The Water Runners
100% Home-Grown Artist of the Month – January 2022
Welcome to Highland FM’s 100% Home-Grown, a page dedicated to giving a voice to the rich diversity of contemporary Australian musicians and songwriters.
Local song makers help tell our stories, contribute to our culture and give voice to our communities.
Each month Highland FM will feature a local artist selected from the MusicNSW playlist for our region, including live interviews, performances new releases and more.
Our 100% Home-Grown Artist Of The Month for January is The Water Runners. Throughout the month, Highland FM 107.1 will showcase the original bluegrass-infused, folk/roots music of The Water Runners.
Lea Steed will introduce our feature Artist Of The Month on Highland FM’s award winning 100% Home-Grown program on Saturday 1 January between 5-7pm. Lea will interview John Littrich from The Water Runners and feature their music, including Kate Kelly’s Dream and Lay That Burden Down, recorded in the Highland FM Studios.
If you like what you hear, you can discover more about our feature artist on this page, find out how they got into music, what makes them tick, watch clips and listen to their latest releases on demand.
To hear more local artists, go to MusicNSW Spotify playlist for our region, or check out Southern Tablelands Arts Music page.
Artist of the Month
Highland FM’s 100% Home-Grown feature artist is The Water Runners
From Kiama and Gerringong NSW, The Water Runners’ original bluegrass-infused Australian folk/roots music with its four-part harmony story-telling has engaged and moved audiences at festivals, venues and events around the country since 2016.
The band is a mix of experienced musicians John Littrich (guitar/vocals) and Neil McCann (banjo/mandolin/vocals, formerly of folk legends, Wongawilli) and younger musicians James Turk (double-bass), Danita Harris (violin) and Dom Littrich (percussion). Dom also plays in rock band, Pacific Avenue, and funk band, Big Twisty and the Funk Nasty, when not having fun making videos with his housemates, The Inspired Unemployed.
The Water Runners have built a solid reputation as songwriters and performers which has been recognised through final honours over the last few years in the Tamworth Song Writers Association song competition and in achieving both ‘Best Band’ in the 2020 Australian National Busking Championships and second in the Open category. The band were selected to represent Australia in the 2021 Sounds Australia Folk Unlocked live stream and were finalists in the “People’s Choice’ category of the 2021 Australian Folk Music Awards.
The Water Runners worked have released three albums: Heading South (2016); Point of No Return (2019) and, in 2021, worked with multi award-winning producer, Matt Fell (ABC’s ‘The Recording Studio’), to record and release Further Down the Road.
Guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, double bass, percussion and harmonies combine with tight harmonies as The Water Runners take you on a musical journey musical journey down South Coast back roads and through human stories past and present. Come along for the ride!
Key Highlights
- The Water Runners were voted Best Band at the 2020 Australian National Busking Championships
- Finalist in the Australian Folk Music Alliance’s People’s Choice Award
“The true beauty of The Water Runners’ music is that it connects people”
Highland FM 107.1
The Water Runners album Further Down The Road is available via Spotify, Apple Music and iTunes and can be purchased through the The Water Runners’ website.
Recorded Live in the Highland FM Studios
Highland FM Live is a platform dedicated to giving a voice to the rich diversity of contemporary Australian musicians and songwriters that tell our stories, contribute to our culture and give voice to our communities.
The Water Runners – Kate Kelly’s Dream – Live in the Highland FM Studios
The Water Runners – Lay That Burden Down – Live in the Highland FM Studios
Music Releases
The Water Runners – Fire In The Stone
The Water Runners – Further Down The Road
The Water Runners – Jamberoo Mountain Blues
The Water Runners – Banks Of The Minnamurra
The Water Runners – Sing Like A Bird
The Water Runners – Water From The Well
The Water Runners – Stand On Your Own Two Feet
LISTEN TO JOHN LITTRICH FROM THE WATER RUNNERS ON 100% HOME-GROWN
John Littrich talks to Lea Steed and provides an insight into the stories that is the Water Runners’ unique sound. Click on the tab below to hear the full interview, as recorded on Highland FM’s 100% Home-grown program on Saturday 1 January, 2021.
100% Home-Grown interview with John Littrich from The Water Runners
LISTEN TO MICHAEL SIMIC ON 100% HOME-GROWN
As featured on 100% Home-grown on Saturday 1 January, Michael Simic, Regional Music Officer at MusicNSW chats with Lea Steed about Highland FM’s new Artist of the Month for January – The Water Runners.
Michael also chats about the first 100% Home-Grown Live Concert and Highland FM Live, an initiative for local musicians to record acoustic music. Click on the tab below to hear the full interview.
100% Home-Grown interview with Michael Simic from MUSIC NSW
LISTEN TO MICHAEL SIMIC ON 100% HOME-GROWN LAUNCHING THE ARTIST OF THE MONTH INITIATIVE
As featured on 100% Home-Grown, Michael Simic, Regional Music Officer, MusicNSW chats with Adam Stokeld about Highland FM’s Artist of the Month Initiative. Click on the tab below to hear the full interview.
MusicNSW, Southern Tablelands Arts and Southern Highland News are working with Highland FM to give a voice to our local musicians and songwriters.
You can catch all the latest releases, interviews and new Australian music from the Amrap catalogue every Thursday and Saturday on Highland FM’s award winning program, 100% Home-Grown. The program is dedicated to supporting independent Australian artists.
100% Home-Grown featured Artists of the Month
Sara Berki – December Artist of the Month
The Ritch Pitcher – November Artist of the Month
Ross Webb – October Artist of the Month
