Radio Woodfordia

What happens when Australia's biggest music and arts festival becomes home to a community of dreamers, builders, and storytellers? Join comedian Harley Breen as he uncovers the wild stories behind the biggest festival you just might never have heard of. Broadcasting live from Woodfordia: A 500-acre regenerated dairy farm on Jinibara Country that's hosted the Festival for the past 30 years. Expect cracking yarns from the visionaries who built this cultural phenomenon from humble Maleny beginnings, plus the artists whose careers launched from this hidden Queensland valley, just an hour from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. There are familiar faces and unsung heroes who come together to produce something many have experienced as a rite of passage. Like everything at Woodfordia, from the 136,000 trees planted, to our chai tent (one of the first places to serve chai in Australia), this podcast is unfolding, growing, expanding the Woodfordia Universe to invi

Radio Woodfordia is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 36 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Radio Woodfordia, a arts show with 36 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #36

  Love at First Play — with Barleyshakes Duo

  Aug 21, 202646 minS1

  "It's not just about being in a band. It's about community building and getting out there." — Alan Kelly, Barleyshakes Duo Kristin Kelly grew up in Brisbane, heard Martin Hayes play fiddle at the National Folk Festival in Canberra in the early 90s, quit her teaching job, sent a cheque to the other side of the world, and went to his summer school in Miltown Malbay, Ireland. Alan Kelly grew up in Dublin, spending every Sunday at his grandmother's house — 24 cousins, a banjo, an accordion, and an uncle who yodeled through the whole afternoon, undeterred by protests, pleas, or a stick in the ribs. They met in Prague in the mid-90s and have been making music together ever since. Harley Breen sits down with Kristin and Alan — Barleyshakes Duo — fresh off their first Festival of Small Halls tour, the 50th tour in the programme's history, representing over 800 gigs across 12 years. They talk about what it means to take live music into towns where people drive two hours just to get to the shops, and what happens when a tough MC from out near Chinchilla quietly starts crying because a fiddle tune reached his Irish heritage. About the Emu Creek hall that hadn't had a new roof since 1937 and was very excited about this, and the ladies who knitted beanies for $10. They talk about Trad School — the monthly traditional music school at Woodfordia that grew from conversations with Chloe Goodyear and now brings together fiddle, guitar, whistle, and bodhrán students every month.  They also talk about Barleyshakes — the full band behind the duo, with deep family and community roots woven through its lineup. Two of their children are now full band members, one of whom started at seven on spoons, has a spoon tattoo, and now refuses to play them. And mandolin player Steve Cook has played every single Woodford Folk Festival since it began — he keeps saying he's done, and he keeps coming back. And they talk about what's at stake for live music right now — screens replacing communal experience, and what it means when a programme simply asks people to show up and trust it. At every Small Halls show, not a single person was on a screen. Everyone was present. Dive in to hear about: How Kristin went from teaching strings in Far North Queensland to studying fiddle in Ireland — and the cheque she sent to the other side of the world to make it happen The Prague band that brought Kristin and Alan together — and their brief period of fame in Switzerland before they moved to Australia The Festival of Small Halls tour — 800 gigs, 12 years, and what it feels like to play to a sold-out hall in a town that's never heard of you How Trad School started, what it gives students, and who has a spoon tattoo but won't play them DADGAD tuning, the drone, and why Queenslanders love a jig The blokes who wandered into a bush dance, put their cans down, and held hands Key topics: Barleyshakes Duo, Kristin Kelly, Alan Kelly, Irish folk music, Festival of Small Halls, Woodfordia Traditional Music School, Trad School, Woodford Folk Festival, community music, regional Australia, folk tradition, bush dance, Irish Australian To come to the Woodford Folk Festival this year visit: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/ FOR MORE: Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.au Barleyshakes: https://www.barleyshakes.com Woodfordia: https://woodfordia.org/                                                                                       Festival of Small Halls: https://festivalofsmallhalls.com/                                                   Woodfordia Traditional Music School: https://woodfordia.org/traditional-music-school/ CREDITS: Host: Harley Breen | Guests: Kristin and Alan Kelly of the Barleyshakes Duo | Executive Producer: Bree Hickson-Jamieson | Producer: Josh Weier | Video Editing: Nick Haddow | Music by: The East Pointers | Recorded on Jinibara Country | Recorded June 2026 Join the Woodfordian Citizens: Perks - - Bi-Monthly emails sharing the ins and outs of the world of Woodfordia and the people who keep the heart beating. - Special invites to special events on site at Woodfordia. Super special. - Bonus podcast content - Early early bird access to Woodford Folk Festival tickets - Early access to workshop bookings at Woodford Folk Festival Visit: woodfordia.org/woodfordia/become-a-citizen More information at www.woodfordia.org For the festival: www.woodfordfolkfestival.com For Harley: https://www.harleybreen.com.au/ Credits: Host: Harley Breen Executive Producers: Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Josh Weier, Benny Wallington Audio mastering: Kieron Atkinson Music by: The East Pointers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #35

  Woodfordia's Director Amanda Jackes Answers Your Questions

  Aug 10, 202656 minS1

  "The real program is how people engage — the decisions they make, and what interrupts their day as they think they're going to go and do that. But instead, they go and do that." — Amanda Jackes This is a special one. In this citizens-only episode, Woodfordia Managing Director and Co-founder Amanda Jackes sits down with Harley Breen to answer questions submitted by you, the Woodfordia community. No standard interview format, no curated talking points. The citizens asked the questions and Amanda answered them. What emerges is a portrait of an organisation that thinks in centuries, not quarters — and a woman who has dedicated her life to building something she knows she won't live to see completed, and who finds that not diminishing but clarifying. The questions range from the practical to the personal. Can you stay on site after the 2nd of January? Why is the festival in December and not Easter? How does volunteering work for young people? What's the story behind the carved pavers near the tea house? How does Amanda balance authentic relationships with professional accountability? What is Woodford doing to buy the land back, and how close are we? The episode closes with Harley's own question: you could lead any organisation in this country, probably for more money, and the 500-year plan will outlast you. So why do you do it? Amanda's answer is worth the wait. This episode is for: Every Woodfordian who has ever wanted to ask Amanda something directly Anyone who has wondered what it takes, and what it means, to build something for the long term People who love this place and want to understand it more deeply Dive in to hear about: Why the festival stays in December, and what Woodford is doing to make it more comfortable for those who feel the heat How volunteering works for young people, what Champions of Woodfordia is, and why the second program is always the more powerful one The story of the carved pavers: from the Yellow Brick Road at Maleny to the tea house today The millennial New Year's Eve, the 3 minutes of silence, and Bill's idea to connect 20,000 birthday candles to a flame lit by the Dalai Lama The Forest of Goodwill: where the campaign is, what the next target is, and why it's the community that's going to get this done Why the Elders aren't necessarily male — and what we might be projecting on to them Guernica, found by walking in a Madrid museum without a map Bill's tenacity, his humour, his generosity — and how that shapes the work today Why Amanda does this work, and what it means to live a life oriented around purpose Key topics: Amanda Jackes, Co-founder, Woodfordia, Woodford Folk Festival, Forest of Goodwill, citizens episode, 500-year plan, Bill Hauritz, volunteering, community, folk culture, arts, environment To come to the Woodford Folk Festival this year visit: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/ FOR MORE: Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.au Woodfordia: https://www.woodfordia.com Become a Woodfordian Citizen: https://woodfordia.org/woodfordia/become-a-citizen/ Forest of Goodwill: https://aforestofgoodwill.woodfordia.com/ CREDITS:Host: Harley Breen | Guest: Amanda Jackes | Executive Producers: Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Josh Weier | Video Editing: Nick Haddow | Music by: The East Pointers | Recorded on Jinibara Country | Recorded June 2026 Join the Woodfordian Citizens: Perks - - Bi-Monthly emails sharing the ins and outs of the world of Woodfordia and the people who keep the heart beating. - Special invites to special events on site at Woodfordia. Super special. - Bonus podcast content - Early early bird access to Woodford Folk Festival tickets - Early access to workshop bookings at Woodford Folk Festival Visit: woodfordia.org/woodfordia/become-a-citizen More information at www.woodfordia.org For the festival: www.woodfordfolkfestival.com For Harley: https://www.harleybreen.com.au/ Credits: Host: Harley Breen Executive Producers: Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Josh Weier, Benny Wallington Audio mastering: Kieron Atkinson Music by: The East Pointers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #34

  If I Fell Backward, Someone Would Catch Me — with Mama Kin Spender

  Jul 15, 202636 minS1

  "Our job as songwriters is not to ask people to feel better — it's to get better at feeling." — Dingo Spender, Mama Kin Spender Mama Kin Spender are Danielle Caruana and Dingo Spender — a duo flung to opposite sides of the country who make music by getting on planes, meeting somewhere in the middle, and going into the dark corners together to find the gold. Their 2025 album Promises debuted at number two on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart and was nominated for Best Blues and Roots Album at the 2025 ARIA Awards. This episode was recorded live at the 2025–26 Woodford Folk Festival, just hours after Mama Kin Spender played the Amphigrande. It's hosted by Jordan Royal stepping into the chair for Radio Woodfordia. Mama Kin opens with the observation that Woodford is one of those rare festivals that grows artists — the audience buys tickets before the program is released, trusting the programmers and trusting the experience, which means artists can bring their most vulnerable material and know the room will catch them. Dingo describes Woodford as a place where, if you fell backward, someone would catch you and buy you a delicious meal and sing you a song. They talk about Promises — how some of its threads existed as far back as 2019, how the songs were already there, waiting — not for words alone, but for music, rhythm, the body to fully understand itself. How the song that became their North Star felt at first like a sewer main, and turned out to be the truth. They talk about what it means to make music as two people on opposite ends of the country — the limitation as its own kind of grace, the trust that lets you go for things that are harder to reach, the creative producer who holds the space until you get to the hot spot. And they talk about what they're carrying into the new year. Joy — not as a blinder against grief, but as its equal. The realisation that being achingly human is itself an act of resistance. And Dingo's question for whatever comes next: what would the soundtrack to joy sound like? This episode is for: Anyone who makes things with another person and knows what it costs and what it gives People who have ever wondered whether it's okay to feel joy when the world is breaking Woodford devotees — and anyone who wants to understand why this festival means what it means to the artists who keep coming back Dive in to hear about: Mama Kin on Woodford as a festival that grows artists — and why she wants to play here until she can't anymore Dingo's first Woodford: four or five gigs in a day, running between stages without putting his saxophone down The full family Woodford — the year Mama Kin, Dingo, John Butler, and Mama Kin's daughter all played gigs, the same kid who was in nappies backstage at her mum's first festival The writing house, the songs that were waiting for language, and the track that felt like a sewer main and turned out to be the truth What a great music producer actually does — and why their creative friendship is the container that lets them go into the dark corners Joy as practice, grief as fuel, and why being achingly human is the game worth playing Key topics: Mama Kin Spender, Danielle Caruana, Dingo Spender, Promises album, ARIA Awards, Woodford Folk Festival, songwriting, creative collaboration, folk soul, Australian music, joy, grief, community To come to the Woodford Folk Festival this year visit: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/ FOR MORE: Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.au Mama Kin Spender: https://mamakinspender.love Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamakinspender Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mamakinspender Jordan Royal: https://www.instagram.com/j0rdanroyal/ CREDITS: Host: Jordan Royal | Guests: Danielle Caruana and Dingo Spender of Mama Kin Spender | Executive Producer: Benny Wallington, Bree Hickson-Jamieson | Producers: Amelie Barham, Benjamin 'Tofty' Toft, Georgia Shaw, Madeleine Corcoran | Video Editing: Nick Haddow | Music by: The East Pointers | Recorded on Jinibara Country Join the Woodfordian Citizens: Perks - - Bi-Monthly emails sharing the ins and outs of the world of Woodfordia and the people who keep the heart beating. - Special invites to special events on site at Woodfordia. Super special. - Bonus podcast content - Early early bird access to Woodford Folk Festival tickets - Early access to workshop bookings at Woodford Folk Festival Visit: woodfordia.org/woodfordia/become-a-citizen More information at www.woodfordia.org For the festival: www.woodfordfolkfestival.com For Harley: https://www.harleybreen.com.au/ Credits: Host: Harley Breen Executive Producers: Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Josh Weier, Benny Wallington Audio mastering: Kieron Atkinson Music by: The East Pointers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Episode #33

  Every Meal Needs a Story — with Matt Golinski

  Jul 5, 202633 minS1

  <p>"You come home from Woodford with that feeling of, oh, okay, maybe the world's not so bad after all." — Matt Golinski</p><br><p>Matt Golinski grew up on a tropical fruit farm in Palmwoods on the Sunshine Coast — pawpaws, avocados, mangoes, bananas, and enough tomatoes and zucchinis to know instinctively what a good one looks like. That early understanding of where food comes from and what it takes to grow it has quietly shaped everything he's done since.</p><br><p>He spent nine years on Ready Steady Cook, which is how most of Australia came to know him...

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  Episode #33

  Every Meal Needs a Story — with Matt Golinski

  Jul 5, 202633 minS1

  "You come home from Woodford with that feeling of, oh, okay, maybe the world's not so bad after all." — Matt Golinski Matt Golinski grew up on a tropical fruit farm in Palmwoods on the Sunshine Coast — pawpaws, avocados, mangoes, bananas, and enough tomatoes and zucchinis to know instinctively what a good one looks like. That early understanding of where food comes from and what it takes to grow it has quietly shaped everything he's done since. He spent nine years on Ready Steady Cook, which is how most of Australia came to know him. He'd rather you call him a cook than a celebrity chef. He still cooks every day, he sources almost everything he uses directly from the farmers who grow it, and he'll drive hours into regional Queensland with a car stuffed full of pots and pans to cook a dinner for 300 people in Roma if that's what's needed. He does it alone, he does it happily, and he considers the friends he makes along the way as much a part of the job as the food itself. Harley Breen sits down with Matt for a conversation that covers a lot of ground — the farm, the TV years, the philosophy behind cooking with local producers, the honest economics of running a one-person catering operation in a tough industry, and what it actually means to care about where your food comes from. They also talk about what happens to the kitchen culture when the head chef is a psycho, why there should never be such a thing as a food trend, and the 50,000 pasta machines currently sitting unused in the backs of Australian cupboards. And then there's Woodford. Matt has been coming since the very first festivals at Maleny — living on home brand baked beans and a $20 tent that collapsed on the first night, surviving on very little and loving every minute of it. He's watched the trees grow from saplings to the canopy they are now, including some he helped plant. He lines up on Christmas Eve every year for his favourite camping spot. And he describes driving through the gates as feeling, simply, like coming home. This episode is for: Anyone who has ever stood in a paddock or a farmers market and felt that something was missing from the way we talk about food Woodford lifers, and anyone who wants to understand why people keep coming back People who believe the best meals are the ones with a story behind them Dive in to hear about: Growing up on a tropical fruit farm in Palmwoods and what it taught Matt about ingredients before he ever set foot in a kitchen Nine years on Ready Steady Cook, why the term celebrity chef makes him cringe, and what he thinks most celebrity chefs stopped doing years ago Why Matt refuses to give anyone a menu more than a week out, and why that's actually where the creativity lives Cooking an 80th birthday dinner sourced entirely from the local producers the birthday boy spent a lifetime championing The First Offenders, the Woombye Hall, Maleny in the early days, and a $20 tent that didn't survive its first night Why Matt stopped cooking at Woodford, and what he loves about just being a punter Watching trees he helped plant grow into the canopy that shades the festival today Pizza Loca: a thirty-five year love affair, and the most unexpected celebrity endorsement in festival food history Key topics: Matt Golinski, Ready Steady Cook, local produce, farm to table, Sunshine Coast food, Woodford Folk Festival, Maleny Folk Festival, Australian food culture, community, seasonal cooking To come to the Woodford Folk Festival this year visit: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/ FOR MORE: Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.au Matt Golinski: https://mattgolinski.com.au https://www.instagram.com/mattgolinski https://www.facebook.com/ChefMattGolinski CREDITS: Host: Harley Breen | Guest: Matt Golinski | Executive Producer: Benny Wallington | Producers: Cameron Scurrah, Bree Hickson-Jamieson| Video Editing: Nick Haddow | Music by: The East Pointers | Recorded on Jinibara Country | Recorded November 2025 Join the Woodfordian Citizens: Perks - - Bi-Monthly emails sharing the ins and outs of the world of Woodfordia and the people who keep the heart beating. - Special invites to special events on site at Woodfordia. Super special. - Bonus podcast content - Early early bird access to Woodford Folk Festival tickets - Early access to workshop bookings at Woodford Folk Festival Visit: woodfordia.org/woodfordia/become-a-citizen More information at www.woodfordia.org For the festival: www.woodfordfolkfestival.com For Harley: https://www.harleybreen.com.au/ Credits: Host: Harley Breen Executive Producers: Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Josh Weier, Benny Wallington Audio mastering: Kieron Atkinson Music by: The East Pointers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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