Entertainment
14 June, 2024
Hillybilly Goats not kiddin’
PREPARE for a show like no other and dance away to the sound of the banjo and the violin as the Hillbilly Goats take you back to the old days of mountain music this Sunday at The Reef Hotel Casino.
In a weekend of revivals at BAR36 it was only fit to have a Cairns original, festival favourites and recipients of the Golden Fiddle and Australian Folk Band of the Year awards – the Hillbilly Goats – who are ready for their homecoming to Cairns with an unforgettable show with tap dancing, classic mountain music and bluegrass and a lot of hype.
Bringing back the music and history of the genre that originated country, bluegrass and blues, the four-piece group will bring that old-fashioned feel to the stage with its harmonica, banjo, violin, double bass, bones and layered harmonies.
Mahney Wearne, better known as ‘goat girl’, who plays double bass and the bones, said their BAR36 show would be one not to miss.
“It’s going to be a whole lot of fun, we don’t play sad songs, all of our music is happy and high energy,” she said.
“I’m goat girl and I play the double bass, the bones and do tap dancing, ‘goth goat’ (Mimi Versace) is on the fiddle and ‘goat boy ‘(Bryce Wearne) plays banjo while he’s sitting down on the drum kit, and harmonica at the same time, in bright colourful costumes..
“We don’t play it traditionally, we play old fold music from the 1600s through to the 1940s but we bring it to life with a very exciting show and we tell lots of stories in between about the history of this music that we’re very passionate about.”
Ms Wearne said they would have everyone at BAR36 on their feet.
“Performing in Cairns feels like a homecoming, we were originally based in Cairns but as we started to grow, we moved to Brisbane, so this feels like coming home” she said.
“This will be a very happy show, fast fiddle, fast harmonica I do tap dancing and play the bones and we find people walk away with this sense that they’ve learned something, but they’ve also had a whole lot of fun.
“It starts with the toe tapping and then you’re knees up, elbows up, with good fun music, so as our slogan says, ‘Kick yer shoes off, put yer hoe-down and hang on to yer britches’.”
The show is free to attend and starts at 5.30pm, for more information visit BAR36’s Facebook page.
