NEW BLUESFEST ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT 

Plus, Full Playing Schedule Released!

The ‘BUT WAIT …THERE’S MORE’ 

NAS

WITH GUESTS

THE SOUL REBELS
A one-off exclusive performance

KASEY CHAMBERS

BUSBY MAROU

WOUTER KELLERMAN

LITTLE GEORGIA

LUCY GALLANT

 

 

Full playing schedule available at here

 

Today Bluesfest Byron Bay brings you another mighty fine round of artists to perform at its 28th annual Festival at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, just outside of Byron Bay over the Easter long weekend from Thursday 13th to Monday 17th of April and it just keeps getting better.

Next week Bluesfest will bring its final announcement that will include the much loved Boomerang Festival, once again to be held within the precinct of Bluesfest.

Also released today is the much anticipated (almost) full playing schedule, including playing times and stages.

With the Festival only 5 weeks away, certain ticket types are reported to be on the verge of selling out.

 

NAS

NAS

 

On the forefront of this announcement is one of Americas top Hip Hop artist Nas, teaming up with New Orleans renowned Brass band The Soul Rebels for an exclusive Australian performance. You can only catch Nas and guests The Soul Rebels at Bluesfest this Easter and nowhere else in Australia!

The collaboration between Nas and The Soul Rebels is actually so rare that it is hardly seen anywhere in the world, only playing very few Festivals this year, including New Orleans Jazzfest and the 12th Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival.

Before Nas’s 13 Grammy nominations, seven platinum albums and Top 5 rankings on MTV’s 10 Greatest MCs of All Time and The Source’s Top 50 Lyricists of All Time, 17-year-old Nas would take daily trips to Manhattan hoping to secure a major label deal, only to be shot down by nearly every label. This amazing artist has come a long way and his debut album Illmatic is still rated one of the finest EVER.

 

THE SOUL REBELS

THE SOUL REBELS

 

The Soul Rebels are an eight-piece New Orleans based brass ensemble who incorporates elements of Soul, Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, Rock and Pop music within a contemporary brass framework. The Soul Rebels started with an idea – to expand upon the pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended funk and soul with elements of Hip Hop, Jazz and Rock.

Joining Nas together with guests The Soul Rebels, this outstanding team of talent will bring one striking extravaganza to Bluesfest’s opening night on Thursday.

 

KASEY CHAMBERS

KASEY CHAMBERS

 

Kasey Chamber’s recent number one ARIA chart debut of her 11th Studio album Dragonfly proves that one of Australia’s most loved and accomplished performers is unquestionably at the top of her game. This will be Kasey’s 10th performance at Bluesfest, including her first ever solo show in 1999.Kasey has previously topped the ARIA Albums Chart with Barricades & Brickwalls in 2002, Wayward Angel in 2004, Carnival in 2006 and Rattlin’ Bones, her collaboration with Shane Nicholson, in 2008. Don’t miss the chance to see live, what Rolling Stone has described as ‘’Australia’s foremost progenitor of and innovator in, the country-roots fold. Dragonfly is the masterwork of a heart laid bare in the song”. Come on home to Bluesfest Kasey!

 

BUSBY MAROU

BUSBY MAROU

 

Busby Marou – Fresh from having the number one album on the ARIA charts, Bluesfest is excited to welcome Busby Marou back in 2017! There’s a potent chemistry that drives Busby Marou, a bond struck between two mates years ago in the corner of Rockhampton’s Oxford Hotel, when they happily knocked out tunes for hours on end to anyone who would listen. From humble beginnings, on the banks of the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, folk inspired pop outfit, Busby Marou has made a serious impact on the Australian stage!

 

WOUTER KELLERMAN

WOUTER KELLERMAN

 

It’s been a long time coming, but Bluesfest is welcoming South African Globe-trotting flautist and composer Wouter Kellerman to the stage in 2017 with his all African band! Wouter Kellerman is an Australian based artist who has won a Grammy award in 2015 for best New Age Album Winds of Samasara and was nominated for a Grammy in 2016 for Best Pop Instrumental Album Love Language.

 

LITTLE GEORGIA

LITTLE GEORGIA

 

Little Georgia are a Folk-Grunge duo from Australia. Amongst a sea of rhythmic and raw guitar tones collaborators Ashleigh Mannix and Justin Carter deliver both beautiful harmonies and compelling lyrics which reveal the honesty in their music.

 

LUCY GALLANT

LUCY GALLANT

 

Lucy Gallant will play her third Glastonbury this year. This Byron local has written over 1,000 songs and is currently on tour in the US. Festival Director Peter Noble says: “Gallant is a star, the Glastonbury festival knows it…. that’s why they continue to book her, and I am also convinced. It is only a matter of time before she is a household name in Australia on a major record label and headlining festivals here and around the world.

Over the 2017 Easter long weekend (Thursday 13th to Monday 17th of April) Bluesfest will present one of its biggest festivals to date at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm just outside Byron Bay. With back to back performances for 12 hours a day on multiple stages, a gourmet variety of food stalls, markets, on site camping and parking, it will be a haven for music lovers of all ages this April.

 

Peter Noble OAM, Festival Director, comments on the entire Bluesfest line-up:

“Here it is – the (almost) final announcement for Bluesfest 2017 plus the (almost) full playing schedule with all the times and stages and yes, we will be doing a Boomerang festival announcement next week, so we are not quite done yet!

This announcement features two Australian artists who have BOTH had No 1 albums on the Australian ARIA CHARTS in the past month, Busby Marou and one of our very favourite artists, who did her first EVER solo show at Bluesfest, the incomparable Kasey Chambers.

Add Nas doing an exclusive performance in Australia – with special guests The Soul Rebels from New Orleans, who will ONLY play a handful of shows anywhere, including headlining The Hip Hop Festival, Brooklyn New York, as well as Jazzfest in New Orleans, and you have a very, very strong announcement.

I am stoked to have Wouter Kellerman at Bluesfest. Using his classical training as a foundation, Kellerman focused his attention on world music, exploring the versatility of the flute and fusing classical and contemporary sounds, resulting in a potent and thrilling musical encounter. He is taking his crossover world music to a global audience, having gained a solid following in his native South Africa. So happy to welcome him to our shores.

Bluesfest 2017 feels like the event I exactly want it to be as the creative director.  There’s more Jazz, more Blues, more emerging artists, more legends, more great contemporary artists, more roots artists AND MORE FEMALE ARTISTS.  I’m very satisfied with where we have gotten to, in what was a very challenging time a few months back when two headliners suddenly cancelled.

You only need to look at the Jazz component of Bluesfest to see that it is a whole festival within a festival nowadays. Artists such as Roy Ayers, current Grammy winners Snarky Puppy, the Unmissable Miles Electric Band, featuring such great artists as Darrell Jones, the Bass player from the Rolling Stones, and other brilliant Miles Davis alumni, paying tribute to the great man. Plus the incomparable current Grammy winning vocalist Gregory Porter shows we are really developing this part of the fest. Corinne Bailey RaeTrombone ShortyJoan Osborne and Rickie Lee Jones ALL have cred in this area.

The King of the Blues – Buddy Guy will grace us with exclusive performances, and along with Eric GalesVasti Jackson, Davy KnowlesDevon AllmanThe Record Company, Muddy Waters son – Mud Morganfield, the amazing Jeff Lang PLUS the California HoneydropsRay Beadle, Lloyd Spiegel, Blind Boy Paxton, AND the ladies The Suffers, the astonishing Beth Hart and the legend, the incomparable Mavis Staples (exclusive)  plus Bonnie Raitt and lastly, one of my favourites Melody Angel – we have got you covered, Blues fans….and don’t you dare miss Ellis Hall….or risk living in eternal regret. And, in saying that, don’t dare miss Booker T and the Stax Revue either.

I could go on and on.

There are wonderful returning artists who were revelations last year.  Rhiannon GiddensSt Paul and the Broken BonesVintage Trouble, and there will be a whole new group of artists playing for the first time this year who will become your new favourites.

Put the headliners on top, both legends, such as our headliner Patti Smith playing her final ever festival  performances in Australia, and contemporary artists, including The Lumineers, who Billboard magazine hailed as the top grossing band in the USA in February, plus returning favourites, and you have what I believe is a very, very special Bluesfest coming. There’s a real vibe on our 2017 edition.  The countdown is now truly on.

Peter Noble, Festival Director

 

NEW 2017 ARTISTS ANNOUNCED:

NAS

WITH GUESTS THE SOUL REBELS

(A ONE OFF EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCE)

KASEY CHAMBERS

BUSBY MAROU

WOUTER KELLERMAN

LITTLE GEORGIA

JOINING THE 2017 ARTISTS ALREADY ANNOUNCED:

SANTANA

JIMMY BUFFETT EXCLUSIVE

ZAC BROWN BAND

PATTI SMITH AND HER BAND PERFORM HORSES

PATTI SMITH AND HER BAND ACOUSTIC

NEILL FINN

MARY J. BLIGE

THE LUMINEERS

BUDDY GUY EXCLUSIVE

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS

MADNESS

BONNIE RAITT

MAVIS STAPLES EXCLUSIVE

BILLY BRAGG

COURTNEY BARNETT

BILLY BRAGG AND JOE HENRY

SIR ROSEVELT

JETHRO TULL

MILES ELECTRIC BAND

TROMBONE SHORTY AND ORLEANS AVENUE

RICKIE LEE JONES

GREGORY PORTER

SNARKY PUPPY

SLIGHTLY STOOPID

PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES

CORINNE BAILEY RAE

BETH HART EXCLUSIVE

LAURA MVULA

MICHAEL KIWANUKA

ANDREW BIRD

RHIANNON GIDDENS

BOOKER T. PRESENTS THE STAX RECORDS REVIEW

EXPERIENCE JIMI HENDRIX

GALLANT

ROY AYERS

ERIC GALES

MUD MORGANFIELD

DEVON ALLMAN

MAX JURY

NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE

NIC CESTER

TURIN BRAKES

BLIND BOY PAXTON

TREVOR HALL

JAKE SHIMABUKURO

DUMPSTAPHUNK

PLAYING FOR CHANGE

ELLIS HALL

VASTI JACKSON

THE RECORD COMPANY

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

TONY JOE WHITE

THE SUFFERS EXCLUSIVE

NIKKI HILL

REMI

THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS

JEFF LANG

RAY BEADLE AND THE SILVER DOLLARS

LLOYD SPIEGEL

JOAN OSBORNE

GLENN CARDIER AND THE SIDESHOW

DAVY KNOWLES

MELODY ANGEL

IRISH MYTHEN

THE STRUMBELLAS

THE WILSON PICKERS

ROUND MOUNTAIN GIRLS

AUSTRALIAN UKULELE  SHOW

IVY

 

Bluesfest

 

Full artists Bios

NAS

“So much to write and say/Yo, I don’t know where to start/So I’ll begin with the basics and flow from the heart” – Nas, “Loco-Motive”

Hip-hop is a fickle, ephemeral beast; a genre filled with trend-hopping “artists,” corporate hucksters and walking gimmicks desperate to achieve their 15 minutes of shine. Look back at the hip-hop charts 20 years ago—hell, look back 10—and see how many names you’re still reading about today.

Ever since a 17-year-old Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones appeared on Main Source’s 1991 classic “Live at the Barbeque,” hip-hop would be irrevocably changed. Nas. Gifted poet. Confessor. Agitator. Metaphor master. Street’s disciple. Political firebrand. Tongue-twisting genius. With music in his blood courtesy of famed blues musician father Olu Dara, the self-taught trumpeter attracted crowds with his playing at age 4, wrote his first verse at age 7 and, with 1994’s Illmatic, created one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time before he could legally drink. Two decades on, Nas remains an incendiary, outspoken and brutally candid rapper on the recently released Life is Good, his tenth album and sixth to debut at the top of the Billboard 200.

Critics and fans immediately flocked to Life is Good, with everyone from Rolling Stone (“He cuts his rhymes with midlife realism and daring empathy”) and MTV (“The most emotionally raw record he’s made since his first”) to HipHopDX (“An obvious maturation from the veteran”) and Pitchfork (“Best New Music”) praising the album. Far from divorcing personal problems from a hyperbolic, caricatured alter ego, Life is Good finds Nas confronting the myriad issues he’s faced head-on since 2008’s Untitled (“Daughters, “Bye Baby”), mixed with a wayward wisdom that allows him to channel the past without attempting to ape it (“Loco-Motive,” “Nasty”).

“I used to listen to that Red Alert and Rap Attack/I fell in love with all that poetry/Mastered that” – Nas, “The Don”

Before the 13 Grammy nominations, seven platinum albums and Top 5 rankings on MTV’s 10 Greatest MCs of All Time and The Source’s Top 50 Lyricists of All Time, 17-year-old Nas would take daily trips to Manhattan hoping to secure a major label deal, only to be shot down by nearly every label. When 3rd Bass co-founder MC Serch brought his demo tape to the attention of Faith Newman, then-Director of A&R for Columbia Records, she made a deal with Serch that day, offering Nas a $17,000 advance and the lifeline to begin his career.

With hundreds of thousands of words alongside entire books written on the album, it seems almost trite today to discuss the universal impact and acclaim that Illmatic had on rap. Put simply: the album has long been considered a masterpiece not just in hip hop, but music as a whole, inspiring countless subsequent rappers and establishing Nas as the most vivid storyteller of urban life since Rakim and Chuck D.

1996’s It Was Written built upon Illmatic’s foundation, with “Street Dreams” and “If I Ruled the World” (the latter with Lauryn Hill) becoming radio staples and vaulting Nas into mainstream success. For his two 1999 albums, I Am… and Nastradamus, the rapper balanced commercial aspirations with extended metaphors and rough street anthems, carving out multiple identities that better reflected the rapper’s expanded worldview.

“My success symbolizes loyalty/Great friends/Dedication/Hard work/Routine builds character/In a world full of snakes, rats and scavengers” – Nas, “You Wouldn’t Understand”

In 2001, the rapper released his fifth album Stillmatic at the height of his escalating battle with Jay-Z for King of New York. Tracks like “Ether” and “Got Ur Self A….”could be heard on radio stations and in cars across the country and would eventually sell more than 2 million copies, while songs like “Rewind,” which told the story of a payback hit in reverse a la Memento, solidified Nas as an atypical rapper unafraid to play with convention. God’s Son, with the booming anthem “Made You Look,” would follow one year later and go gold.

As Nas entered his 30s, his scope and breadth became even more ambitious. While most rappers struggle to say anything on one album, Nas released the 2004 double album Street’s Disciple, reuniting with his estranged father on the blues/hip-hop hybrid “Bridging the Gap.” The album also featured the Iron Butterfly-sampling “Thief’s Theme,” which remains one of Nas’ most anthemic songs.

In the past decade, Nas has only gotten more inflammatory and passionate, purposely titling albums to provoke weighty discussions on a global level. 2006’s Hip Hop is Dead sparked widespread debate on the veracity of the title, while Nas changed 2008’s Untitled from its original title Nigger, yet still incited intense polemics on race and politics in America.

“Reveal my life/You will forgive me/You will love me/Hate me/Judge me/Relate to me/Only a few will/This how it sounds when you too real/They think it’s just music still” – Nas, “No Introduction”

In recent years, though, Nas has transcended mere rapper status and engaged in greater levels of philanthropy. The rapper is an avid UNICEF supporter, helping to raise funds for East African region Horn of Africa and teaming up with the family of George Harrison for the organization’s Month of Giving. The rapper also donated all proceeds of Distant Relatives, his 2010 collaboration with longtime friend Damian Marley, to help end poverty in Africa.

Nas’s desire for greater interaction with his fans has also led him to new business ventures. He serves on the board of social photo sharing site The Fancy alongside Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and has invested in Mass Appeal and RapGenius.com. Most recently,Nas announced plans to open 12AMRun – a sneaker store in Las Vegas.

The artist’s recent release was 2011’s Life Is Good, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, marking the sixth #1 album that Nas has produced in his career. The collection also received four GRAMMY nominations bringing the rap icon’s GRAMMY recognition count to 13 overall.

Nas’ seminal debut album, Illmatic, was released as a special 20th Anniversary Edition, titled Illmatic XX in Spring 2014 by SONY Legacy. In conjunction with the release, Time Is Illmatic – a feature length documentary film that examines the album – opened The 2014 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.

Rapper J-Live once said satirically, “To be a great MC, you have to be a great liar.” It’s safer to not tell the truth; safer to sanitize your existence; safer to align yourself with the producer du jour; safer to rhyme about tropes over truths. Nas’ catalogue speaks for itself. Over 10 albums, the rapper has never been one to play it safe. Whether it’s rhyming about politics, hip hop, race, religion, other artists or personal relationships, Nas has consistently brought unparalleled and unprecedented levels of honesty to hip hop, a trait often overlooked in the genre. On Life is Good’s “Reach Out,” Nas rhymes, “So call me a genius/If you didn’t/Now that I said it/I force you to think it.” For most artists, this would be arrogance bordering on hubris. For Nas, who’s remained vital and relevant for nearly 20 years, it’s just fact.

 

The Soul Rebels

The incomparable Soul Rebels are coming back to make Bluesfest audiences dance in 2017.

The eight piece brass ensemble The Soul Rebels are riding high into 2017 after touring Europe, debuting in China and Japan, collaborating live with major artists including Nas, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Marilyn Manson, G-Eazy, Joey Bada$$, Curren$y, Talib Kweli and Big Freedia among many others.

The Soul Rebels started with an idea – to expand upon the pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended funk and soul with elements of hip hop, jazz and rock. The band has settled on an eight-piece all-brass lineup and have built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in a deep pocket funk party-like atmosphere. When not touring, The Soul Rebels’ weekly show at New Orleans’ Le Bon Temps Roulé is known to erupt with the kind of contagious, shout-along musical mayhem that The Rebels bring with them wherever they perform.

The Soul Rebels continue to chart new territory as they combine top-notch musicianship and songs with grooves that celebrate dancing, life, funk and soul.

“The Soul Rebels are the missing link between Public Enemy and Louis Armstrong.” – VILLAGE VOICE

“New Orleans’ top-shelf brass ensemble The Soul Rebels…wind-wielding wizardry of New Orleans’ finest.” – OKAYPLAYER

 

Kasey Chambers

Bluesfest is thrilled to welcome back Australian Country royalty Kasey Chambers – hot off the heels of her latest album Dragonfly debuting at number one on the ARIA album charts!

Kasey Chambers has had a highly successful career achieving many ‘firsts’ such as the first Australian country music artist, to successfully cross over into the mainstream charts with a #1 single and album simultaneously: she headlined the revered Austin City Limits, the first time a non-American act had done the show in its 26-year history, and has been nominated and performed at the prestigious Americana Music Awards.

Dragonfly is her 11th release, and features guests including Paul Kelly, Ed Sheeran, Grizzlee Train, Harry Hookey, Vika and Linda Bull, Keith Urban and Foy Vance. The first disc of Dragonfly was produced by ARIA Hall of Famer Paul Kelly at The Sing Sing Sessions, while the second was produced by Kasey’s brother Nash Chambers at The Foggy Mountain Sessions.

Kasey has previously topped the ARIA Albums Chart with Barricades & Brickwalls in 2002, Wayward Angel in 2004, Carnival in 2006 and Rattlin’ Bones, her collaboration with Shane Nicholson, in 2008.

Dragonfly also holds the distinction of being the first Australian album to reach #1 on the ARIA Album Chart in 2017, as well as being #1 on the ARIA Top 50 digital albums, Top 40 Country Albums, Top 20 Australian Artist Albums and Top 20 Australian Artist Country Albums.

Her emotional singing and songwriting heralded a new generation in Australian music and her reputation for writing albums that showcase “the piercing honesty and emotional clarity of her heavy-heart”, combined with her vibrant personality has seen her maintain a world-class reputation amongst music peers and fans alike.

This will be Kasey’s 10th time playing at Bluesfest! Every time she returns she brings something new and exciting, it will be fantastic to welcome her back to the Bluesfest stage.

 

Busby Marou

Fresh from having the number one album on the ARIA charts, Bluesfest is excited to welcome Busby Marou back in 2017! There’s a potent chemistry that drives Busby Marou, a bond struck between two mates years ago in the corner of Rockhampton’s Oxford Hotel, when they happily knocked out tunes for hours on end to anyone who would listen.

And it’s that unwritten agenda, a simple intangible understanding between them, that they have come back to in order to shape an exciting new chapter in their remarkable career.

“There’s something special about Busby Marou,” says Tom, the songwriting hub and lead vocal of the duo. “At the bottom of it all it’s two blokes singing with harmonies and a bit of storytelling.”

That’s how it was at the start of Busby Marou’s recording career, those delightful harmonies blending with understated guitars on their debut EP The Blue Road.

Their third album Postcards From the Shell House was recorded with Jon Hume (Evermore) at The Stables studios in Gisbourne, VIC as well as during sessions on Great Keppel Island and on a boat. Postcards From The Shell House returns the pair to their roots in a number of ways. The shell house in question, an old heritage-listed building on Great Keppel Island off the coast of their native Rockhampton, has great significance. Early in their career Tom and Jeremy would sit around a campfire there and sing songs, one or two of which ended up on record.  Last year, with producer Jon Hume in tow, that same method in the same location produced a few songs for the new album.

Busby Marou’s debut self-titled album was certified ARIA Gold in Australia in July 2014, while their follow up album Farewell Fitzroy debuted at #5 on the album chart. Postcards From The Shell House is Busby Marou’s first ARIA #1 album. It’s a real pleasure to welcome this wonderful Australian talent back to the Bluesfest stage in 2017.

“….from some of the sweetest harmonies the pair has committed to record to percussive claps and captivating refrains…Postcards From The Shell House is Busby Marou’s most consistent release to date and positions the duo to capitalise on their already considerable success.” Four Stars – The Courier Mail

“If Busby Marou’s third album Postcards From The Shell House was any more laid-back, it would be upside down” – West Australian

 

Wouter Kellerman

It’s been a long time coming, but Bluesfest is welcoming South African Globe-trotting flutist and composer Wouter Kellerman to the stage in 2017!

Wouter has travelled extensively over the last few years, performing around the globe in places like Berlin, Shanghai, Delhi, New York and Sydney, including sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2014 and 2015. In 2010 he performed at the FIFA Soccer World Cup Closing Ceremony to a global television audience of 700-million people.

In 2015 Wouter won a Grammy for his album Winds of Samsara, collaboration with Indian composer and producer Ricky Kej. Winds Of Samsara reached number one on the US Billboard New Age Albums Chart and also peaked at number one on the Zone Music Reporter Top 100 International Radio Airplay Chart, winning both the ZMR ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Best World Album’ awards.

His album Love Language was released in 2015 and debuted at number one on the World Music Billboard charts in its first week. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, Kellerman’s second nomination is as many years. In May 2016 Love Language won the SAMA (South African Music Award, equivalent to the American Grammy) for ‘Best Instrumental and/or Classical Album’. This was Kellerman’s sixth SAMA award, reinforcing his status as one of South Africa’s foremost musicians. Love Language reached #1 on the ZMR Top 100 International Radio Airplay Chart and was nominated for the ZMR ‘Best World Album. From the album, the song ‘The Long Road’, a solo flute piece which Wouter wrote for Nelson Mandela, won the 2016 Global Peace Song Award in the public voted Acoustic/ Contemporary Music category.

The album draws influence from Senegal and Spain, Cuba and India, Greece and the United States, encapsulating the myriad ways that people connect on the topics of life and love — and the countless languages with which people speak of the universal connection that binds them one to another. A true crossover artist, Kellerman thrives on experimenting with the shades, textures and colours that his magic flute is capable of painting, and creatively blending them with other instrumentation and vocal sounds. In the spirit of Love Language, all proceeds from album sales go to the SOS Children’s Villages in South Africa.

Using his classical training as a foundation, Kellerman focused his attention on world music, exploring the versatility of the flute and fusing classical and contemporary sounds, resulting in a potent and thrilling musical encounter. He is taking his crossover world music to a global audience, having gained a solid following in his native South Africa. His albums have been released in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, India, North America and in Australia. Bluesfest is proud to have giant star of world music playing at the festival this year.

 

Little Georgia

Bluesfest is happy to announce that much loved duo Little Georgia will make their Bluesfest debut in 2017.

Amongst a sea of rhythmic and raw guitar tones collaborators Ashleigh Mannix and Justin Carter deliver both beautiful harmonies and compelling lyrics which reveal the honesty in their music.

The duo are no strangers to touring and have spent the last year on the road performing between Australia and North America including sets at Americana Fest, Port Fairy Folk Festival and Tamworth Country Music Festival as well as a national tour support with American Grammy award winning artist Ryan Bingham.

In 2016 Little Georgia released their debut album Bootleg, recorded in a farmhouse on the rugged coastline of Portland, Victoria. Together with friends they captured their music in its purest form, recording their debut album unplugged and live to tape. Their lush voices and evocative lyrics will win them many hearts at the Bluesfest this year.

“Opening honours went to Little Georgia who certainly won the crowd over with their blend of soul, indie-folk and a dash of country. They’re a marketers dream with their image and they certainly can sing and play” (Chris Familton – TheMusic.Com.Au)

“There’s sweetness in the blend of their voices, which sometimes have a touch of (an Alabama rather than LA) Buckingham/Nicks about them” (Bernard Zuel – The Sydney Morning Herald)

 

Lucy Gallant

Lucy Gallant will play her third Glastonbury this year. This Byron local has written over 1,000 songs and is currently on tour in the US.

Festival Director Peter Noble says: “Lucy Gallant is a star, the Glastonbury festival knows it…. that’s why they continue to book her, and I am also convinced. It is only a matter of time before she is a household name in Australia on a major record label and headlining festivals here and around the world. Discover her at Bluesfest and find out what those in the know are already saying!”

British born, her heritage is as eclectic as her music – being part Burmese, Russian, Irish and Australian. Perhaps this mash up of cultural backgrounds is what inspires Lucy’s blend of different genres in her music which is further enhanced by her thought provoking lyrics; lyrics that can be uplifting whilst also edging towards something darker – and with titles like Murder and Fire Girl amongst the lighter Free Like Me or Lets go to the Beach you can expect the unexpected! The songs are all original works and she is a multi-talented song writer, musician and producer.

Lucy’s voice has great dynamic range, smoothly jumping from lows to highs, from delicate to fierce. She is also a talented guitarist and drummer, she plays intricate, high energy rhythms on her Cajon with her feet whilst singing and playing the guitar. She was the winner one year and another year came in second place of the Byron Bay Blues Festivals very own competition ‘Blues over Byron Busking competition’. She is a woman with a mission – she wants to bring people together through music that calls for people to be true to themselves, to be free and to be happy. She also just loves to play music and that is clear every time you hear her play and every time you find yourself singing one of her songs long after you heard her perform it live!

 

THE 2017 ARTIST DAILY PLAYING SCHEDULE IS AVAILABLE ON BLUESFEST.COM.AU

All 5, 3 & 1 day festival and camping tickets are now on sale through bluesfest.com.au or by phoning the Bluesfest office on 02 6685 8310.

AMNPLIFY – DB