Bluesfest
2011
This report was written by old mate Len following the Easter 2011 Bluesfest, well not immediately following, the gestation period was elephantine, in fact, it is a whopper of a report, replete with Len's finely tuned sense of humour, it is incisive, perceptive and well worth a geek. Enjoy!
Len’s Review
Welcome to the Bluesfest 2011
The 2011 Bluesfest, Byron
Bay, from Thursday 21st April to Monday 25th April 2011
Five days and only
one downpour.... and that during Elvis, the final act!
Liqua-fraction ….
according to Patrick the Mud was like the NZ earthquake ...
Ferris Wheel gone
after last years accident
We
had a great weekend but did miss our ‘Old Mate’ Baz.
We
were spoilt Friday morning with Yvonne’s cooking... Michelle
Michelle
had me firmly tucked under her wings as we entered the grounds and
decided - no - back to the car for the gumboots. Michelle - Oh Wise
One!! ...Yvonne
Street Entertainment
I
was a Bluesfest Virgin and approached the night with an innocence of
a child UNTIL - the preparation for the journey. Teenagers have
nothing on you lot! Hip flasks filled, eskies in readiness - in
case we get caught waiting in the car park! (a Porto Loo might come
in handy next year) I salute you all ...Yvonne Jones
Michelle's Unit
All went gone to plan; Michelle's accom
was second to none. Plus every convenience within a few yards. There
is a Woollies at the back, the Kingscliff pub next door and
the beach across the road…we were all set for the Bluesfest 2011.
We headed down to Kingscliff Thursday
afternoon to Michelle's Unit. With five of us camped there at any one
time, it was comfort all-round. Michelle issued a room to Patrick and
me; unfortunately for Patrick he couldn’t see the TV (cricket)
directly from his bed but did have a bed build to suit the guy.
The
digs were world class u living - a precedent has been set.....Yvonne
The boys as expected were
good roomies and coped with being out numbered by us girls....
Michelle
The team for the weekend
was made up by our accom host Michelle, Nikki, Yvonne, Toni, Patrick
& I. We did get a visit from Michelle’s mother and
daughter…just checking up on our behaviour.
Thursday Night Car Park Saga
(or the Curious Incident of the Drunks
in the Night-Time)
Its
looks like Len failed to mention the car park entertainment Niki
and I experienced on Thursday night. It resulted in me acquiring
a war injury but our flat mates didn’t think it was that
entertaining. Thank god Lenny packed the Savlon. Clearly we peaked
too early... Michelle
I
was only a tad concerned at the end in the car park where I thought
Niki and Michelle had fallen into a ditch filled with human waste
products never to return. I insisted that Lennie get out of the
car and look for them. They were eventually spotted returning
in the opposite direction talking to random people in cars....Yvonne
The Maddening
Crowd
The crew were all there...Baz, you were
surely missed by all, but the Bluesfest rolled on regardless
I was a late
entry to the Bluesfest (i.e. arrived Monday morning) to the boys
tucked up in their little beds with Michelle entertaining them....
Lynelle was a Bluesfest Virgin and approached the night with an
innocence of a child UNTIL - the preparation for the journey.
Teenagers have nothing on you lot! Hip flasks filled, eskies in
readiness - in case we get caught waiting in the carpers! (a Porto
Loo might come in handy next year) I salute you all...Yvonne
The Main Act!
Then it's was onto the Thursday evening
session; Anticipating was high for Thursday night with the Los Lobos,
Ben Harper, ZZ Top, Neil Murray, Xavier Rudd. Thus the Bluesfest
began…
Bob Dylan
Bob
took to the stage for the most anticipated performance of the
festival. Using water as a theme through his set list …
‘Change
My Way of Thinking’; ‘Levee’s Gonna Break’; ‘High Water’;
and even
‘Hard Rain’…(should have had him there the
previous year); shades of Bob’s Theme Time Radio! With the audience
straining for a glimpse of the legend who positioned himself at the
back of the stage through most of act. However, he did appear to move
effortlessly from guitar to harmonica and keyboard, just hearing
Dylan’s poetry /distinctive vocals was all that was needed to
satisfy most of us. Was it vanity, not wanting us to see the aging
Bobness; close up shots on the big screen were strictly out! So only
those up the front and centre could enjoy the full performance
experience. I overheard someone’s alternative suggestion; said it
was due to his ‘lip syncing’ .. If you’ve heard Bob’s usual
grumpy vocals (gravel in a blender comes to mind), I don’t think
so! His musicianship however was top-notch and first rate throughout
his entire set. Despite being disengaged verbally with the crowd, it
was clear Dylan had energy and he kept pumping out the tunes to much
applause. Playing an array of songs from his recent albums, mixed
with some classics,
‘Tangled Up In Blue’, and his encore
of
‘Like A Rolling Stone’ Bob efficiently worked his way
through his set, as the Bluesfest crowd belted out the chorus.
Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson
Hat was his usual self,
and in reasonable humour for a 12 noon start at the Crossroads stage.
We had to work hard to get there in time ourselves; being tempted by
the Kingscliff Hotel does make an early start at the Bluesfest a
distinct challenge…I wondered what hotel had tempted the Hatzman.
Hat & Cara wasted no
time in getting as many songs out as they could in the short set. The highlights were Hard Times, his Blind Willie Johnson song, and John
the Revelator.
Cara has taken her
transformation into Hat’s rustic wife to a new level; by wearing
her 1930’s dress and what I later understood to be a ‘snood’.
Oedipus complex was Toni’s summing up of the situation. Rating: 10.
Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band
The Captain Matchbox
Whoopee Band came together, reached success and disbanded when I was
just getting out of short pants. However, I have seen and enjoyed
seeing Mic Conway before in Jim Conway’s Big Wheels at Woodforde
about 3 years ago and at Bluesfest 2009 when Mic Conway’s National
Junk Band entertained us in the Juke Joint. As a result I missed the
show, but it was great to see that one of our troop forego other more
popular acts and venture over to see CMWB…Lynelle reported back
with great enthusiasm. Mic Conway taking the centre stage complete
with his usual bag of tricks and rack of silly noise-makers and Jim
Conway treating the crowd to his brilliant harmonica styling; the
CMWB was apparently a sensation; Lynelle said the music was upbeat
and happy, on stage gags from the good old days were still present
with thought and speech bubbles being held over band
member’s
heads and the infamous megaphone making an appearance.
And
more from our reviewer, "I cant believe a review of the
highlight act of the festival has been missed...Captain Matchbox
Whoopee Band...Obviously I was the only one of us there…I was front
row with others my vintage all saying the same thing...I remember
seeing them in the 1970s....They were very entertaining...in fact
their "props" were the same as were their gags...loved it!
Felt like I was in a time warp! Musically talented too!” ...Lynelle
Los Lobos
Los Lobos, the alternate
Tex-Mex; the boys last played for us in 2006. I remember them being a
little flat back then. This time round we saw them apply themselves
to their work with the systematic professionalism you would expect
from 'the hardest working band in LA'. The band was tight, all
supreme players, playing all their classics, together with some new
ones.
Los Lobos - hip swaying
cool dudes... Yvonne
David Hidalgo - vocals,
guitar, accordion, fiddle
Louie Pérez - vocals,
guitar, drums
Cesar Rosas - vocals,
guitar, Banjo
Conrad Lozano - vocals,
bass, Guitar
Steve Berlin -
keyboards, horns
However, the ‘Wolves’
are aging; looking at the band, if you didn't now them better, you
might have mistaken them for cabaret band who wouldn’t look out of
place at Southport RSL. David Hidalgo has gone grey since last here.
Rating: 10
The Dingoes
- Missed a lot of their act, but what
we heard was Great,
-Sound was strong/powerful, the
boys have lost nothing over the years.
-Broderick was in good form, Patrick
tells me this isn't always the case
- Peter Bennett from the Flood was part
of band
- Smith looking very much looking
like Baz…in fact after seeing Broderick Smith, we saw Baz
‘look-alikes’ everywhere. It made up for his absence.
- Broderick was happy to be in Byron
Bay "where the Bong was invented"
- while we didn't witness it all, it
was a great show with Broderick at the top of his game, rating: 10.
Jeff Lang
- Usual professional JL performance
- New was the Melbourne Cup song in
this set
- Rating: 10
Earnest Ranglin
-Astute professional, happy mood,
-Appreciated being asked back
-Different from the Monty show…better
-Backing band excellent, they drove out
the baseline & amp; Dr Ernest did his thing, mon
- Ernest Ranglin’s precise,
jazz-infused reggae set covered much of his incredible Below The
Baseline material, Rating: 10, again for the purists
Little Feat
- the old guys Billy Payne, Paul
Barrere put together a great sound ... Losing minimal from the early
years
- Song highlights
Day 1: Church fall down; Dixie Chicken;
Willin'
Day 2: Put on your favourite shoes
- Rating: 10
ZZ Top
ZZ Top only had the one
appearance, being on Thursday night. Patrick and Niki attended the ZZ
show, while the rest of us sat back and lapped up Ben Harper
Pat and Niki were very
excited about the boys' performance and reported back in the most
glowing terms.
ZZ Top are undeniable
legends for anyone with even a passing history with rock blues. For
three rock gentlemen who might have retired in any other
profession, they still pack a pretty solid punch. There’s a
tremendous power that comes out of that three piece. They’re still
lean and mean, despite the voices sometimes sounding a little on the
feeble side on some songs.
- Patrick loved the lined drawn through
the ‘beards’ Billy, Dusty, Frank "front" Beard (no
beard)
- ‘You could not do ‘legs’
without the fur guitars’ ...
-Billy single pickin' guitar .. digit
work
-Billy played a 1930 blues track
- according to Patrick, the quote from
the show: "we been going for 4 decades with the same 3
chords’
(I think John Lee Hooker went for 80 years on less)
Rating: 10
Tim Robbins; The Rogues Gallery Band
The show was not what we
expected, but turned out to be a nice surprise. Tim Robbins has a
pretty good voice and great skill with the guitar. Unfortunately Niki
didn’t agree…‘a disgraceful self indulgence’. His band
‘The Rogues Gallery’ were a cross between The Pogues and
Johnny Cash. The latter was clarified when they covered ‘Folsom
Prison’ with an accordion and saxophone, this rendition was
well handled. Tim’s brother Dan was a member of the Band. Sons of
the famous Marty Robbins; part of the show was a memorial to his
father; Robbins sang a song that his mother used to sing him as a
child and a vocal track of Tim’s father was played of Marty singing
and the band provided the musical accompaniment. This was made all
the more emotive as Tim explained that his parents died 12 days apart
and he projected pictures of them onto the screen behind him. The saw
player (string instrument) was really ‘whistling’.
- Song highlights: the
song following his father’s song was great?...Shorty Trombone
played this one; the Billy Holliday song. ‘Oh Mary don't you weep
No More, Pharaohs Army Got Drowned’ was a standout. A great set from a
surprisingly talented performer. Rating: 9
Grace Jones
Again, according to Niki, “like a
train crash it was hard not to look away”…this time she was
‘spot’ on. For us at the back, the show was a disaster, the video
screens and the sound played up continuously. Just to add to that,
Grace was 45 minutes late on stage before descending from the rafters
in her signature headwear. However, at 62 years Grace is still going
strong. An intriguing aspect of the show was the notable ‘crutch
spot’ that Grace deliberately displaced on her costume (see
pictures). Good old Grace she’s still got it! Unfortunately the
show was spoilt for us; which gave us the opportunity to leave a
little earlier. Considering we had a biggy on the night before,
Friday was a much subdued affair. Song here 80’s hits ‘Love is
the Drug’, ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ Rating: 7
Elvis Costello
My highlights were Elvis,
(great dance music)....Michelle
Elvis Costello set list
Pump It Up Mystery
Dance Uncomplicated Either Side of the Same Town Everyday I Write the
Book Turpentine Watching the Detectives Good Year for the Roses Slow
Drag with Josephine Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used To Do)?
(Hank Williams cover) Bedlam Shipbuilding (I Don't Want To Go To)
Chelsea Less Than Zero Beyond Belief Clubland Alison / Suspicious
Minds / Somewhere Over the Rainbow / There's a Place For Us Oliver's
Army (What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love & Understanding? (Brinsley
Schwarz cover)
Fistful
of Mercy
With Ben Harper, Joseph Arthur and
Dhani Harrison making music together, would have to be great (along
with violinist Jessy Greene) – but just how good was definitely a surprise.
Maybe it was the sight of seeing George
Harrison’s son on the stage (a spitting image!), but the set was
hypnotising from start to finish. Their songs were strong with
depth, 2 or 3 songs from each artist. Fistful played tribute to other
headliner such as Dylan, performing a cover of his track “Bucket of
Tears”. Harper’s own track “Please Me Like You Want To” made
an appearance, as did Arthur’s “In The Sun”. The self-titled
track “Fistful of Mercy” was another highlight.
The three members,
accompanied by the excellent violin of Greene, worked tremendously
well together, great harmonies. At the end of the day, you can tell
that these are musicians who simply enjoy making music together,
holding a great respect for each other’s craft. This feeling is
infectious – you can’t help but admire them all – but most
importantly, they simply make impressive music at the same time.
A real find… Rating: 8.5
Xavier Rudd
-
Mr ‘Mother Earth’ himself
-The
South African guys, Tio Moloantoa (bass), Andite Npubezelo
(percussion), were excellent additions to his show.
- Guest appearance a
Jamaican? Someone from Toots could have
been Toots?
- His best song ... new,
need to check out name
- Xavier
is all love & heart, and fighting for ‘Mother Earth’, and in
it for the long haul…but I do senses some frustration coming
through. Rating: 9,
Neil Murray
- Neil was Rockin'
- Song an aboriginal (language) song in
set
- His drummer was the son of one of the
original Warripee Band drummer.
- Midnight Oils lead guitar Jim
Moginie
- Lots of protest ... and calls for
reconciliation
- I'm a Neil fan, and on both his
shows he worked his 'bush' craft well. Rating: 9
John Legend
Then came the Legend,
John Legend that is. Mr Smooth indeed; the Legend swaggered and
swooned through 90 minutes of modern soul music with most of the
audience in rapturous. Legend arranged his night’s activities early
in the set...selecting a girl out of crowd & then sent her off
back stage…In waiting, I thought.
His playing showed the audience why he
has made such a great success, having come from playing piano for
Kanye West and session vocals for Alicia Keys. This band consisted
much of his new friends, The Roots, they were tight and his three
lady backing vocalists were dressed as smokingly hot as they sounded.
There was an air of arrogance about his manner however that comes
with the territory when you change your name to ‘Legend’. However
for me, a rating: 7; not my style, but for those in the audience who
love the guy, they would have given him a 10
Indigo Girls
Indigo Girls were pleasant enough. Not
knowing much about this band, the female folk duet was an interesting
mix, female country-folk version of Simon and Garfunkel… I say
duet, however, the roadie appeared to be one of the girls. They could
have dressed up a little though... The girls are not much for
fashion. They had a lot of guitar changes between songs. Their
harmonies were tight and their melodies diverse. They did precious
little talking aside from saying “Thanks y’all”.
These ladies appeared to have a swathe
of dedicated fans in the crowd who sung every word. Rating, again for
me a 7
Wolfmother
- Poor sound according to Niki, who is
an expert on the ‘mothers’.
- Lead guitar has great potential
- Their stage presence was excellent.
- One old guy we were standing next to,
suggested “these guys are a lot like Led Zepplin”
- Demonstrated their unique ability to
sing one verse and play 7.5 minutes of improvised guitar.
- Dear Prudence (Beatles cover) sounds
great
- ‘Joker’ ‘Woman’ and ‘Mind’s
Eye’ were played but I’m not sure they were three separate songs.
Rating: 7
Ben Harper - Relentless 7
The Zen master of the Coastal Blues
set! Byron has a long ongoing history with Ben Harper – the
festival was one of the key launching platforms for his career, so
there was a feeling of ‘love’ in the crowd, as he opened with
“With My Own Two Hands”, and followed that with “Diamonds on
The Inside” – leading to some speculation about which band Ben
had actually turned up with… In a surprise finale, Ben reunited the
original line-up for the Innocent Criminals to close the show.
Harper has recorded an
album with THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA and written some songs for them.
There was an expectation that they would perform together. Sadly this
did not come to fruition.
Ben
Harper set list
Mutt
Lifeline Don't Give Up On Me Now I Will Not Be Broken She's Only
Happy In The Sun Rock N' Roll Is Free Fell Love Pray That Our Love
Waiting On A Sign Dirty Little Lover Skin Thin Another Lonely Day
Amen Omen Diamonds On The Inside Number With No Name
Ben Harper - I
wanted to take him home, maybe next time...Yvonne; Rating: 10
Blind Boys of Alabama
The
Blind Boys of Alabama graced the stage, ‘stoking the spiritual
fires’ once again with their opener Perfect Peace. I picked up the
2nd show on the Sunday, and it was sensational. Have seen the Blind
Boys a few times and they always give their all; but this time they
appeared to be not so much playing for us but this time they where
play for themselves and loving it. The introduction of Aaron Neville
on their version of Amazing Grace took the power of spiritual music
to an even greater level… Neville’s unmistakable falsetto voice
was the perfect addition for these ‘angels of heaven’. We were
absolutely captivated, and before we realize it, we’re jumping up
and down to the rousing Spirit in the Sky.
A sensation was the big
guy of the group, Bishop Billy Bower; they were battling to keep him
in his seat; Michelle was concerned that he would tumble off the
front of the stage on a couple of occasions; the ‘minder’ was
kept busy restraining him.
Founding member Jimmy Carter, singing
lead vocals, continues to be the mainstay of the group; his
enthusiasm is infectious, and like his good mate, Clarence Fountain,
the group's former long-time lead vocalist and founding member
(limited his touring for health reasons), Jimmy is doing an
outstanding job. Rating 10.
B.B. King
Surprisingly allocated
the Crossroads stage, it was near impossible to get anywhere near the
stage, though BB’s purple shirt could have possibly seen from outer
space. We did hold our ground and landed in front of the sound cage
and a good spot to view the show. It was an honour to see the legend
in action, performing snippets of his well known tracks such as “Rock
Me Baby”.
He certainly doesn’t
play the guitar like he used to, but when you hear those riffs you
know that this is the man that made a festival like Bluesfest
possible. At 85, BB is one of the last remaining members of the
pioneers of blues music – so many of whom have graced the Bluesfest
stage over the years, but have sadly passed on. To witness BB gracing
the stage, in what will no doubt be his final Australian tour, was
something special.
The band were solid and
tight. We had the whole ‘big band’ grace the stage. BB is
understandably getting old and a bit weary. BB at 85, what do you
get? A cranky old bluesman; which resulted in a lot of tension in the
band. This was evident in his performance as his ability is not what
it used to be and the fingers don’t find the notes like they used
to. There majority of BB’s angst was targeted at the poor
‘blameless’ drummer (to the relief of the other band members),
who tried to the best of his ability to anticipate the great man but
to only to receive his wroth and likely sacking or as BB threatened,
stabbing (‘I carry a knife’)…(the picture above tells a
thousand words). With King it’s about being in his presence though
and that’s something that will never happen again so in that
respect it was nice to witness the legend.
BB King set list included, See That My
Grave is Kept Clean Every; Day I Have the Blues; When Love Comes to
Town; Rock Me Baby; The Thrill Is Gone When; The Saints Go Marchin'
In. Rating: 10, for the real legend’s live show
C.W. Stoneking
CW Stoneking, was his immaculate self,
dressed in his all whites. However, didn’t enjoy CW as much as his
show a couple of years ago; a highlight at the time. This time around
he was a little down on his previous efforts and his set list was
becoming a ‘wrist cutting affair’.
The song highlight for me was ‘Handyman
Blues’
I thought CW has lost a little too much
weight; getting a bit too thin.
The band went off for a break during
the show but didn’t come back on queue, which brought the
reprimanding comment from the CW; ‘beer is more important to the
boys than playin’. Rating: 8.5, all the usual great elements that
are CW, but little flat this time.
ROCKWIZ
ROCKWIZ was the usual entertaining
show; the difficulty must be in getting a live studio vibe to gel
well in a festival environment. They managed to do it well. The
format was similar to last year, each group of contestants was
allowed one round on stage and there were musical breaks and crowd
participation moments interspersed with witty one-liners from the
ROCKWIZ MC (what’s her name?) that kept up the pace.
Trombone Shorty
Trombone Shorty; if you like the ‘bone’
and brass this is your thing; this guy is your man.
Shorty was dynamic, with a red hot
backing band that; gave a sensational performance. A highlight was
Louis Armstrong's Sunny side of the Street.
Like the HBO TV series Treme, this was
New Orleans sound with lead by Shorty and plenty of brass.
Rating: 10, you had to like a lot of
brass action, but this guy is the complete package.
Peter Rowan
These good old boys have
been around for awhile, Peter and Keith Little are clearly old time
vets.
Singing Bill Monroe songs
as their stock standard; the traditional bluegrass could not be heard
any better.
The Ralph Stanley song
by Keith was a highlight
Rating: 9 (for the purest,
10).
Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band
Put on a great show with Susan
Tedeschi’s vocals as a real stand out. Great band and combination
and epic songs
Sue has a great voice/guitar and gels
well with Derek
Rating: 10
Warren Haynes
Warren Haynes & His Allstar Band
was a good pick up. Warren’s music is pretty much about the music,
not so much the vocals. This guy is a very professional and
experienced muso. The crowd seemed to well aware of Warren’s work.
Haynes mentioned that he hadn’t been to Australia since 2000 and
was enjoying his return. We enjoyed it too. Rating: 10
Lisa Miller
- just released her second set of
covers, Car Tapes vol. 2
- super Aust sessions band: Shane
O'Mara lots of time in PK's bands (Coloured Girls)
Lisa has strong vocal presence and
provides good interpretations of the cover songs + her own songs are
excellent in there own right
Rating: 8.5
Claire Bowditch
-Her music sounds good
live, a pleasant communicator who was at ease with her audience. Her
voice is jazz infused and sultry but the folk overtones delight the
ears. She doesn’t sing pop songs, she tells stories and not the
conventional way. Bowditch’s music is not something that can be
judged after one listen. So perhaps she is an acquired taste, but one
befitting of this festival. It’s music to enjoy over a bottle of
wine.
Rating: 8.5, goes ok, will check her
CDs out
-I sensed a biting wit
- a highlight…had the runner decked
out in his 80's running gear (note short shorts, head band), who
ran a couple of circuits of the tent while she played her song
called "runner"
Mavis Staples
Looks like the Doctor out of Grey's
Anatomy
Big highlights came from
the soul/gospel contingent. When Mavis Staples cried out “I wanna
get through to you. You’re not alone!” heartfelt and loaded with
emotion, I felt the shivers and really believed her. In the presence
of this woman, 72 years old, who was right there with Martin Luther
King Jr in the beginning of the civil rights days, you can only be in
awe of her resilience and her unabated passion to the cause. She
reminded us of passed prejudices and the need for racial tolerance.
She speaks of her family’s dedication to the movement, and I wonder
if she could have ever imagined being in a place called Byron Bay
singing to us. She breaks into Freedom Highway, her voice charged
with power and conviction. “I’m determined to keep on walkin’.
I’m still on that highway, and I won’t stop until we reach
freedom. Hallelujah!” The song was written by Pa Staples, she
informs us, and the crowd goes nuts, hands waving in the air,
shouting out as if we are in Sunday morning service. Rating: 10
Irma Thomas
Irma Thomas, undisputed
queen of soul and the embodiment of all that New Orleans’ music is
loved for, had the Crossroads audience completely entranced with her
golden classics and personal stories of surviving Hurricane Katrina.
Her voice was flawless and as perfect as on her first recordings,
which she revisited in a set that played like a catalogue of the
golden era of soul and r n’b. Rating: 10
Michael
Franti
Michael Franti
set list highlights: Love Don't Want Hello Bonjour Shake It Anytime
You Need Me Sweet Little Lies The Sound of Sunshine I'll Be Waiting
Say Hey (I Love You)
- Franti then told the crowd of the
plight of Sarah Gapp, a fan who had suffered a stroke and become a
victim of locked-in syndrome. After a meaningful and heartfelt
appeal, he brought Sarah and her mother on to the stage, again to
wild applause.
- Leaving his band on stage, Franti
wove his way through the crowd, singing Hey Hey Hey, to a platform in
the centre of the tent, as the band watched on from the stage.
- As he began to close the show with
its sing-along chorus, the crowd bellowing along, the band produced a
birthday cake – turns out that it was Michael’s birthday. The
crowd sung a resounding, boozy, exhausted and loud “Happy Birthday”
as Michael blew out the candles on what was one of the most
incredible shows.
Straight into Michael
Franti - fantastic - dancing and jumping around. Love him.
- ‘I’m going to
downloaded his music when I got home’….Yvonne
- ‘My
highlights were Elvis, (great dance music), Michael Franti (could
replace Jack Johnson)’....Michelle
Birthday cake, locked
in syndrome, marriage proposal
Coming up in
crowd...next to us
Looked older and has
put on a little belly on
Rating: 10
Buffy Saint Marie
-in her 60's and still going strong.
like Grace Jones she's looking remarkably good for her age
-from her songs and attitude she is a
very strong advocate for her causes and all minority groups being ravaged
by big business -pretty angry about it all
-gives us a song called "bury my
heart at wounded knee" .. Protest, protest, protest
-this is a smart lady with a lot of
kick in her
-her songs were vg and she and her
(North American) Indian band performed well
Rating: 9, different, constructive
protest with subdued anger. Has good history to boot.
Michelle
Shocked
-another who is still in good order
after all these years
-another protester; big business
ripping off the little guy, i.e. the right to collective bargaining
... under threat in USA
- Unaccompanied
- ok but not outstanding
Michelle Shocked is
celebrating 25 years since her first album release.
- handful of stories
about politics and rebellion and running away from home, to backfill
her tunes. There was more talking than singing but her set was
pleasant. The voice was strong and whimsical and well worth a listen
or two. ‘The Campfire Girl’ as she is apparently known, can
certainly use her guitar and has a lot of heart behind her words.
- long biographical
stories: how she ran away from home in East Texas at 16, her bad acid
trip in San Francisco that put her in a mental hospital; her life in
New York as a "skateboarding punk-rocker" and feeling
homesick in Amsterdam. Shocked also told the story about her long,
long fight in the European courts to regain the copyright and
royalties to her "first album" Texas Campfire Tapes,
originally released in 1986 as a bootleg recording, something Shocked
was completely unaware of until a friend complimented her on her
album. Hence, Shocked won't allow anyone to record her performing. In
a nod to the YouTube era, she told the audience that if anyone did
post her performance on the video-sharing website, then they should
put up the solidarity song, Hope in Hard Times, which she dedicated
to the workers of Madison, in the US state of Wisconsin, who were
fighting to keep their benefits. The frankness and passion in her
Bluesfest performance is what has marked Michelle Shocked out for
special mention. She may have only performed five songs but when
Shocked hopped off stage in the final minutes of her set and perched
on the top of the security barrier between the stage and crowd, the
crowd took a sharp intake of its collective breath. "Bear with
me", Shocked said as she started playing Bob Dylan's Blowing in
the Wind. After the first verse, she began passing the microphone
around punters at the front and each sang a few lyrics from the song.
Now that's how you do a Dylan song. A rare moment. Rating: 8
Kasey Chambers
Patrick's feedback from Kasey Chambers
show; a quote from Kasey, speaking of her Banjo player:
"You have too many teeth to play
the banjo". Kasey delivered an entertaining show for her
die-hard fans. Full credit to her and her band for their playing
talents. Her father Bill was there, looking every bit the ‘Willy
Nelson’. As you know Kasey likes to talk, one story she told us was
of her friendship with her roadie “Worm” who she had known and
been friends with since high school (she was best man at his wedding
and he was ‘mate’ of honour at hers). Worm actually co-wrote the
track “barricades and brick walls” off the album that launched
her career so she unashamedly says she might just owe her success to
her roadie.
Her husband Shane
Nicholson joined her for a song as expected and the two sounded great
together. She paid homage to Bluegrass as a kind of encore and
performed ‘not pretty enough’ and the Bee Gees ‘Stayin’
Alive’ in said fashion. The straight version of Pretty had the
audience singing in full voice and her commentary on how the record
industry wanted her to change but she resisted, another story…rating
8
Shane Nicholson
-Top backing band ... Same as Kasey's
but change of fiddler/mandolin player who was voted top in both
instruments at CMA
Rating: 8.5
Other Artists
“Kate Heike Miller (voice of an
angel); Irma and the chubby guy from blind boys. Ash Grunwald was
great but I slept through the lot despite the loudness”.
...Michelle
Gurrumul warmed his vocals with
SALTWATER band earlier but took to the stage for a solo set. His
music is soothing and being blind and playing the guitar as well as
he does…he is fantastic. Being the son of one of the members of YOTHU
YINDI put him in the spotlight, being blind focussed our attention…
Niki was supposed to report on the
Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Cat Empire, etc…all the bands she loves;
but didn’t come through.
The Last Say!
22nd annual Byron Bay Bluesfest; the
line up was stellar and will never be repeated. Seeing Ben Harper
with his original band, Bob Dylan, BB King, Elvis Costello & The
Imposters, Los Lobos, Blind Boys of Alabama with Aaron Neville, Grace
Jones, Mavis Staples, ZZ Top, Kasey Chambers, Warren Haynes, Michael
Franti & Spearhead, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Cat Empire, Derek
Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, Robert Randolph & the Family
Band, Fistful of Mercy, Mavis Staples, Tony Joe White, Indigo Girls,
Kate Miller-Heike, Washington, Jethro Tull, ZZ Top, John Legend ,
Grace Jones, Gurrumul, Toots & Maytals, Wolfmother, Irma Thomas,
Buffy Sainte-Marie, George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic, Luciano and
the Jah Messenjah Band, Ernest Ranglin, Fishbone, Tim Robbins &
The Rogues Gallery Band and Michelle Shocked. possibly the best
musical line-up in Australian festival history, a brilliant community
atmosphere and terrific weather (for the most part). Bluesfest 2011
was without a doubt a resounding success, the year will be very hard
to beat!
