2022 Guitar Festival line-up announced for Kangaroo Island

The concert series is delivering free one-day events and concerts by some of the country's best musicians to 10 South Australian towns, an increase from eight in 2021.

The Kangaroo Island event takes place on the one day, Sunday, July 17, at the Eleanor Downs Shearing Shed, just west of Parndana.

Entertainment from 11am to 6pm and begins with local KI artist Richard Glatz.

Visiting artists are Aidan J. Jones, Slava and Sharon Grigoryan, Jimmybay and Aimee Volkofsky, Lecia Louise and The Jacky Winter Band.

Olivia Baker at the Shearing Shed is super excited by this year's KI line-up.

There will be plenty of delicious local food, wine and beer for sale, but no BYO please.

The day will be under cover and out of the weather, with plenty of log fires going.

From 11am to 12.30pm, The Jacky Winter Band will hold a youth workshop and performance, so anyone interested please call Tristan on 0459 084 218.

For Transport from Parndana, Penneshaw or Kingscote please call KI Transfers on 0427 887 575.

The Shearing Shed at Eleanor Downs is 452 Hickmans Road, Seddon, with all sealed roads to venue.

The free KI event is made possible thanks to Kangaroo Island Art Feast, Eleanor Downs, Grasshopper Brewing, Kangaroo Island Film Company, Bay of Shoals Winery, The Stoke Wines, St Austell Farm Kitchen, Beam Internet, Swoop Internet, East Texas Music KI, Billy Hyde Music, Junction KI, SeaLink KI and the Kangaroo Island Council.

You can find out more and get tickets at: https://www.adelaideguitarfestival.com.au/events/on-the-road-eleanor-downs

Employing 75 individual artists across 120 paid opportunities in 55 regional venues, each town will enjoy either an evening community hall concert, or a town-wide "micro festival" throughout the day and evening, whereby the entire township is activated with free-entry, family-friendly live music presented in pubs, bars, cafes, sports clubs and community halls.

Adelaide Guitar Festival artistic director Slava Grigoryan is also one the artists for this year's On the Road concerts.

"In 2021, the overall economic benefit of On the Road to the communities exceeded $1.8 million, and on average, 24 per cent of audiences were visitors to the regions," Slava said.

"That shows us how strongly the program was valued everywhere by both locals and tourists, and we're so glad to get to bring it back and expand it even further in 2022.

We thank our funding partners who have enabled us to do so and to all of the communities who have welcomed us so enthusiastically. We can't wait to visit you all in July!"

On the Road also includes additional regional town visits via Resonance, where artists entertain residents of 11 individual Helping Hand residential care services in Whyalla, Port Pirie, Jamestown, Clare and Adelaide; Adelaide Festival Centre's CentrED school visits, bringing musical entertainment and information sessions to more than 400 school children in Kadina, Maitland, Tumby Bay and Cleve; and Adelaide Guitar Festival's Winter School and Orchestra programs.

In 2022, On the Road has been fortunate to receive seed support from Festivals Australia, Australia Council for the Arts, RISE and the Live Music Events Fund, as well as support from local councils and the Office for Health and Ageing.

Minister for Arts, Andrea Michaels said the SA Government - through the Music Development Office and Events South Australia - was proud to support Adelaide Guitar Festival's On The Road initiative.

"On The Road also supports and builds capacity in our regional towns: it gives local and visiting artists new audience opportunities and will help develop South Australia's regional touring circuit, which is integral to the development and employment of our talented live music artists."

All On the Road events are free to attend.

Ticketed Adelaide Guitar Festival events run from 15 - 24 July at Adelaide Festival Centre and Her Majesty's Theatre, and are on sale now, online and via Ticketek.

The tour begins in the Eyre Peninsula on July 8 in Elliston and Streaky Bay, followed by Tumby Bay (July 9) and Cleve (July 10).

Artists will then visit the Mid North (Crystal Brook and Watervale on July 15), Yorke Peninsula (Edithburgh on July 16 and Wallaroo on July 17), Kangaroo Island (Eleanor Downs on July 17) and the Adelaide Hills (Gumeracha on July 24).

Confirmed artists include three-time ARIA Award winner and festival favourite Jeff Lang, indie folk singer-songwriter Laura Hill, soul/roots/alt-country singer-songwriter Kelly Menhennett, young First Nations storyteller Nathan May, roots and pop poetic performer Lucie Thorne, blues stalwarts Chris Finnen and Cal Williams Jr, energetic tour-de-force blues band Hussy Hicks, and Tibetan lyric musician Tenzin Choegyal.