By Luke Voogt
Folk music isn’t Ari Lane’s “cup of tea”, but that hasn’t stopped her and the Drowsy Maggies serenading crowds at the National Celtic Festival.
The quartet has an eclectic mix of pop, indie and rock tastes which they’ve mixed with their Celtic sound.
“It makes our music sound different to everybody else,” Lane said.
She and fellow Ballarat singer-guitarist Rhiannon McArthur met Campertown bass player Jordy Hicky and Adelaide violinist Caity Brennan at a music camp in 2015.
“Each year they try to put together a band,” Lane said. “They put them all together in a room and make them practise for a week.”
The quartet named themselves after a classic Irish tune, and Lane and McArthur combined their song-writing talents for an original, 13-track album.
They won an award for young musicians at the 2016 National Folk Festival and took out Best Celtic Act at the same festival last month.
“It went better than we expected,” Lane said.
The 21-year-old now lives in Daylesford, and is chasing her rock dream in her own three-piece band. She plays guitar, but her natural talent is percussion.
“I’m like a really bad Dave Grohl,” she said. “I’m a front house supervisor, but I’m a wannabe rock star, so I’m trying to balance that.”
The sweet-sounding quartet played at the festival in 2016, including a show aboard the tall ship Enterprize.
“It’s one of the main festivals we play at,” Lane said. “We got to play on the pirate ship which was one of the most challenging gigs we’ve done.
“It was a pretty smooth ride, but it was also a freezing cold, windy day. It was very intimate – everyone had to get in really close to hear because it was so windy.”
Lane loved jamming with other bands during late-night pub sessions.
“It’s really fun going away for a weekend,” she said, “it’s like going to another world.
“There’s lots of different music which I haven’t really heard before. And I like the crepes – they’re delicious.”
Portarlington’s National Celtic Festival showcases a huge line-up of Celtic bands and artists from Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the US.
The festival features Australian acts Eric Bogle, The Bushwackers, Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club and Claymore.
On Sunday night, the festival will stage ‘Lantunda’ – an inaugural community arts project of shadow puppetry, stories and music.
Geelong Scottish Dance will bring some local flavour to the event while Portarlington Harmonica Band will take on the challenging gig aboard the Enterprize.
The festival includes countless dance, theatre, comedy and literature acts, and the Trail of Celtic Tales for children.
Competitions on the weekend include bagpipes, the Scottish Highland dance and the Portarlington Limerick Competition.
The Celtic market features stalls selling an array of crafts, produce, beverages and, of course, Guinness.
Celtic martial artists will visit, while resident Vikings will settle in for a weekend of wrestling, animal hide curing and iron mongering.
