Bluesfest Add Final Touches To 25th Anniversary Line Up
A couple of Aussie favourites and some under-the-radar Americans join in.
The final announcement of acts for Bluesfest's 25th anniversary has dropped and it has ensured that there is even more depth in the bill than before, making this one of the most astounding bills the festival have ever put together.
One of the most exciting parts of this announcement is the addition of a bunch of indigenous artists who will give us a taste of what is to come with this October's forthcoming Boomerang Festival. On top of that, there are some serious hidden gems from overseas (hint: The Mastersons, Coronet Blue) and some great Aussies to boot.
The final list of acts announced are:
Troy Cassar-Daley, John Williamson, Coronet Blue, Zane Carney, The Mastersons, Phil Manning, Round Mountain Girls, Claire Anne Taylor, Byron Bay High Schools, Glenn Skuthorpe, Chris Tamwoy, Jannawi Dancers, ACPA Dancers
The line up now sounds like this:
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Here are some thoughts on the final acts:
TROY CASSAR-DALEY
One of the biggest stars of Australian music, Troy Cassar-Daley is a great songwriter, a great guitarist, a great singer and a great bloke. He's one of the artists who has helped Australian country music charge on into the modern era and his return to Bluesfest will prove once again what a quality artist he truly is.
JOHN WILLIAMSON
What can we say? John Williamson is one of the most legendary living artists our country has ever produced. His songs are Australia; he has a way of speaking about typical iconic things that make our country great in a way that can't help but make you feel a little patriotic.
CORONET BLUE
This is far more exciting than you probably imagine. Coronet Blue is a serious supergroup, featuring some of the best musicians in quality power-pop that have ever been. Seriously, we're talking about guys who have played with Big Star, R.E.M., The Beach Boys, Don Henley, The Rolling Stones and a couple of really, really shit-hot producers who've worked with the likes of Pavement, The Smithereens and more. We're not sure why or how they are coming to Australia, but we're not complaining that they're a part of Bluesfest 2014.
ZANE CARNEY
Zane Carney was already coming to Bluesfest as a part of John Mayer's touring band, but now he has been locked in for a solo show on Thursday afternoon as well. He fronts the rock band Carney but has also just released his first solo EP, showing that he's an amazing frontman and songwriter as well as one of the best guitarists currently on the scene in the United States.
THE MASTERSONS
This Brooklyn-based husband and wife duo write brilliant alt-country songs and they sound bloody good singing them together. You might find The Mastersons a little familiar, and that's probably because both Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore are a part of Steve Earle's touring band The Dukes, meaning they were already kinda on the Bluesfest bill. They're well and truly worth seeing on their own as well, though, we promise. Their Birds Fly South LP will be out in Australia a couple of weeks before Bluesfest – get into it.
PHIL MANNING
Another artist who was already going to be in Byron – Phil Manning is one of the members of legendary Aussie blues fellas Chain – and a more than welcome addition to the bill in his own right. For decades he has been considered as one of our country's best guitarists and he's one of the best interpreters of blues music that we have ever produced; always a pleasure to catch, no matter who he's playing with.
ROUND MOUNTAIN GIRLS
These local larrikins are Bluesfest favourites; great musicians who inject an awful lot of energy into their performances. The Round Mountain Girls are five blokes who you might not expect, at first glance, would be taking their stuff all that seriously – but you just wait until you see them play. Incredible.
CLAIRE ANNE TAYLOR
The Bluesfest Busking Competition has been a big part of the event for years now – Kim Churchill got his start this way – and this year's winner Claire Anne Taylor is pretty good proof of the quality of talent that all vie for a spot on the bill through this contest.
GLENN SKUTHORPE
A great Australian songwriter who sings hardened tales reminiscent of gritty songwriters like Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle, Glenn Skuthorpe sings songs that are poetic and full of substance. His insights into all manner of aspect of his life will no doubt captivate plenty of new fans at Bluesfest this year.
CHRIS TAMWOY
This young guitarist has had music lovers around the world captivated as they swap YouTube videos of his performances through social channels and gun to find out more about Chris Tamwoy. A real talent hailing from Badu Island, Torres Strait who, at just 17, has the world at his feet.
Here's the full list of Bluesfest announcements:
You can get the Bluesfest timetable here, otherwise theGuide below has details of who is playing on what day.
Tickets are almost sold out, so if you've decided you need to get along – then grab one now from the Bluesfest website.
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