The Sydney Blues & Roots Festival returns this year, with a whopping line-up that boasts big names in the local and international blues scene. Set to take place from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th October 2011, a variety of venues in Sydney’s Hawkesbury region to hold performances from an array of established and up-and-coming acts.
Multi-talented Jeff Lang will headline the 3-day festival. Widely renowned as the “Godfather of (the) Australian-based back-to-basics blues movement” (Bruce Elder, SMH), Jeff has built up a solid reputation for his startlingly original performances. The guitarist/singer/songwriter has been praised by fellow musicians and critics alike with even John Butler saying that “seeing Jeff Lang was like being at church for three hours – a totally sacred event”.
Home grown soul/blues extraordinaire Ash Grunwald will bring his unique sound to the stage at the event, with four ARIA Award nominations for Best Blues & Roots Album under his belt, Ash has a reputation as one of the country’s best blues artists.
Jeff Martin, the voice of Canada’s The Tea Party, will make his Sydney Blues & Roots Festival debut this year. Having just recently completed a whirlwind Australian tour for his latest solo release “The Ground Cries Out,” he’s returning for an exclusive performance which will have fans psyched.
Festival Creative Directors Geoff Trio and Steve Griffiths at Code One say “We’re so excited about the calibre of artists who are on the roster for this year’s event. It’s going to be the best yet!”
Music lovers can also expect performances from an array of acts, including local acoustic singer/songwriters Ashleigh Mannix and Paul Greene, while Steve Edmonds, one of the Australia’s coolest blues/rock talents, will share the stage with seasoned blues/rock trio Chase The Sun, while Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes) and Martin Rotsey, Rob Hirst and Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil), now known as The Break are gearing up to unleash their surf-rock sound. Country rock legends The Flood also join the bill in addition to Chain, Bondi Cigars, The Brewster Brothers and Ray Beadie Band
Full first-announcement line-up for the Sydney Blues & Roots Festival:
Jeff Lang
Ash Grunwald
Jeff Martin (The Voice of The Tea Party)
The Break
Chain
The Flood
Bondi Cigars
Chase The Sun
The Brewster Brothers
Ray Beadle Band
Steve Edmonds
Paul Greene
Bridie King
Claude Hay
Spookyland
The Blues Preachers
Ashleigh Mannix
Sam Shinazzi
Johnny G & The E Types
The Mick Hart Experience
