Born and raised in the multi-racial pearling town of Broome in Australia’s far Northwest Kimberley region, singer/songwriter/guitarist Stephen Pigram has been performing and songwriting since the late 1970’s.

He has been a member of the Broome bands Kuckles (1981 to present), Scrap Metal (1983 to 1992), and was Musical Director for the original production of the 1990 stage musical ‘Bran Nue Dae’ by Jimmy Chi and Kuckles.

Since 1994 he has performed and recorded with six of his siblings in the Pigram Brothers pioneering a vocal/acoustic ‘saltwater country’ style of music .He played a major role in the development and production of the AACTA 2011 nominated Australian film ‘Mad Bastards’ as composer, actor and co-producer.

He has toured the nation and internationally as a featured artist in the Black Arm Band, Tura New Music Ensembles and the Australian Chamber Orchestra for their 2012/13 production “The Reef” which toured the U.S. in February 2016.

More recent collaborations have been with Tura New Music Kimberley Indonesian Project and Kimberley Echoes National Tour 2019 and a solo performances at Port Fairy Music Festival 2019 and the Australian String Quartet for the Quartet and Country series.

Stephen now steps out solo and can limbo, with his guitar fingerpickin’, ukulele tinkling, harmonica blowin’, folk’n country blues snapshots of life in the last frontier with songs from his debut solo CD ‘Wanderer’ and May 2021 release “Solfish” and local cult classics, drawn from forty years years of composing and performing in the singer songwriter storytelling tradition.

DAVID MILROY – Singer Songwriter
David Milroy is a Palyku man, and one of the key figures of WA’s Indigenous Art Renaissance, having been Artistic Director of Yirra Yaakin Theatre and a writer of award-winning plays, including ‘Windmill Baby’ and ‘Waltzing the Wilarra.’ And Panawathi Girl. Many of David’s beautifully crafted songs are plucked from his plays and he has been a gifted and prolific writer of songs almost since he became a professional musician in the 70s.

LUCKY OCEANS – Singer Songwriter
Lucky is a musician with deep roots in many musical styles and a strong desire to communicate with his audience. He was born into a music-loving family in Philadelphia and has played with Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Paul Kelly, Archie Roach and Hank Marvin. He co-founded the group Asleep at the Wheel with whom he won 2 Grammy Awards and 7 Nominations. Lucky is committed to pushing his instrument, the Pedal Steel Guitar, into new directions and he has been called ‘the most influential steel guitarist of his generation.’

David’s songs about the depth of human experience and of life in the Pilbara weave in seamlessly with Lucky’s big picture songs about difficult choices and century-spanning imaginary worlds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKTfZH7sMIk&t=2s

Singer Songwriter

Kankawa Nagarra is a Walmatjarri Elder and blues singer-songwriter from the isolated desert community of Wangkatjungka in WA’s East Kimberley. She fell in love with the blues after hearing it on the radio as a young woman, the music reminding her of the repetitive sounds and rhythms of the traditional Aboriginal music she was brought up with in the desert. She did not own her own guitar until she was 40 but went on built an international career as a touring artist, singing the blues in her own language and has releasing three albums since then. 2019 saw her on the road in the USA and Europe with Hugh Jackman as part of his production, “The Man, The Music”.

This unique and inspiring performer is also a well-respected elder, teacher, mentor, human rights advocate, and deserves to be recognised as a national treasure. Kankawa has collaborated with David Hyams (harmonica, guitar) and Lucky Oceans (pedal steel, dobro) for the “Songs For Freedom” national tour in 2023 and will be joined by Lucky and David for her JNF 2024 show.

https://ictv.com.au/video/item/9620

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=885455745742180

Rapper Songwriter
Razzy Mak is a Yamatji Rapper, born in Port Hedland and raised in Broome, Geraldton and Perth, WA. He has strong connections throughout WA and Razzy Mak, will work with the young people running hip hop workshops and developing the local talent of the Gascoyne region, that lead to guest appearances in his festival set at JNF24.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyCCQwEFUtQ&t=59s

Singer Songwriter

Fred Ryan is a Yamatji man from WA’s Murchison and Kimberley regions, now living in Karratha. He is a singer/songwriter and guitarist, who was raised with country music, his influences ranging from Slim Dusty and Merle Haggard to Keith Urban. His achievements include, having performed at Tamworth, Boyup Brook festivals and, most recently, the “Songs For Freedom” concerts and tours which took him from Roebourne to Hobart, Perth, Darwin, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. With a passion for entertaining a local crowd, Fred enjoys sharing his music from the Pilbara to Perth and all the towns in between. 

Fred’s songwriting is informed by his wealth of life experiences in outback WA. “Real-life” stories provide the foundation of his work, capturing experiences of his own as well as the people he has met throughout his life. His work is featured on the recently released album “Songs For Freedom”, writing and co-producing two songs – “Songs of Freedom” and “Little Town Big Heart” and he has been warmly welcomed into the Pilbara music community. In collaboration with BighART, Fred’s song, Songs of Freedom, and its video clip filmed in Roebourne were released in 2023. Fred has already released two of his own albums, “Guitars and Campfires” and “Dreams of Yesterday” and his 3rd “Back to My Beginning”, is due later this year. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNKv0wyx-DQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxHGwdq5vo

Alongside the visiting artists, the 2024 festival will again showcase the cream of local musical talent, introducing new songs written in collaboration for the event with Baiyungu Elder, Hazel Walgar translating and sharing the traditional Baiyungu stories into contemporary songs. In 2023 the songs written told the story of the meeting of Willara and Jirndarl, the sun and the moon, culminating in the Total Solar Eclipse. In 2024 workshops leading up to the festival will facilitate the creation of new songs for the band. 

With musical direction by David Hyams, the band will feature Carnarvon singer songwriter and guitarist, Wesley Mongoo, whose powerful voice was showcased in 2023. Young Carnarvon born vocalist, Jenaya Lawrence will make a return to her country to perform. The band is complimented by Hyams on guitars, virtuoso bassist, Roy Martinez and Carnarvon local, Anne Bavin on drums and will provide backing for festival headline acts artists as the house band, where needed.

Raymond Edney is a Yinggarda man, born in Carnarvon. His Yinggarda/Bidgemia mother and Wajardi/Burringarrah father helped shape his deep devotion to family and strong regard for traditional indigenous culture.

His extended family have also influenced his strong connection to Yinggarda and Wajardi country. He works extensively within the community and beyond to keep the stories of indigenous culture alive, through his music and art.

A well known singer-songwriter and guitarist, Raymond performs regularly at music festivals and concerts and is actively involved in promoting culture to young and old. Raymond is also a respected visual artist, who shows his work all over the state.

“In my art, I look to the beauty of my surroundings and my cultural heritage to inspire myself and others. Everything is intertwined with the land, and land is integral to shaping identity.”

Ngunda is a traditional dance that carries significant cultural weight, often serving as a conduit for storytelling and community bonding. At its core, Ngunda embodies the essence of collective expression and cultural preservation.

Ngunda-nari (Dancers/Performers): The Ngunda-nari are the heart and soul of the performance, embodying the stories and traditions of their culture through movement. Their movements are synchronized and often symbolic, conveying various elements of the narrative being depicted.

Nyinirri (Singer) holds a pivotal position within the Ngunda performance, as they provide the musical accompaniment and vocalization that guides the dancers. They have the responsibility of controlling the tempo and rhythm of the performance, ensuring that the dancers can synchronize their movements effectively.

Together, Ngunda-nari and Nyinirri create a dynamic synergy, blending movement and music to bring traditional stories to life. Their collaboration highlights the interconnectedness of various artistic elements within the cultural fabric, fostering a sense of unity and pride within the community. Through Ngunda, audiences are not only entertained but also enriched with the rich tapestry of heritage and history woven into each performance.

Ngurrangga Tours Ngunda-nari are from the Pilbara Region of Australia’s North West.

Pundarra Performance Group began performing together in 2015. They initially came together to perform in the production “Willy Willy” as part of Ausdance’s Future Landings program. The experience was so rewarding for them that they formed the group shortly after and have been performing in regional WA ever since. 

Over the last 7 years they have performed at many events all over the Gascoyne Region.  These include the annual Creality Events (Formerly known as Gascoyne in May) in Carnarvon, Coral Bay, Gascoyne Junction and Shark Bay; the opening of the Ningaloo Centre in Exmouth, in Shark Bay for both the Dirk Hartog celebrations and the Rendezvous Festival. They perform regularly in Carnarvon for NAIDOC Week celebrations, the Senior Citizens luncheon during Senior Citizens week and for the Christmas Street Party.

The group thoroughly enjoys creating stories through contemporary dance and performing them for their community.

Formed for the inaugural JNF festival, the Coral Spawn dancers come from different language groups, though all with blood ties to Baiyungu. The dancers are led by Carnarvon local Cheryl Moncrieff and came about after Baiyungu traditional owners Hazel Walgar and Gwen  wanting to tell the story of the coral spawn through dance and music, for the people of the Gascoyne as well as visitors to Baiyungu country.

The coral spawn dance honours the ongoing longevity of the reef and marine ecosystem, and the coral of the Ningaloo. The sea turns pink, a result of the coral releasing the eggs to be fertilized. This event brings new life to those on the land, but also to the marine system. The coral spawn that happened around the total solar eclipse was even more special – everything is “bigger than normal” marine life in the ocean will group up and behave differently – the manta Ray, whale sharks all regroup for the solar eclipse and , after the fish all go quiet.

Ernie Dingo will be joining the Festival as MC. Dingo is one of Australia’s most loved personalities. His  television career is particularly significant for the way it has broken new ground in the medium’s presentation of cultural difference.

Dingo grew up around the small Western Australian town of Mullewa, where the local Indigenous people still speak the traditional Wudjadi language. He first moved into acting in Perth when a basketball team to which he belonged formed a dance and cultural performance group Middar.