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THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY EAST COAST BLUES AND ROOTS FESTIVAL 2009

Held over Easter April 9th - 13th 2009 in Byron Bay, NSW, Australia, a great place to visit anytime with its combination of alternative, tourism lifestyle meets mainstream, residents, shops, bars and cafes, but which reallly comes alive with its annual Blues and Roots festival held just out of town. Always well organised, offering a great selection of food, the festival was unfortunately not blessed with great weather this year, torrential rain quickly turning the ground into acres of mud, which, despite efforts of the organisers with bark chips poured on the ground, mean't that unless you had gumboots, walking between venues was hazardous to say the least!

The 5 days of music as usual offered an excellent array of genres of "Roots" music, but this years line up did not boast the "Headliners" of other years, probably because of the economic recession and the fact that many Artists' from overseas request payment up front when booked and in US$! That aside, having attended some 6 Blues Fest festivals at Byron Bay over the years, this reviewer does feel that some Artists seem to be appearing nearly every year and that there are scores of great up and coming or non superstar artists in Blues, Americana, Country, Bluegrass, Alt Country, Soul, folk etc, particularly from the USA, being overlooked, that would go down a storm at this festival and, indeed, the rest of Australia.

Whilst it is impossible to see every act at the festival, the following is the result of this reviewer's valiant attempt!

. Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson. Coming off the back of their successful "Rattlin' Bones" album, these two artists are rapidly becoming the new darlins' and stars of Americana music. (Think Buddy and Julie Miller). Shane Nicholson seems extremely comfortable in this style of music and his excellent musicianship and vocals, combined with wife Kasey Chambers and the ever reliable Nash Chambers plus drums and bass, proved to be as good an American act as I have ever seen. Shane's Monkey on a Wire and Kasey's Your Day Will Come, both showed these guys are equally at home on each others songs as they are on those composed together. Just a small criticism.....please Kasey leave some of the in between song "home" patter at home.

. Seasick Steve. Appearing solo at last years festival, Seasick Steve appeared with a drummer this year that gave his sound more rhythmic power. His songs continue with his life's journey, and are relatively basic, being blues based and played on instruments ranging from 3 string guitars to single string "slide"! He is, however, a powerful presence, getting off his stool and prowling the edge of the stage. Great storyteller.

. Sonny Landreth. From Louisiana, this slide blues guitarist is simply amazing (Okay I'm biased as I had seen him play in New Orleans in 2006 and have some great video footage of him). A virtuouso who has developed a unique style of playing, Sonny and his cracker band (drummer Michael Burch twirling drum sticks around his fingers without missing a beat), showed how a well oiled three piece band can, and should, play. Playing songs off his latest album " From The Reach", and selections from his eight other albums, Sonny has a wealth of material, incluidng Blue Angel and the track dedicated to Hurricane Katrina's aftermath Blue Tarp Blues with which to display his formidable talent.Would have to be the tightest band at the festival.

. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Wow what a surprise these guys were; a nine piece jazz/soul/swing band (5 piece brass section) straight out of the 1930's Cotton club and the Cab Calloway song book. Retro/nostalgia "High octane nitro jive - loud wild, total edge" and they were! A total act from start to finish, very slick and very good, they had the entire Jambalaya venue up and jiving from Song one; young and old this music was infectious, as BBVD played old standards Jumpin Jive and King Of Swing through to originals; all the musicians were spot on and that brass section left a real ringing in the ears....some mighty sax solos as well. Highly entertaining and great fun, they have been around since 1994! Check out their website www.bbvd.com

. Zappa Plays Zappa. Dweezil Zappa, Frank's son, playing Frank's Gibson SG guitar with a highly capable band performing the old man's music. More of a homage really and the Zappa fans certainly enjoyed it. Zappa's music has always been interesting and testing....and it was no different at Blues Fest. Dweezil Zappa's playing was pretty impressive.

. Tinariwen. Formed in 1982 of Turag people who had been conscripted into Gaddafi's army. They play in the Tishoumaren ("music of the unemployed") style, and sing mostly in French and Tamashek languages. Their songs mostly cover the subject of independence for their people from the Government  of Mali and are arguably the first Tuareg band to use electric guitars. Their music is highly repetitive and mesmerising and builds up around repeated riffs, which I found almost meditative! Got a pretty good hearing from the audience who mostly would be hearing this kind of music for the first time. Tinariwen play a lot of World music festivals, but are often referred to as a Mali Blues band, which is as good a description as any.

. Blind Boys Of Alabama. Always put on a good show, bringing their spirit and energy in playing gospel music to the masses. Nowadays the group consists of original member Jimmy Carter, who looks pretty frail but still did his customary walk in the audience, Bishop Billy Bowes (the big guy with that powerful voice), third vocalist Ben Moore, drummer Eric McKinnie, Joey Williams on excellent guitar, and bassist Tracy Williams (resplendent in Top hat). The group did tracks off their latest album "Down In New Orleans"....watch out for a DVD recorded at Tipitinas due out soon....I'll Fly Away, and favourites like the old Spirit In The Sky, Ben Harper's I Shall Not Walk Alone, Tom Waits Way Down In The Hole,  and Freedom Road. Great stuff.

. Pete Cornelius and The Devilles. Unfortunately I only caught a couple of this outfit's songs at the end of their gig, but was impressed. Not a great stage presence, but Pete's guitar playing more than makes up for this as he played a jump blues and then a blues in the B.B.King style. Will make a point of seeing them again somewhere!

. Hot Club Of Cowtown. Had heard good things about this three piece group and whilst not a great fan of old time country swing music, thought I'd catch them. Glad I did! No room for passengers in this outfit comprising guitarist Whit Smit, fiddle player Elana James and upright bassist Jake Erwin as they played up a storm.....Elana James has a very expressive and vivaceous face when playing and singing, which soon captured the entire audience as they had us on our feet for the entire show. Dazzling would be the word....Way Down Yonder In The Cornfield, Deed I Do, When I Lost You and the encore Orange Blossom Special were all stand outs; but what shone through was how a highly accomplished three piece, with low amplified instrumentation can, with sheer enthusiasm and skill, take an afternoon audience and have them in the palm of their hand. Brilliant.

. Rodney Crowell. Now this was interesting. I'm a big fan of Rodney's but he had to follow Hot Club Of Cowtown, and as he was touring with only another acoustic guitar player ( Will Kimbrough who is a highly accomplished, sought after guitarist and plays lead on many Americana albums, including his own), and was lacking in instrumental fire power, his first two songs The Rise And Fall Of Intelligent Design and Sex And Gasoline, seemed to struggle, particularly as it looked as though Rodney and Will had not played together for a while. However Crowell is a seasoned performer and working closely with Kimbrough, the two pulled the audience closer and closer, so that by Walk The Line, with Kimborough doing the Johnny Cash part, he had us in raptures. Then the story of the twins, I Wish It Would Rain and Wandering Boy , where Crowell and Kimbrough stood toe to toe whilst Will built that solo! Rodney was pretty pleased and slightly overwhelmed at the prolonged audience applause; he deserved it at having worked that hard. Finished with Closer To Heaven. Wonderful! Love to hear him with a full band though.

. James Hunter. This guy comes highly recommended by people such as Van Morrison, and has an impressive voice resembling his idol Sam Cooke. Competent with a pretty reasonable band, two horn palyers, drums, keyboard (Hammond Organ), up right bassist, drummer....but something just didn't click. Songs okay, Hunter plays guitar suited to the style but.....I reckon it was his in between song patter, where he put down his own songs with lines like "this ones rubbish, but the next ones better" in a cockney type accent. He came across as a cheeky pom, who was probably better suited to Cabaret shows than a festival. Slightly dissappointing although he certainly put a lot into his set.

. Tom Freund. Caught part of this engaging artist's gig; played upright bass, guitar and mandolin, accompanied by a percussionist. Is a singer songwriter in a folk idiom, that writes good stuff. Ben Harper is a big fan, and his albums have received high praise. Worth checking out further.

. Luka Bloom. From Ireland, Luka has over thirty years of songs to choose from and is always charming and entertaining. An accomplished acoustic guitar player, blessed with a great voice, this artist is right at the top of his genre.....passionate would be an apt description. Songs such as No Matter Where You Go, There You Are, Sunny Sailor Boy, The Water Is Wide.....thoroughly enjoyable, he got a standing ovation and came back for an a capella encore. Terrific!

. Ruthie Foster. Just keeps getting better and better. Ruthie had a three piece woman band this year (cousin on bass, best friend on drums) and the sheer joy she gives off when singing and playing is infectious. A true Blues, Soul and Gospel singer, Ruthie quickly has the audience singing and rocking along. Truth be told, Foster could sing the phone book, jam on a laundry list and send everyone home happy!

. Eric Bibb. Eric followed Ruthie when I saw him...what a great afternoon! Accompanied by the legendary Danny Thompson on upright bass, and drummer, Eric's acoustic guitar playing and voice are exemplary and justify the tagg "future of the blues". He nowadays combines blues, gospel and soul in his repertoire, Get On Board (Title of his latest album) exemplifies this style, In My Father's House, Pockets all continue it. Another artist who got an encore!

. Tim Finn. I wasn't quite sure how Tim Finn fitted into the festival, although his latest album "The Conversation" is close to being acoustic; nevertheless Tim bounded on stage and launched into a set combining Split Enz and Crowded House favourites, plus a few of his newies and the crowd went wild, singing along to all the songs they knew, which was most of them....I See Red, Six Months In  leaky Boat, Weather With You.........Tim puts a lot of energy into his performance and his band were great and enjoying themselves. At end of set he got a prolonged standing ovation with crowd calling "TIM FINN"  repeatedly until he came back on.....he looked pretty overwhelmed with the reception and gave us a spirited version of Made My Day as an encore. A pleasant surprise gig, reinforcing just how popular the name Finn is in Australia!

. Paul Kelly. Didn't actually see Paul Kelly, but a friend who is a big fan, said he was as good as ever, but at times the young crowd in the Mojo venue, waiting for John Butler, were not really interested in Paul's newer, slower songs (talked and texted through the songs), so he had to resort to favourites. The Jambalaya venue audience would have given him a hero's reception!

. Lucinda Williams. Saw Lucinda on her second night, after hearing slightly disturbing reports of her previous night's show....she looked disorientated, not in good health, read her lyrics, lost where she was up to in set, appeared disinterested in audience with virtually no acknowledgment.....so I was prepared to be dissappointed. Well she was terrfic! Lucinda these days fronts a real, hot, hot, hot rock band; whilst giving us a fair smattering of all her great songs Changed The Locks, Joy, Essence, Those Three Days, Atonement, Jackson, Drunken Angel, Real Love, this band, with ace guitarist Doug Pettibone was a cracker, and Lucinda seemed to be pretty happy just to be a part of it, rather than it just being her show. Sure she was looking a little bedraggled (hell weren't we all!), and,yes, she did cast an eye at the music stand to her left, but smiles were thrown to the band members and recognition to the audience. It's A Long Way To The Top If You Wanna Rock N Roll was an appropriate encore. Maybe the first night was just one of those off nights that all artists have from time to time; they are only human.......Lucinda's set was one of the festival's highlights for a lot of people.

. The Drive By Truckers. Had heard a lot about this band, listened to some CD's but not overly impressed, but knew that they were big on the USA festival circuit as a Jam band, so worthy of a listen. Well talk about guitar fire power! The six piece band boasts three guitarists and on the first song had just about blown the audience to the back of the venue......sheer attack! Lead by Patterson Hood (Son of the famed Muscle Shoal bass player, David Hood) on guitar and vocals, with long time partner Mike Cooley on another guitar (looking every inch Keith Richards son), the band just kept at us.....long songs, long solos....I confess I didn't know any of their songs.....but hey, it was just powerful rock and roll and extremely enjoyable for these ears.

Watermelon Slim & The Workers. Watermelon Slim ( Bill Homans) has a "lived in" face - he's a Vietnam vet, anti war activist, been a truck driver, watermelon farmer, sawmiller, and has two undergrad degrees in history and journalism and a masters degree....this guy has been around! He and his band have received a record number of Blues Music Award nominations since 2006 and are one of the hardest working outfits on the Blues Festivals circuit in the USA and Europe. Playing a mixture of covers ...I'm A Man, Baby Please Don't Go.....and originals...Drinking And Driving, Call My Job... in the Muddy Waters style, Watermelon Slim and band are a pretty efficient bunch. Lots of Blues Harp and dobro slide (Slim), Guitar solos (Ronnie McMullen) held down with a solid rhythm by Drummer Michael Newberry and Bassist Cliff Belcher. Nothing highly original, but blues presented in a competent and fun fashion.

. Blues Traveller. Another band that has a big reputation and on their first visit to Australia they gave us an impressive display of their Blues Jam Band style. The band revolves a lot around John Popper on Vocals and Harmonica....he plays a different style of harp which requires a lot of puff and blows out the high note reeds, hence the throwing into the audience of the used ones....and Chandler Kinchla on Guitars. John Poppers vocals came across stronger and more expressive than I had expected and some songs were lengthy with lots of solos and others were more rocky. Not your usual Blues band at all but very appealing.

. Booker T. Yes the legendary "Green Onion" man, backed by The Drive By Truckers, who are on his new album......he has no personality for a guy who had his own billing....he doesn't sing, and he looked awkward/embarrassed?....his keyboard (Hammond Organ) playing is great but very dated. TDBT didn't work in my opinion as his backing band....they don't have a lot of soul. Dissappointing.

M. Blackmore 2009

For a list of all the Artists appearing visit www.bluesfest.com.au

THE 19TH ANNUAL EAST COAST BLUES AND ROOTS MUSIC FESTIVAL 2008

Held over Easter March 20th - 24th 2008 in Byron Bay, NSW, Australia, the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival is a real mixture of Artists and their Music, some of which is not strictly Blues or Roots, but it is still an amazingly good festival!

Byron Bay is a beautiful little town with a lovely beach and plenty of good restaurants and bars which are made good use of when not attending the festival. There are also numerous shops where the ladies seem to find "bargains" which ensure that we have to keep working forever.

The festival was very well organised and appears to run like clockwork and this year was held on a 28 acre site instead of the 8 acre site last year so this allowed for a lot more space and new facilities, including two large covered eating areas. There was always easy access to a big choice of good food, water, drinks and toilet facilities, and with not a single episode of drunkenness or violence over the five days, the presence of security and police was  kept to a minimum....in fact there were several family groups with young kids which is indicative of how safe the festival is to attend. The weather was great and the festival site easy to get to and from via regular buses.

All of the performances were held under cover in five tents which varied in size from about 6000 to 8000 people (Crossroads) to 100 people (Juke Joint). The sound systems in all five tents were superb. The Crossroads sound system in particular sounded like a high quality hi-fi. The volume in every tent was always loud enough but never too loud. That's quite important when you consider that you can easily hear over 28 artists  in five days.

The artists each performed for approximately one hour between the hours of midday and 11.30pm, with half an hour between changeovers;  a couple of artists commented that Byron Bay was their favourite music festival in the world (Bonnie Raitt, Fred Eaglesmith, Lee Ritenour).  Many of the artists were clearly blown away by the enthusiastic reception that they received from the audience.

The following is a review of some of the acts by two festival attendees:

• Wilco. It's official: Wilco are the best band in the world. Well, that may be a big call to make but they were absolutely superb - a hugely talented band who play wonderful music. The dynamics and interplay between the musicians was outstanding as they brought Jeff Tweedy's music vision to life. Guitarist  Nels Cline combines experimental fills and leads as he weaves in and out of the patterns offered by Tweedy and keyboardist/guitarist Pat Sansone. Tweedy was positively glowing (well he looked happy)...........if you get the chance to see this outstanding band life, grab it!
  
  
• Mavis Staples. It was a privilege seeing such an icon of the music industry performing live. Mavis gave a marvellous performance, backed by a great band (bass, drums, guitar, 3 backing vocalists). The guitarist played with lots of tremelo and reverg creating a wash of sound. Mavis had virtually collapsed the first night that she played but showing real trooper qualities, gave an outstanding display of gospel singing the second night. A pleasure to see and hear.
  
  
• Buddy Guy. Buddy was in fine form and enjoying himself so much he even did a walkabout in the crowd while playing. A good performance doing mostly his usual stuff ("Damn Right I got The Blues") . He spoiled it a bit at the end by doing impersonations of other guitarists (Jimi Hendrix etc) which is a shame, because he is now one of the "senior" bluesmen around and has a large cataelogue to draw from.
  
  
• Jools Holland & His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. What a big performance delivered by a big band. There were 20 musicians on stage for the final song. Hats off to Jools for being a true leader and an inspirational organiser in the world of performing music. Playing blues, reggae, soul, gospel, Jools augmented his band with various guest artists, including Ruby Turner from New Orleans....fantastic.
  
  
• John Hiatt. What an artist! Came on unaccompanied (the first night; Luther Dickinson from The North Mississippi Allstars played slide guitar on 4 songs the second night. Luther was at the festival with The Black Crowes) and had the audience spellbound as he tells the story of his songs (Master Of Disaster, Perfectly Good Guitar, Cry Love, Real Fine Love, Lipstick Sunset, Have a Little Faith, Slow turning and more) both in the lyrics and between song banter. A stand out performer, both nights featured mostly different songs. Hiatt is threatening to tour with band later in 2008 in support of new album........go see him!
  
  
• Patty Griffin. Austin, Texas based Patty is something of a songwriter's songwriter, but is also a terrific performer as she weaved between folk, gospel, and soul tinged ballads with only a guitar player (Doug Lancio) and drummer (drums fitted in a suitcase!). Patty's elegance and beautiful voice memerised many. If you want to get a glimpse of this buy her 2007 DVD "Live From The Artists Den". Try www.basementdiscs.com.au in Melbourne.
  
  
• Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen. These guys play New Orleans soul funk. You couldn't have slipped a credit card between - they were so tight. It was uncanny. Cleary is a rare breed....an Englishman who moved to New Orleans and dedicated himself to its musical culture, playing piano in the Professor Longhair tradition but also able to mix old school soul with the rhythms of New Orleans (he is also Bonnie Raitts keyboard player). His band,featuring "BIG D" (so big his Telecaster looked like a ukelele!) on guitar........lovely grooves.......seemed to have great rapport with each other.
  
  
• Ray Davies. He and his band did plenty of songs from The Kinks' catalogue and had the crowd singing. It's a shame Ray cannot show off some of the lesser known great Kinks songs, although he got in a couple of new songs from his excellent solo albums ("Working Man's Cafe"). But its the Kinks songs the audience obviously wanted so he that's what he gave......the young bass player and lead guitarist added a heavier edge.
  
  
• Don McLean. Don has built a successful 37 year career around just two songs - "American Pie" and "Vincent" - so how did he manage to pull the largest and most enthusiastic audience of the whole festival? Don's reception just goes to show that there's something for everyone in the wonderful world of music.
  
  
• The Lost Dogs. This band featured infectious Australian singer/songwriter Kasey Chambers, her husband, her father plus a bass player and drummer. They played covers (Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams et al) for this performance, but performed them all beautifully. They perform infrequently, but are worth catching as they are an excellent act.
  
  
• Rodrigo y Gabriela. They got a crowd nearly as big as Don McLean's. Spanish guitar for the masses. McDonalds Flamenco. Apparently huge in the USA, obviously talented, all instrumental apart from a few "Heys" sung along with the crowd. Just goes to show that there's something for everyone in the wonderful world of music. (seem to have said that before!)
  
  
• Stanley Clarke / George Duke Project. The sound of Stanley's bass guitar was poor (muddy and low) and his playing style (he plays it as if it were a 6-string guitar) looks as though he really wants to be a lead guitarist.  Both these players are technically extremely good, but their jazz rock sound just did not seem to click. George's portable keyboard had sound problems on first night. One concert goer who went both nights said that Stanley and George sounded and performed much better on the second night.
  
  
• KT Tunstall. KT and her very ordinary band really did nothing , which was a big surprise because  her "Eye to the Telescope" album is quite good. A medicore performance, which included stopping in the middle of one song to tune her guitar. Oh dear.
  
  
• The Black Crowes. Many were in the mood for a big performance on the final night of the festival but all that these guys could deliver was a wall of unpleasant noise with the instruments ill-defined, which was a real shame as the band have a new album and guitarist Luther Dickinson to show off. They sounded better back by the sound desk and seemed to come right on the last 4 songs, where Luther shined with some great slide guitar.
  
  
• John Fogerty. One of the hottest live acts touring today and the guy is in his 60's! John is a living legend and these days is very comfortable playing all those great Creedence songs amongst his newer stuff. Delivering a blistering set, he ran around, sang and played that Les Paul like a man half his age. Great band (Kenny Aronoff - rock's best drummer) with two other guitarists, and a clean, clear sound (take note Black Crowes!), Fogerty had two encores on the final night of the Festival. Nice touch featuring his two older sons on guitars for one encore.
  
  
• Keith Urban. Now a huge draw in the USA, Keith showed all his touring experience with a polished performance.......he is an accomplished performer (very good guitar player and takes all the leads) with a multi instrumental band. Can't help feeling some of his songs are bit syrupy for Aussie audiences though. More rock than country these days, he can also hold a ballad. Rumoured John Fogerty might turn up with the encore as they have played together before, but didn't eventuate. (Nicole was there though!)
  
  
• Seasick Steve. A solo act palying various home made instruments, Seasick Steve plays modern day blues.......the press say he's been a trainhopper, a jailbird, a farm worker, a carnival worker, had a near fatal heart attack.........his songs certainly relect someone who has been around! Highly entertaining and compulsive.
  
  
• JJ Grey & Mofro. This band came full of potential but apart from their excellent lead singer, JJ Grey (sound a bit like Paul Rodgers from Free and Bad Comapny, which is no bad thing) who looked and sounded like he wanted to perform, the other members looked bored. They have three good albums displaying brilliant musicianship of soul funk, country soul, blues and swampy rock which are worth checking out, but hey guys, lighten up a little!
  
  
• Michelle Shocked. Sorry Michelle, you do have a great voice and some great songs, but making your audience sit/stand and endure a live phone call to your husband in the USA is not on!
  
  
• Jeff Lang. Aussie Jeff Lang is a dynamic songwriter and terrific live performer (he plays lots of festivals, clubs, bars each year).....his guitar playing is inventive and outstanding, his vocals interpretive as he blended blues, folk, ballads, instrumentals into a delightful performance (only a bass player as accompaniment). Well recieved by the enthusiatic audience.
  
  
• Ruthie Foster. From Austin, Texas (what do they put in the water there?) Ruthie had an early afternoon slot at the Festival, but with a huge voice (sang totally without instruments on one song......had audience spellbound) and accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she easily won us over. Soulful, bluesy........check out her album "The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster" from www.basementdiscs.com.au

M. Blackmore 2008

FOR FULL LINEUP VISIT www.bluesfest.com.au

	Blues Fest Australia 2009 Sonny Landreth is a Slide virtuoso		Festival Review
	Blues Fest Australia 2009 Watermelon Slim and The Workers bring Chicago Blues to Byron Bay		Festival Review
	Byron Bay Blues Fest 2011		Festival Review