Music lovers are urged to support more than 65 of the state’s premier musicians who’ve been doing it particularly tough during COVID-19 as they perform at a two day music festival.
The festival will take place on November 14 and 15 at Kin Kin on the Sunshine Coast hinterland for the fourth annual ‘40 Hour Jammin’.
Festival Curator and Artistic Director, Mr. Shenton Gregory (stage name Shenzo Gregorio), said “The cream of Queensland’s musical talent will perform over two stages in four-hour sets covering jazz, flamenco, classical, world and gypsy jazz.”
“The 2020 40 Hour Jammin will feature popular Woodford Folk Festival headliners such as Linsey Pollak, Andrew Veivers, Andrew Clermont, Louise King, Lizzie O’Keefe and Ben Walsh so Woodford fans can still get their musical fix for 2020.
“I’m pleased to announce we are also featuring The Eumundi School of Rock curated by Katie Noonan.
“Each four-hour set will feature two hours of rehearsed and polished performances followed by two hours of free flowing ‘jamming’ during which any of the 65 musicians can join in and improvise with the featured act – it’s like nothing you have ever seen before.”
“COVID has been devastating for musicians,” he said. “While some of us have secured Job Keeper via our day jobs, everyone is starving for stage time and the opportunity to reconnect and perform with other top musicians.”
“In 2017, the 40 Hour Jammin’s inaugural year, every artist volunteered, even covering their own travel expenses to participate in the Festival.”
“This year’s Festival will not only enable us to support musicians with a share of ticket sales, respecting their time and talent, but also to progress the vision of the Festival to one where both the charity we are fundraising for benefits as well as supporting the very artists who make it come to life.”
Since inception, the 40 Hour Jammin has raised money for the Motor Neurone Disease charity The MND and ME Foundation, in honour of Mr Gregory’s late mother who died of MND.
Mr Gregory said this year a proportion of takings will assist with Festival overheads and be designated to support the musicians participating.
“Through the three Festivals to date more than sixty five thousand dollard has been raised for the Foundation.”
“This year we plan to buy equipment like ventilators and iPads (for communication) to donate to the MND and ME foundation, so they can distribute those items to existing MND sufferers.
Mr Gregory said “the 40 Hour Jammin Music Festival is unlike any other festival experience.”
“It’s like being backstage when all the crowds have gone and the musicians are just talking after the gig,” he said.
“Sometimes, someone starts banging a beat on something or playing an instrument, and then… as if we can’t help it … instruments get taken out of their cases and the jammin’ begins.”
“Artists offer their instrument, voice or dance while listening to others’ offerings, as we all set off on an adventure together … that’s jammin.”
“I’ve performed in twenty countries on four continents and from a musicians’ perspective the best part has to be the jammin backstage. This festival will draw you into a backstage hanging with the musicians’ experience.”
The 40 Hour Jammin 2020 will be hosted on a beautiful Permaculture Farm at Kin Kin, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland and is a family friendly Covid-Safe event. It is also an alcohol, drug, smoke and waste-free event.
While the Festival is a non-stop 40 hour long music experience, due to COVID restrictions, we have designed a variety of options that vary from attending for one evening or day to staying awake with the musicians and powering through a full 40 hour experience.
Family packages are available and tickets for children under 15 are half price.
Tickets are available online from today at www.40hourjammin.com
Book early as limited tickets are available and no tickets are available at the farm gate.
