Crowded House & Buddy Guy top Bluesfest 2010

The first round of artists to perform at the 21st Anniversary Bluesfest has today been announced! Australia’s most awarded and internationally renowned festival officially begins a new era (and with any luck another excellent 21 years) with the purchase and move to its permanent new home for the 2010 event – the Tyagarah Tea Tree farm just off the Pacific Highway, 10 minutes north of Byron Bay.

The first Bluesfest announcement for 2010 includes:

Crowded House, Buddy Guy, Roger Hodgson from Supertramp, Gipsy Kings, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club®, Jeff Beck, Lyle Lovett, RocKwiz, Jimmy Barnes Plays the Rhythm & the Blues, Jessica Mauboy, The Swell Season, Newton Faulkner, Dr John & the Lower 911, Bèla Fleck’s African Project Featuring Oumou Sangarè & band, Blue King Brown, Al Di Meola World Sinfonia, Gogol Bordello, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Joe Bonamassa, Peter Green & friends, The Flatlanders, Avett Brothers, Justin Townes Earle, Renee Geyer,  Colin Hay Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lil Band o’ Gold, Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, AND Robert Gordon & the Gang They Couldn’t Hang - featuring Chris Spedding (Roxy Music), Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols), and Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats).

Crowded House plays Bluesfest for first time ever!
The Bluesfest team is extremely honoured to present Crowded House for the first time ever as the first announcement headliner, following knock out performances over the years from both Neil Finn and Tim Finn. One of our region’s GREATEST bands, Crowded House is responsible for unforgettable songs such as 'Weather With You', 'Four Seasons In One Day', and ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ to name but a few. Get set for a dynamic musical journey that will draw from the band’s acclaimed 2007 platinum album Time On Earth and their exceptionally deep catalogue of fantastic songs. 

Festival director Peter Noble said, “We are so energised about the amazing artists in this first announcement – it’s easily our best ever first announcement just looking at the depth across the entire list. We promised a touch of classic rock and a guitar lover’s focus for this festival – and to see how that’s played out, you just have to look at axe shredding maestros like Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, Peter Green (original Fleetwood Mac founder and hero of BB King, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page!), the Gipsy Kings who are the world’s best flamenco players, Bèla Fleck (stunning banjo virtuoso), and Joe Bonamassa a young blues guitarist who’s recently sold out London’s Royal Albert Hall.

“There’s also tonnes of local and global roots friendly artists too many to mention, Roger Hodgson the incredible singer and songwriter of all those timeless Supertramp hits, Jessica Mauboy who is such an outstanding and genuine artist verified by her recent four awards at the Deadlys and her record seven ARIA award nominations! There’s also Oumou Sangarè who joins Bèla Fleck’s new project and is one the greatest African singers you will ever hear.

“And all this is just the beginning – our second announcement is just around the corner and a stunner too! In fact, we know we have the best Bluesfest bill ever this year, which is a very satisfying way to celebrate our 21st birthday and move to our new home.

“Now at Tyagarah, we’ve got even more room to grow the vision, and give our patrons the REAL festival experience. What we stand for is keeping the counter-culture alive – and the very real notion that music can help heal the world – we’re bringing in artists from Cuba, Mali and even Gypsies all together to support this vision. Longer term, my intention is that Bluesfest will outlive me, and remain a beacon of light that continues presenting the highest quality music on the planet,” concluded Peter Noble.   

More room for camping in the Heart of Bluesfest!
Bluesfest 2009 was held at Belongil Fields and accommodated 1,800 campers. Bluesfest 2010 looks forward to welcoming patrons on its own land – and will accommodate approximately 6,500 campers! The very spacious and natural environment is right next to the festival grounds and will include a general store, showers and toilets. 

The festival itself will feature more space, more music, more stalls, and more areas to chill out, but is all about keeping in the Bluesfest tradition, which is about creating an environmentally sound, peaceful, relaxed and happy home for everyone. Regular shuttle buses will be included to and from the festival into Byron Bay, Mullumbimby and surrounding towns.

More awards for Bluesfest
And the Bluesfest awards keep on coming. September 2009 saw Bluesfest recognised as an international winner in The Greener Festival awards. This was for an impressive three years in a row, more than any other Australian festival - and a tribute to the event’s ongoing and long-term commitment to environmental sustainability.

Bluesfest was also the first music festival to be nominated for a prestigious Australian Events Award.  Bluesfest was nominated for the Best Cultural or Arts Event alongside the Sydney Festival 2009 and Adelaide Fringe 2009. The award eventually went to the 16th Biennale of Sydney. Bluesfest was also recently nominated as the Best Overseas Festival in the UK Festival Awards!

Unlike any other Australian event, Bluesfest has twice had the honour of being nominated as Best International Music Festival by US concert bible “Pollstar” in 2005 and 2006 alongside world renowned events such as Britain’s Glastonbury and Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival. And closer to home, Bluesfest has twice won the prestigious Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Music Festival in Australia, also in 2005 and 2006.

Tickets can be purchased by: Phoning the Bluesfest office on 02 6685 8310 or visiting the website at www.bluesfest.com.au

CROWDED HOUSE
Bluesfest is extremely proud to present Crowded House for the first time ever in 2010. One of our region’s greatest ever bands, Crowded House don’t perform all that often, making their appearance at Bluesfest 2010 a real event! With incredible songs ranging from 'Weather With You' and 'Four Seasons In One Day', to ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’, ‘Fall At Your Feet’ and ‘Locked Out’ – this band is one for the ages. Back to their best following their 2007 reunion and studio album of new critically acclaimed material, Time on Earth, Crowded House are ready to shake up Byron Bay over Easter. The band also has their new 2010 album due early in the year, so there will be even more exciting new material to showcase along with their hits! So how did it all happen? The tragic death of original drummer Paul Hester in 2005 further concentrated main songwriter Neil Finn's mind: "I thought, these relationships that you have in your life are rare and precious. Why wouldn't you just grab them?" So Finn and original member Nick Seymour decided if it was going to be like what they had, they had to have a brilliant drummer. Enter Matt Sherrod, who has previously played with Beck, along with U.S.-based keyboard player Mark Hart, a veteran of the line-up who made Together Alone in 1993. And thus, with live music once more in the ascendant and strong songs at as much of a premium as ever, this happy few with its strong bond with a worldwide audience and its exceptionally deep catalogue of songs, set forth on a new voyage with something of the dauntless, damn-the-torpedoes spirit of third agers on an adventure holiday. Bring it on!
www.crowdedhouse.com

BUDDY GUY
What can you say about this Bluesfest favourite and absolute blues legend? Buddy Guy is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a chief guitar influence to rock titans like Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, and Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago's fabled West Side sound, and a living link to that city's halcyon days of electric blues. While firmly ensconced in his blues roots, Guy has always tried to keep his music looking forward – even at the risk of alienating lovers of traditional blues sounds. His last album, Bring 'Em In, found Guy trading licks with the likes of Carlos Santana and John Mayer on a set of songs featuring covers of classic soul songs. On his latest album, Skin Deep, Guy offers an endorsement to such younger players as pedal steel virtuoso Robert Randolph and husband-and-wife guitar slingers Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. These musicians serve as a living response to the question Guy raises on the song "Who's Gonna Fill Those Shoes," featuring pre-teen guitar whiz Quinn Sullivan, in which he reflects on the future of the blues beyond his revolutionary generation. "I just try to get the best players, and hope I can pop the top off this can and show that the blues are back," he says. "I learn from them–bring them in and see what they can do. And these guys got me feeling like when I was 22 years old and went into the studio with Muddy Waters." Buddy has received five Grammy Awards, 23 W.C. Handy Blues Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Yet despite this long list of achievements, Buddy Guy and his music remain as vital as ever.
www.buddyguy.net

ROGER HODGSON FROM SUPERTRAMP
Roger Hodgson is recognised as one of the most gifted composers, song writers and lyricists of our time! As the legendary voice, writer and arranger of most of Supertramp’s greatest hits that led to more than 60 million record sales, he gave us amazingly enduring songs like: “Give a Little Bit,” “Dreamer,” “It's Raining Again”, “Take the Long Way Home”, “The Logical Song,” “Breakfast In America,” “Fool’s Overture” and so many others that have become the sound track of our lives. And don’t think it’s all in the past. Festival director Peter Noble recently saw Roger perform all those Supertramp classics in Europe and said “my jaw dropped – you could practically feel the earth move!” Hodgson co-founded the progressive rock band Supertramp in 1969 and was with them for 14 years. He wrote and sang most of the classic hits that brought Supertramp worldwide acclaim. His songs have remarkably stood the test of time, and Roger recently received 2 awards from ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) for his songs being in the top played songs in their repertory. Bluesfest is honoured to present Roger Hodgson for the first time ever.
www.rogerhodgson.com

THE GIPSY KINGS
The Gipsy Kings are that rare thing – a household name famous solely for their music. Without peer, they are the planet’s most successful world music artists, and probably the best flamenco guitar artists in the world too! While they are the most successful French music group in history and they have sold more than 18 million albums worldwide, the Gipsy Kings make music as communion, artistry rooted in the past yet focused on the future. The Gipsy Kings consist of two bands of brothers: the Reyes (Nicolas, Canut, Paul, Patchaï, André) and the Baliardos (Tonino, Paco, Diego). Initially, the Reyes and Baliardos busked on the streets of Cannes, and played weddings and parties, flavouring flamenco with Western pop and Latin rhythms. When an American admirer told the band their name Los Reyes meant "The Kings" in English they realised they were born to be Gipsy Kings. In 1987 their selftitled debut album introduced the world to rumba gitano—the sound of South America's rumba rhythm married to flamenco guitars—and the track “Bamboleo” was a huge international hit. Since then the Kings have never stopped singing to the world. Today the Gipsy Kings still live with their families in the south of France. Life may have changed for them—they no longer busk on streets or pick crops when times are hard or travel in caravans – but still, at heart, they remain Gypsies, the proud descendants of an ancient people who seduced the world with music and dance. On their new album, Pasajero, the Gipsy Kings continue their epic musical journey. When the Gipsy Kings hit Byron Bay over Easter 2010, they are sure to set your soul on fire! 
www.gipsykings.com

ORQUESTA BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB ®
Responsible for the highest ever selling world music record, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club® is the formidable thirteen-piece band direct from Havana, featuring legends of Cuban Music and the stars of the Buena Vista Social Club film and World Circuit's much acclaimed albums! Folks – this is the genuine article, the real deal – transporting audiences to the heart of Havana's clubs and dancehalls. Guajiro Mirabal's distinctive trumpet sound and characterful playing has earned him the monicker 'The Trumpet of Cuba'. Aguaje Ramos' trombone has been an integral part of World Circuit's Cuban recordings for the past decade. Grammy-winning guitarist Manuel Galbán made his name with seminal 1960s Cuban doo-wop group Los Zafiros. Amadito Valdés is considered Cuba's leading timbales player, and Barbarito Torres is widely regarded as the world's leading virtuoso laoud player. Each of these artists has their own take on the gamut of Cuban music, and they've put their individual stamp on son montunos, danzón, cha cha cha, boleros, and Cuban jazz. Having honed their skills over many years their passion for the music has remained undimmed, and this remarkable group of musical giants perform with an exuberance that is as vital as ever.  A must-see at Bluesfest!
www.myspace.com/orquestabuenavistasocialclub

JEFF BECK
Who is the guitar player’s guitar player, the man that has inspired so many JEFF BECK
Who is the guitar player’s guitar player, the man that has inspired so many greats, the man regarded by many as the world’s finest guitar player? The answer is Jeff Beck. Beck burst onto the music scene in 1966 after joining the Yardbirds. Although his stint with the band lasted only 18 months, Beck played on almost all of the group’s hits and his innovative style, heard on classics like “Heart Full of Soul” and “Shapes of Things”, helped influence the psychedelic sound of the ‘60s. At the height of the Yardbirds’ popularity in 1967, Beck left the group and embarked upon unpredictable journey of musical discovery that has lasted nearly four-decades as an Epic recording artist. During that time, Beck has left his distinctive mark on hard rock, jazz-fusion and modern music history. While many of his contemporaries are satisfied with musical inertia, Beck added to his legacy as an innovator with the release of his 14th album, simply titled “Jeff” which reflects how Beck’s fascination with electronic music continues to evolve. A rare breed of guitarist, like Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix, Beck is not only compelling for what he plays, but for how he plays it. While some guitar players use racks of gear to create sound, Beck prefers a simple, natural approach that emphasises manual dexterity over gadgets. As Eric Clapton once said, “With Jeff, it’s all in his hands.” Like few guitarists before him, Beck plays the entire guitar. Using his fingers instead of a guitar pick for greater speed and control over the fretboard, Beck adds deft twists of the volume and tone knobs to shape the notes as he’s playing them and further bends sounds into a rubbery tangle with his controlled cruelty on the whammy bar. Beck says “I play the way I do because it allows me to come up with the sickest sounds possible. That’s the point now isn’t it?” As far as Bluesfest is concerned, yes that is very much the point. Make sure you catch this amazing musician at Bluesfest!
www.jeffbeck.com

LYLE LOVETT
This is a rare treat for Bluesfest fans! Lyle Lovett is one of the all-time great American singer/songwriters. In his work two roads come together, ¬the trail blazed by the great Texas storytellers of whom Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark are the best known, and the crooked highway navigated by sophisticated wise-asses such as Randy Newman and Tom Waits. Lovett’s first gift was to combine these two potent strands to generate songs as brilliant and double-sided as “If I Had A Boat,” “God Will,” “If I Were the Man You Wanted,” “Family Reserve” and “Her First Mistake.” That would be plenty for any composer to base a career on, but Lovett was also capable of both flat-out humour – “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas)”, “Here I am”, “Church” – and heartbreakers that were poignant without ever descending into sentimentality – “She’s Already Made Up Her Mind”, “Nobody Knows Me”, and “The Road To Ensenada”. What emerged was a picture of a smart and complicated man, whose good humor and generosity of spirit were holding back a darker character. Out of such tensions, many artists are born. Lovett also displays a literary talent that has made him part of the tradition of American ironists. This is probably the aspect of Lovett that interested director Robert Altman, who cast him in four films (“The Player,” “Short Cuts,” “Pret-a-Porter,” “Cookie’s Fortune”) and had him score a fifth (“Dr. T and the Women”). Do yourself a favour and do not miss Lyle Lovett perform. His wry observations and fantastic song-writing will stay with you for many years to come.
www.lylelovett.com

Comments

Posted by Richard at 1:09pm, 30 Oct 09

Wow I'm so excited!