The Pool Room!

Testimonials!          Tour Stories

Bill Chambers

PICKER, COOKER & HEALER!
I’ve always been a fan of Andrew’s guitar,fiddle and mandolin playing. One time on tour with The Dead Ringer Band, he placed his raw veggies on the hot manifold of our Land Cruiser and let them cook while we drove! Another time we were booked to play a festival but I was too sick with fever to walk, let alone play a gig. Andrew performed Reiki and within 10minutes I was on my feet, then onstage performing. He recently impressed my boy Tyler by jumping on stage in Airlie Beach and playing Hendrix licks on a homemade mandolin. Andrew Clerrmont, a unique beautiful human!

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Tony McManus (Scot/Canada)

Andrew Clermont is a towering figure in more ways than one! As a frequent visitor to his native turf, he has been one of the constant, shining lights that makes Australia the country that excites and entices me more than any other. A multi-instrumentalist of great depth and insight, yet he deploys his immense talent in the service of The Music, rather than himself. He puts his energy into platforming others, lending his talents to accompanying more often than soloing- which he could do with ease. Countless Australian musicians have benefited from his generosity of spirit. I’m a fortunate visitor who has done likewise

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Elisabeth Frencham

I have known and loved Andrew Clermont for most of my professional career and still am constantly amazed by his musical inventiveness and flexibility. He manages to elevate anything he’s a part of and brings a planet-sized generosity of spirit that strengthens all that are lucky enough to play with him. Mentor of countless musical giants and a constant inspiration, I’m proud to know you, Andrew!

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Henk Groot

Some where in my collection of old cassettes is one sporting a image of a very tall fiddle player. My father gave it to me must be 45 years ago. Twas brilliant ; Since then I’ve had the pleasure of hearing and seeing Andrew many times but performing is only part of his talent. His skill and knowledge on the mixing desk is legendary, as is his composure. His contribution to my C.D lifted it from a collection of songs to an enjoyable listening experience. Thank you Andrew for your work and friendship. Look forward to catching up some where down the track.

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Greg Champion

Andrew Clermont is a unique performer. A polymath. He plays several instruments, sings – and it’s his musical mind that makes him special. Andrew turns up at dozens of annual festivals nationwide and does his Andrew thing – and people follow, support, join in. He’s made a unique contribution to travelling music in Australia.

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Dya Singh

Andrew Clermont – Not just a music colleague but also a friend.
Thank you Andrew for being a core member of Dya Singh for over 20 years travelling the world.
Not every musician can sit with me because you never know which way the music is going to carry you and each group colleague has to make decisions on stage, on the spot on how to complement the flow. You were always one of the few I could turn to, to enhance, add value, with violin, guitar, didgeridoo….
On tour especially, you were always there to help overcome hurdles. Your calm demeanour and gentleness was an added bonus.
You have the best collection of visual footage of the group. How you managed to film us and be on stage at the same time without missing a beat still baffles me!
Thank you Andrew for being by my side on an amazing musical journey. Long may you continue, spreading love and happiness. Blessings.

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Kristina Olsen

Andrew Clermont is a long tall drink of anything fiddle, easily fits into so many genres, styles, teachings and fun! Kristina Olsen

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Beat Lehrman

Don’t miss Andrews concerts as he is one of Australia’s most talented musicians, having inspired a whole generation of musicians in various musical genres! He has a great sense of community and is always there to help out, arrange, organize … not to be missed!

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Tim Woodz

Andrew Clermont Testimonial by Tim Woodz My first introduction to Andrew’s fiddle playing was while watching the Waifs perform at the national folk festival. There on stage was-a taller gentleman playing electric violin wearing a big tall and fine black top hat.
It was amazing to watch Andrew playing with and working off Josh Cunningham’s guitar, with his incredible fiddle solos! I still vividly remember the audience taking a breath of excitement when they threw Andrew another solo. Even the band themselves couldn’t hide the grin on their faces.
I was a 6’7” 16 year old at the time on my way to becoming 6’10”. It was the first time strangers would ask me what height I was which took me by surprise and kinda made me want to shy away from it. My Dad reminded me of the big tall fiddle player guy with the big top hat and said how I should accentuate my height by standing taller and being proud of who I am. So Andrew gave my Dad an opportunity to teach me an important life lesson, which I’m very thankful for!
Andrew is among the most amazing artists and musicians in the world and is an inspiration to all who know him in his circle of music. He works from the ground up at every folk festival, bringing community spirit and forming a connection with people no matter what age or ability.

PS – The Waifs first played the National Folk Festival in the ACT in 1999. During those early years, they were often joined on stage by multi-instrumentalist Andrew Clermont who frequently played fiddle alongside them during their festival appearances and workshops

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Anthony Woolcott – St Albans Folk Festival

Andrew has been our top PA provider and sound operator for St Albans Folk Festival across all our major venues since 2021. He is embedded as our main stage sound guy. Not only is Andrew extremely likeable and talented, he also operates some of the best sound I have had the pleasure of listening to through attending many festivals over the last 30 years. Changeovers run quickly and smoothly, his ear is second to none when it comes to the mix and being a multi-instrumentalist with many years of experience creating and running venues, Andrew creates an atmosphere that musicians love. This allows them to perform at their very best and really enjoy their time on stage. Always a pleasure to deal with, very organised and nothing is too hard when obstacles need to be overcome. I really can not recommend Andrew any more highly, you get exceptional sound and so much more. The only small challenge sometimes is booking him, as he is rightfully in high demand, so get in touch early.

Regards, Anthony Woolcott St Albans Folk Festival Director 2013 to 2024

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Mark Mitchell – Epoch Strings – Golden Fiddle Awards

I have had the pleasure of knowing Andrew for nearly thirty years, both as a close friend and a professional colleague. During this time, I have come to appreciate not only his character but also his exceptional talent, which has introduced many of us to some truly remarkable musical experiences. While it would be impossible to capture the full range and depth of those experiences here, one of Andrew’s most significant achievements is his work with the Golden Fiddle Awards. This initiative reflects both his musical brilliance and his dedication to the industry.
The Golden Fiddle Awards is a not-for-profit organisation founded by Andrew, Pixie Jenkins, and myself. Its purpose is to promote violin music across Australia and New Zealand, with a strong focus on nurturing and encouraging musicians at all levels. Each year, the organisation presents a major showcase at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, featuring violin music across a wide range of genres. The event also recognises and celebrates players, composers, and others who have contributed to the advancement of violin music in the region.
Thanks to Andrew’s leadership, along with the support of a small group of passionate contributors, the Awards have helped spark renewed interest in string music. More importantly, they have inspired musicians of all ages to pursue music as a lifelong career, whether as performers or educators.
As Musical Director, Andrew has played a central role in delivering the organisation’s mission to nurture, support, and recognise excellence in violin performance, composition, and teaching—regardless of musical style. Over time, the Golden Fiddle Awards event has become one of the must-see highlights of the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Its success is largely due to Andrew’s tireless efforts and his remarkable ability to bring together an ideal mix of professional, emerging, and young musicians on a single stage.
The concept behind the Awards can be traced back to the ‘No Holds Barred’ competitions that Andrew organised at his well-known Supper Club in Tamworth. Sponsored by my company, Epoch Violins, these events were particularly focused on encouraging and rewarding young musicians. What truly sets Andrew apart in the music industry is the breadth of his abilities.
He is not only a highly skilled administrator and organiser but also a talented multi- instrumentalist, composer, and recording producer. This unique combination allows him to identify emerging talent, nurture it, and create meaningful opportunities for performers to share their work. Through these efforts, Andrew has made a lasting impact on both the music community and its wider audience.
In addition, Andrew is deeply committed to preserving Australia’s traditional folk and country music. He works closely with others in the industry to uncover and promote lesser-known talent, ensuring that these important musical contributions are recognised and appreciated.

Mark Mitchell Chairman – Golden Fiddle Awards
Chairman -Super Group of Companies
Managing Director -Epoch Musical Instruments
May 2026

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Tim Rickhards

Andrew and I were performing one Sunday afternoon at the Yamba Pacific Hotel on the N.S.W. North Coast to a predictably indifferent hotel audience. The back room of the hotel offers panoramic views of the coast line and the Great Pacific Ocean stretching all the way to the Americas.
Feeling disappointed that we were receiving little if any response from the audience, in a bold and authoritative voice, I requested their attention for a moment With characteristic hyperbole I introduced Andrew to the audience as both a nationally and internationally acclaimed fiddle player who had performed at major festivals and venues throughout the world. Sensing that the audience was now suitably impressed and engaged, I asked Andrew if he would pick up my challenge and play “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” backwards. He responded magnificently playing the fiddle behind his back; between his legs; on top of his head in a fashion that would challenge the agility and skill of any gymnast. His imposing height added even greater theatre to his performance and as the bow was drawn across the strings for the last time, he took a circus style bow to an applauding audience who honoured him further with a standing ovation.
A month or so later I was playing one of my many solo gigs at the pub and those who were present on that Sunday afternoon were still talking about Andrew’s extraordinary performance. I have known Andrew for over thirty-five years, performed with him on numerous occasions and always appreciated his willingness to pick up my cues and indulge me whenever I felt the need.

In all these years, neither on or off stage, has there ever been an unkind word exchanged between us.

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Bob Stewart “Mountains of Queenstown” RIP

– finally recorded in his very late years @ Enrec Studio and on driving from Tamworth to Byron Bay with his new album on repeat in his car said on arrival “Andrew, if the moon was out just now, I’d be jumping over it!

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Steven Gadd – renowned for collecting, preserving, and promoting traditional Tasmanian folk music.

Andrew Clermont’s Web Page is attractive, informative and easy to navigate. Check out the many works and projects of this important Australian musical icon. Steven Gadd

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Allan Benjamin Eggleton

Mate!  That website in itself is a travelling magic show right from the bottom string to the top, it flows as magically as fluent poetry to the musicians soul!

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Leslie Avril – a path to Clermont!

Letter of Appreciation to Andrew “Waddy” Clermont on his birthday, 5.6.2026.

A bit of a long story…… For many years, as a piano-bar entertainer based in Melbourne, I travelled throughout Australia & around the world. One of my regular gigs was in Cairns & it was quite surreal to fly back from Cairns & drive straight to the snow fields or vice versa. I loved working in Cairns as it was then – only one high-rise & many local haunts, but one of my favourite venues was Rustys’ Market on a Saturday morning, where you could have a VB & listen to a fabulous band “The Barron River Drifters”. The harp player, Steve Gilbert, recognised me as the singer from The Blue Healer band in Melbourne & so of course I ended up doing a few songs with them.
Over the next couple of years, he mentioned that I should head to the Tamworth CM Fest, so in January 1990, after a bit of a disappointment & a free January, I decided to have an adventure & jumped on a (yes!) a bus & headed up there. After arriving in town in the very early morning, I asked a cab driver to drive me around town to check it out & look for some accommodation, which ended up being The Tamworth Hotel.
In need of toothpaste, I was walking along Peel St & who should I run into but Steve! He suggested I head upstairs to the Tudor Hotel later, where there was a great band playing. On arrival, he introduced me to journalist Mort Fist, who subsequently recommended me to John Green, who asked me to get up and do a song with “The Drifting Rocket Pilots”.
The rest is history…….but……. After impressing the crowd with my performance, we all ended up at Morts’ house, “The Vatican”, which also had a woodshed (lol). I remember that night so well & soooo wish we had phone recordings then because I remember ad-libbing a song with Andrew Clermont & a female classical harp player whose name I can’t remember (Jane Belfrage!). Isn’t it always the way when writing songs/ stories!
Have never forgotten that, Andrew. Since then, Andrew (Waddy) has sat in on my many gigs at The Tudor (have one early pic), played live on my “Live” CD recording in Melbourne (shame I didn’t also get you up Troy!), learned to drive & own a car (lol), booked me at his Tamworth Supper Club (doing my piano-bar act) which he has now run for 28 years.
He is also a big part of The Golden Fiddle Awards in Tamworth, The Yarra Junction Fiddlers Convention in Victoria, Woodford & many others. When in Melbourne, he has featured at my significant birthday soirees & has tuned my grand piano.
Andrew is a multi-talented musician, a traveller & a friend.

The Longing to Share & | World Tour

Back a few decades…. was a journey of 2 families !

Elizabeth Lord with Leigh James and special guest Andrew Clermont, Pauline & families

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The sunset that greeted Andrew on his return to Tamworth
after their 1998 combined Family Tour.

Elizabeth,
“After spending most of my life on the east coast and enjoying a temperate to sub-tropical climate for much of that time, the need to experience something quite different began gnawing away at me and finally resulted in a decision – I wanted to take our family to the Red Centre and feel a totally contrasting geographical reality. This would be a chance to perform our music to a whole new audience and allow our children to see life from another perspective – ON THE ROAD! From the 5 star luxury of Yulara Resort at Uluru to our campsite at Granite Downs on the Oodnadatta Track we experienced extremes in location and emotion but the overwhelming feeling was, “Wow, what a fabulous adventure!”

Joining Leigh, myself and our three children Jasmine, Ryleigh and Lara was Andrew Clermont, his adorable partner Pauline and the girls, Sunshine, Natasha and Elisma. A musical gypsy, Andrew brings passion and life to the stage with his amazing dexterity on fiddle, mandolin and guitar, not forgetting didgeridoo and castanets!!! Also a singer, the three of us enjoyed the harmonic blend of our voices as we performed our repertoire of everything from classic country to Irish ballads and jigs to our originals, some of which were completed on the journey.

Not only did we share some magical musical moments on our trip: the gastronomic delights would have put many restaurants to shame- home made bread, banana fritters with maple syrup, delicious casseroles and probably the best apple pie I’ve ever had! We were all good cooks and armed with our trusty gas burner we would cook up a storm wherever we went.

The journey kicked off with a Midday Show launch, live from Seaworld on the Gold Coast. Port Macquarie was our first destination and turned out to be one of those ill-fated gigs- booked the same night as the “State of Origin”: Whoops! To make matters worse, I copped a hefty fine and points off my license for neglecting to put my seat-belt back on after a fuel stop, just 800 metres from the gig! On the upside, Trish Davis, a wonderful friend who looks after Graeme Connors fan club, arrived with a table full of friends and brightened the evening. We camped the following night west of Wauchope at a place called Swan’s Crossing in the Kerewong State Forest – the adventure had begun!

Kootingal, north of Tamworth was our next stop – staying with Andrew, rehearsing the repertoire, sitting by the fire, and talking about the journey ahead of us. We headed off to Tamworth next day and spent some time with Clelia Adams, a wonderful woman who sings like a bird and makes a damn fine vegetable soup! There was also time to catch up with Graeme Connors who was in town – Graeme has always been a supportive friend in the business. (Honest and down-to-earth, a great songwriter too) – I remember reflecting on the last ‘big trip’ we did in October 97, when our car broke down 70 km north of Mackay at a place called Yalbaroo. Graeme drove the distance picked the kids and I up and deposited us safely on a southbound bus for a memorable 22-hour ride. Leigh remained behind to fix the car and arrived home 3 days later! Yes, it’s the same car on this trip – a 78 Peugeot 504 diesel sedan, this time towing a trailer!

From Tamworth we headed to the coast for a gig at Forster Bowling Club. This is my dad’s home town and he had organised most of the audience in attendance. We adjusted our repertoire to suit the age group (this was dad’s suggestion!) ” They like to hear something they know…”, so we obliged. At the end of the night however, the general consensus on their favourite song was ‘Ryleigh’s Last Run’ an original we’d recently penned about an XPT train driver enjoying his final journey and reflecting on life on the rails.

South we drove, to Queanbeyan, close to my old stomping ground of Canberra. Bill Stephens runs a School of Arts Cafe in the town and still has photographs of me on the wall from my musical theatre days – talk about memory lane! We also met Dave Peters, a local FM Country presenter…quite a character!

To the town of Mildura where we stayed at Chris and Ineke Rogers place. Chris has been taking care of sound production on tour with Graeme Connors. Caught up with Max Thorburn and the gang at Hot FM – they’ve been very supportive of our album, “Share” and Andrew’s “The Longing”, and it was great to see people in the audience at The Sandbar that night singing along to the words of our original songs. Thanks to Loretta (manager of The Sandbar) for her ‘Olives in pastry’ recipe!

I’d been looking forward to Adelaide, as we had been invited to stay with songwriting friend and Radio National presenter, Richard Porteous. Richard came to both our gigs in Adelaide and we even managed to get him up to sing on one of his songs at the “Governor Hindmarsh”. I’ve recently recorded two songs that will be coming out on September 4 on the ABC CD ‘Open Road’ vol. 2 and one of these was penned by Richard called ‘Sometimes Saying Ain’t Enough’. At our gig at the Adelaide Festival Theatre, as part of their Sunday Salon shows, we had around 700 people in the audience. It reminded me how nice it is not to have to compete with poker machines and loud chatter. As a performer you can really tell the story and take the people on a musical journey. Congratulations to my old friend, Christopher Naylor, who puts these concerts together.

The three day journey to Alice was broken by two stops – the first at Pimba Roadhouse where we bartered a one-hour set of music for a night’s accommodation for the ten of us. The crowd was full of big-hearted rough diamonds – a couple of the guys came over to us after the gig and told us how moved they were by some of our songs. The second night was spent camping on the Oodnadatta Track near Granite Downs in the Pitjantjatjara country – our east coast mentality began to slip away waking up to a brilliant sunrise out there in the wide open spaces. What an amazing sense of peace I had being so far away from civilization as I knew it. This ancient land of ours was seeping into my veins and appealed to my quest to connect with my Aboriginal brothers and sisters, the oldest known human culture…

Nightfall saw us arrive at Heavitree Gap Resort where a gig and a night’s accommodation turned into 5 night’s work and a friendship I feel will stand the test of time. Scott Dawson, a singer/songwriter lives in the Alice and works at ‘Heavitree’. His is the classic story of someone that arrived out there on a holiday and forgot to leave! He and his brother Darren are big John Williamson fans and perform a repertoire of great songs from ballads that really tug on the heartstrings, to the hilariously funny, when they’re not doing damper demos! (My son attended the reptile show every night!)

Alice Springs and its surrounding countryside, is some of the most beautiful I’ve seen anywhere: Trephina Gorge Nature Reserve, West MacDonnell Ranges including Ormiston Gorge, the colours of the ochres, these images will live in my heart and mind for a long time. Thanks to the friendly folk at Heavitree we ended up with a booking at the Yulara resident’s club, which gave us the opportunity to witness the intense beauty of Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) – true wonders of the world. The Anangu people, traditional Aboriginal owners of Uluru , ask visitors not to climb the rock so we chose to walk around it and respect it for the great spiritual monument that it is.

Back to Alice for some busking in the mall with the kids and our grand finale performance at the Alice Springs Show just ahead of the spectacular fireworks. We said goodbye to Alice Springs with an evening campfire and songs into the wee small hours. One woman at a nearby campsite enjoyed the music so much she kept bringing over another log for the fire just so we wouldn’t stop playing.

Our journey home included Tennant Creek, Cloncurry, and Barcaldine, but the destination was Carnarvon Gorge National Park near Emerald.

The Family Tour crew with Andrew (glasses), Pauline,
Elizabeth Lord, Leigh James and the touring families.
Photo taken at Carnarvon Gorge.

Your Content GoesAs the campground was booked out (being NSW school hols) we camped for 2 nights on the outskirts – absolutely gorgeous. Leigh and Andrew walked the entire length of the gorge – in a natural amphitheatre at the end of the gorge, Leigh sang ‘Nature Boy’ and was blown away by the acoustics – he swears he will return with a DAT walkman to capture the experience!

Our final moment was a performance at the Redland Bay Bluegrass Convention, near Brisbane. Andrew played a well loved set and was joined by Rod McCormack, Donna Reynolds, Leigh and yours truly. The whole thing was captured on video – what a night ! Those McCormack brothers are something else; the highlight would have to have been Mick Albeck, Jeff and Rod McCormack in the headlining performance with Andrew jamming along – sensational!

This tour was more than I ever could hope for: We sold out of “Share” CDs, covered over 10,000 kms in the mighty Peugeot, experienced temperatures ranging from – 8*C, with snow, to 38*C above, and best of all, met some truly wonderful people. I have a yearning to return to the centre that is almost tangible. Plans are underway for our next collaborative trip to who knows where? My thanks to all the people along the way who made the trip both possible and enjoyable. The whole thing was an act of faith and reminded me that we are all capable of bringing this wonderful gift of music “to the people”. Travel far and wide but wherever you are, sing and play from the heart and you will inspire the same in others.

Happy Trails,
Elizabeth Lord.” Here

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