Gympie Music Muster Announces First Stacked Line-Up

Grab your mates, the Gympie Music Muster is coming in hot with the first round of artists announced for 2023 and there’s no better Christmas gift than festival tickets!

Adam Brand, The Angels, Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley, Busby Marou, Casey Barnes, Kasey Chambers, Melinda Schneider, Troy Cassar-Daley and The Wolfe Brothers are among the Australians joining Canadians Dan Davidson and Gord Bamford at the Muster next year.

Also on the bill is Andy Golledge, Angus Gill, Ash Grunwald, Bill Chambers, Bondi Cigars, Brooke Schubert, Catherine Britt, Don Walker, Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham, Gina Jeffreys, Hat Fitz & Cara, Hayley Jensen, Hussy Hicks, James Blundell, Jayne Denham, Jeff Lang, Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes, The Pleasures, Southbound xo, Sunny Cowgirls, Taylor Moss, Travis Collins, Vixens of Fall, The Weeping Willows and 17Twenty.

Program director, Oz Bayldon is excited to reveal today’s first artist announcement.

“After the success of this year’s festival we really are proud to kick off the line-up with ten 2023 Golden Guitar nominees and an array of awesome Aussie and Canadian talent,” he said. “We look forward to presenting more than 30 artists every day during the festival; there will certainly be plenty of variety to keep everyone happy. The line-up for the second announcement in early 2023 will not disappoint either so keep an eye on the Gympie Muster social pages.”

The hottest name in the Australian country industry at the moment is Casey Barnes and he’s keen to get back to the festival in the forest in 2023 after a memorable 2022. After winning the ARIA Award for 'Country Album of the Year' and being nominated for five Golden Guitars in the last few weeks, Barnes is keen to get back in front of fans.

“I’ve been to around six or seven Musters and the one we did this year was one of the most special gigs I’ve done in a long, long time and was easily my favourite Muster performance,” he said.

Barnes said he would be taking his performance to the next level in 2023 with a shiny ARIA Award to his name and new songs that he’d just written in Nashville, as well as plenty of favourites.

“Winning the ARIA was a surreal experience because we were sitting there, they were reading out the nominees and then to hear your name and walk up to the stage, I was questioning whether this was really happening,” he said.

“I’ve had so many years of hard work and lots of setbacks, lots of times where you question whether it’s all worth it so it’s nice to finally get to where we are now and a reward for many years of toiling away. Equally as important are your fans, their support in coming to your shows and buying the album because without your fanbase, nothing happens and that the one thing I never take for granted.”

Melinda Schneider is also keen to return to a festival that holds a special place for her.

“It did my heart good to be asked to play the Gympie Muster next year because I love the Muster,” she said. “It is a real nostalgic event for me because I’ve been there a lot over the last 20 years and it’s always a one-of-a-kind event; there is nothing else like it really in the world.”

The multi-award-winning artist said she looked forward to the Muster as a time to catch up with friends both backstage and in front of the stage in the audience.

“I’ll be showcasing new material from my new album, which will be out by then, which will be my first original full-length album since Be Yourself in 2008,” she said. “The last 10 years has been pretty full-on and I’m really ready now to release new original material and really drawing on my experience as a mum; I’m really in the best time of my life.”

Tickets are selling fast and when you buy an adult ticket over the Christmas period, you will receive a limited-edition Gympie Music Muster cooler bag when you arrive at the festival in August – this special four-day adult ticket offer is available until January 31, 2023.

For more information and tickets at muster.com.au.

Gympie Music Muster – August 24-27, 2023
 Amamoor Creek State Forest