Country star to headline at new festival (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Country star to headline at new festival

WYCHWOOD Music Festival is a brand new festival for 2005, with a talented line-up of some of the most exciting names across world, folk, roots and contemporary music.

It takes place on Cheltenham Racecourse from June 3-5 and it is donating money to Oxfam to help combat world poverty.

Headlining at the festival are US giant and country rebel Steve Earle, counter-cultural country and western band Alabama 3 and trad jazz giants, the Matthew Herbert Big Band.

Joining them are 23 year-old Jim Moray and the Jim Moray 4 who are turning folk on its head, Spanish phenomenon Radio Tarifa, the unique cross Atlantic sound of The Earlies, the leading light of a new generation of folk artists, Eliza Carthy and many more.

Festival goers can explore the music and cultures of Africa, Ireland, Finland, Tunisia, Cuba, Poland, USA, Spain, Norway and Turkey from the enormous variety of foreign performers appearing and there are also lots of slots for local artists and musicians.

These include Gloucester-based Celtish vocalist Gwyneth Keen and Cheltenham bands Skankt and Dirty Red Bananas, singer/songwriter Geoff Martinez and world music group Dream Poets.

Wychwood will also feature Screenstation in The Groovie Movie Solar Powered Cinema and there's a great range of workshops and talks, storytellers, circus, theatre, dance, arts and crafts, alternative healing, exotic shopping in the global village, delicious food from around the world and lots of camping and parking space.

The Wychwood Music Festival is a place to chill out and experience music-making and cultural understanding within a family of festival goers and performers.

Full details from www.wychwoodfestival.com Box office 01242 227979