‘Sometimes in Winter’ was released in April 2024.
Born of Russian and Romanian migrant parents, and with a difficult, often harrowing family history, solo singer-songwriter Katankin’s music is nevertheless an ode and testament to love, faith, and ultimately, hope. With an uniquely compelling and haunting voice accompanied by her delicate, finger style guitar-playing and poetic writing, she unflinchingly plumbs the depths – and soars to the heights – of the human condition. Katankin’s debut EP was nominated for the Best Folk Work award by Music Victoria in 2023, and her debut album will be released in early November 2024.
