Nine Mile Creek (Australia)

An Australian four-piece contemporary bluegrass band and veterans of Kiwigrass 2019, Nine Mile Creek, will be back for Kiwigrass 2020.  Their humorous originals had the audiences at last years festival rippling with laughter.

Nine Mile Creek hails from Victoria and features Mark Pottenger on mandolin, Colin Weight on banjo, Andrew Barcham on double bass, and Doug Wallace on guitar with all members of the band sharing vocals.

The band plays traditional and original bluegrass, with a touch of swing.

It has a strong repertoire and is a regular contributor to the Mountain Pickers Association’s monthly nights at the foot of the Dandenong ranges in Victoria. They regularly feature at Australian bluegrass festivals, including Mountaingrass, Kelly Country Pick and the Foggy Mountain Bluegrass festival.

Jean-Luc Leroux (New Caledonia)

Jean-Luc Leroux is working on converting New Caledonia, the small French Pacific Island into a country bluegrass haven one song at a time.

He pursues this campaign with a weekly radio show Route 66, gigging around the island, and releasing four albums, the latest of which will be pressed in time for a release party at Kiwigrass 2020 –  Highway USA.

Leroux has toured extensively in the US, and has released four previous albums with guest artists including Mike Bub, Rob Ickes, Guthrie Trapp, Matt Hooper, and Butch Robins. He will be supported at Kiwigrass by members of The Trenwiths and Hamilton County Bluegrass Band.