Sunny Cowgirls headline

THE Sunny Cowgirls will be one of the headline acts at this year's Ballina Coastal Country Music Festival to be held from September 28-30.

Carol Stacey, chair of the organising committee, made the announcement at the festival launch at Twentynine Restaurant and Bar last Friday night.

The other major acts will be Carter and Carter, Travis Sinclair and Pixie Jenkins.

The Sunny Cowgirls are sisters Sophie and Celeste Clabburn.

They say they "need a little dirt under their fingernails" to create their music.

"The songs we write come from a very real place - they're always inspired by where we've been and the people we've met," Sophie said.

"If we stay away from the bush for too long, we find we just can't write."

They'll be getting some sand under their fingernails at the Ballina Coastal Country Music Festival.

Mrs Stacey said the community had once again come on board with the second annual festival, with six venues signing up to host the acts.

And Ballina Shire Council chipped in $25,000 out of its festival's grant program to get this year's event off the ground.

At the launch, Ballina Shire's mayor Cr Phillip Silver said it was a "privilege and a pleasure" to support the festival.

He also showed his liking of the country music of Johnny Cash, with a brief, impromptu rendition of one of his hits.

The winner of last year's festival busking competition, Victorian Jenny Biddle, performed at the launch.

And she also accepted the invitation to become the 2012 Ballina Coastal Country Music Festival's ambassador.

She will be returning to perform.