NEW BERLIN – From the Australian outback of Tasmania, a group of culturally-inspired musicians will now add Unadilla Valley to their roster of adventures which includes London, North Africa and even parts of Asia.
Lindsay Campbell, the group’s guitar, vocal talent and songwriter, teamed up with Steve Ray 26 years ago and began The Craggs.
“We tend to play a lot of songs, not just about Tasmania, but about all our experiences in traveling abroad. When I think back to my own personal experiences, I’m not just telling the story of actually being there. It’s about creating an atmosphere for the audience through music - which I think does the job very nicely,” said Campbell.
Ray has spent the last 25 years as a professional bard and plays the mandolin, bouzouki and accordion. He’s played in a number of popular Tasmanian folk bands, including The Cockies and Tallow.
“Our trip here has been absolutely fantastic. We’ve hit people very hard emotionally. They’re hearing something I don’t think they’ve ever heard before,” he said.
Since the two founded the group, it has slowly grown over the decades and now is a five piece ensemble.
Australian percussionist Kevin Regan has also played in a countless number of bands over the years such as the Hobart blues band, “The Blue Flies.”
He compared the terrain of Chenango to the group’s small hometown of under 900 people, Cygnet, located in the Huon Valley of Tasmania.
“It’s remarkable landscape, like little hamlets tucked into the forest with valleys and fields of corn growing in them. It reminds me of home, actually.”
“Especially at this time of year, I just love it,” added Campbell, noting the changing colors of autumn.
Rick Griffiths joined the group 10 years ago and plays the bass. He’s also a professional musician who’s played through several major bands on mainland Australia and in Tasmania.
“How would I classify our sound? That’s something we’re always trying to figure out. I find it really difficult to box, honestly. I’d say contemporary acoustic, since I’m the only one on an electric. Our music is very transportable from a concert hall to a much smaller stage,” he said.
The Craggs’ five-piece band uses acoustic folk music infused with a contemporary beat that keeps the rhythms stirring as the music is propelled by a variety of assorted instrumental harmonies and original lyrics.
Adding an even more distinctive edge to their hard-to-define aura are the projected images displayed behind the band that flip through cultural and wilderness images that trace the stories written in their songs.
The group’s newest member joined in December. She is Jane Ray, Lindsay’s wife and the band’s violin and support vocalist. She’s also no stranger to the stage in Australia and played with the popular groups, Steve in the Cockies and The Kazakhstan Cowgirls.
The couple also pursued careers as teachers before becoming fully involved in the band and are still very active in the educational arena. Annually the group visits local Australia schools to participate in a Salamanca dance program they started years earlier, which has grown to include more than 30,000 student participants.
Similar to the organizational movements of line or country dancing, the program encourages the Australian tradition of Bush Dancing, another form of organized dance but native to their country.
“It’s about getting the kids into the music, getting them to work together as a group and getting them to enjoy expressing themselves with a bit of fun,” she said.
The group has been busy since arriving in the United States and has played at several local venues, including colleges, concert halls and school auditoriums.
The Craggs visited the Unadilla Valley School District all day Thursday and Friday, talking to students about Australian music and culture before performing for their classes.
This week alone, the group has performed in Edmeston, Cooperstown and is playing two shows at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania tonight.
On Saturday, the Craggs will be in Liberty at the Bethel Woods Centre For The Arts for two performances at 2 and 4 p.m.
Monday, in honor of one of its former patrons, Ruso and Jean Perkins, the New Berlin Library is hosting a free admission to hear the band at 7 p.m.. The library is located at 15 S. Main St., in the village.
On behalf of its members, Lindsay thanked their old friends, Paul and Meredith Hudson, fellow music teachers who retired from Unadilla Valley Schools last June. They also thanked their host families for their hospitality, Nate Beckwith for loaning the group his set of drums, and Big Apple Music of New Hartford for loaning sound gear.