Yorta Yorta singer-songwriter Benny Walker is set to appear at the Festival of Stories, which will run from October 16 to 18, 2026, at the Port of Echuca on the banks of the Murray River.
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The three-day festival brings together Australian authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, First Nations Elders, farmers, food producers and chefs for concerts, comedy, workshops, conversations, cultural experiences and shared meals, with more than 25 events across the weekend on both sides of the Murray.
Walker is currently finishing his forthcoming album, Heartlines, recorded in Elwood with producer Simon Burke from The Meltdown.
“We are almost finished the record completely,” he said.
“Probably another song-and-a-half to track, and then on top of that, add some backing vocals and percussion and little overdubs here and there and we should have it wrapped up within the next month or so.”
He hopes to release the first single in September, with the album due in early 2027.
The album draws heavily from a heart attack Walker suffered in 2022, aged 37.
“I wanted to take something that was ugly and make something beautiful,” he said.
“It has made its way into several songs, the subject matter itself, whether it is hinted at or it is really tackled head-on and is the main theme for a song.
“Because what it did is obviously give me a fair bit of perspective on what is really important to me.”
At the Festival of Stories, Walker will discuss the making of Heartlines and perform acoustic songs. He will also appear on a panel alongside fellow musician Dan Sultan.
“I will speak about my life experience, between the last record and this, because every album is essentially a snapshot in time,” Walker said.
“I will be delving into where the inspiration comes from, all the songs on that record and potentially playing little bits and acoustically in between chatting as well.”
A documentary about the album's creation, made with local filmmaker Kate Newlyn, is also in the works.
Festival of Stories will feature a long list of artists with extraordinary everyday Australian stories, including Sultan, Kemi Kekvapil, Sammy J, Meg Bignell and others.
For a full list of who is coming along to Festival of Stories, along with tickets and information, go to festivalofstories.com.au
