That’s exactly what Timberwolf, the modern folk project and performing alias of Chris Panousakis, did. Putting his physiotheraphy career on the backburner, the 22-year-old instead followed his gut instincts and is now sharing his music with fans across Australia.

He will soon be bringing his modern folk sounds to Ballarat as he prepares to perform at the 2015 Ballarat Beer Festival.

“I got impatient at uni, the more I studied the more I found myself writing songs,”he said.

“I’ve been jamming along to blues music since I was 13 but never anything serious. “Then one day I decided to make a music video in my room, which I put up on Triple J Unearthed, and it got a play.

“And then I just thought, no, let’s just do it, it’s something I like.”

His home-recorded single Garden ended up reaching number one on the Triple J Unearthed Roots Chart in January 2013.

“Hearing your song for the first time on radio, that has to be my number one highlight.”

With a new EP soon to be released, Timberwolf said he looks forward to sharing his new music with crowds at Ballarat Beer Festival.

Recording with The Middle East, the fi ve track EP, Flux, is far from anything else Timberwolf has written.

“It’s a pretty dark CD. That stuff happened to me in the last year and encompasses relationship and friendship breakdowns,” he said.

“We were really able to capture that dark vibe well.”

Timberwolf will perform a 45-minute set at next year’s Ballarat Beer Festival with the likes of Dan Sultan, Way Of The Eagle and Ash Grunwald.

“I’m really excited to be performing, with beer and music it is going to be a great day,” he said.

“I’ll be bringing my full band. I’ve jigged it a bit and I am now playing a bit of electric guitar, so it is going to be a real wall of sound.”

The info

WHAT: Timberwolf at Ballarat Beer Festival

WHEN: Saturday, January 24, 2015 11am-8pm

WHERE: Ballarat City Oval, corner Pleasant and Mair streets