Your Guide To The 2017 SAM Awards Blues/Root Nominees

Aaron Thomas

Aaron Thomas is a Tasmanian-born, Sydney-bred songwriter who spent the last 10 years in Madrid, Spain where he released three albums (Follow The Elephants, Made Of Wood and The Blues And Greens) as well as an EP and film soundtrack before relocating to Adelaide, South Australia. His second album was recorded in Iceland and produced by Valgeir Sigurddson (Bjork, Bonnie Prince Billy, Sam Amidon, Coco Rosie, Feist).

Ben McNeil

McNeil is without a band he relies solely upon himself to get things done. He kind of likes it that way. He’s just is a regular dude with big glasses who always gets called Buddy Holly or Elvis Costello, but he doesn't care because he's cool like that. He writes like Crowded House.

Big Seventies Bush

Funk psychedelia with lounge reggae overtones. Cocktails at five with a disco twist, break'n on down with grindhouse grooves, music to dance to standing up and lying down. Consisting of six members, Big Seventies Bush is driven by retro and vintage sounds.

Bridget Fahey

Bridget Fahey has been playing live music since the age of 14, from alleyway shows with crust punk bands to A Day Of Clarity Festival to busking on a gondola in Venice. Drawing influence from soul, blues and grunge, her brand of acoustic punk is like an amalgamation of Billie Holiday, The Mountain Goats and Patti Smith.

Cal Williams Jr

Multi-award winning blues singer/songwriter Cal Williams Jr combines the gentle fingerpicking of British folk with early blues for a sound that is both intricate and powerful.

Corey Theatre

Born in Daylesford, Victoria on Jaara land, Theatre first picked up the guitar at age 17 after his uncle taught him to pluck the strings to the sounds of Candy Man by Reverend Gary Davis, although it was a few years later when he attended the Centre of Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM), where Theatre’s journey as a musician was set and he found his voice as a singer-songwriter. Theatre's latest release Music is an uplifting and infectious track of his long awaited debut album Ngathuk Ngalina.

Donnarumma

Donnarumma are a rock three piece expressing the feelings of unrequited love and longing through driven Buckleysque anthems showcased in their electrifying stage presence. Love Your Man is the lead single off their debut EP, Billy Billy, released earlier this year.

Glass Skies

Glass Skies are a psych rock band who write tunes about the good times and feeling good. Since their beginning in late 2012, they have played shows with Pond, The Datsuns, Brant Bjork, Everclear, Shonen Knife, and more. Their debut album is expected for release soon.

Glenn Skuthorpe

With four highly-regarded albums to his name and music featured in documentaries such as John Pilger’s Utopia, Glenn Skuthorpe’s self-produced fifth album See My World is evocative of the wide-open road with its folk-rock sound infused and country/blues undertones. It demands the listener lean in closer, get on their feet and come along for the ride.

Kelly Brouhaha

Roots warrior Kelly Brouhaha is all about the feel-good side of life.  An award winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with achingly soulful vocals, her uplifting music is more than a simple band-aid to the blues.

Lazy Eye

Think Booker T sharing a scotch with BB King. Lazy Eye has earned a rep as one of the hardest working bands in the country and picked up a swag of accolades along the way. Their brand new offering, Pocket The Black, was judged 2016 Blues Album Of The Year (Adelaide Roots & Blues) and nominated for Best Album (2017 Australian Blues Music Awards).

Liquid Lunch

Liquid Lunch is an acoustic duo based on the Eyre Peninsula. Formed in late 2014 by Michele Akers (vocals, percussion) and Ken Eagle (guitar, backing vocals), they have travelled over 160,000kms, performed in excess of 200 gigs at 45+ different venues around South Australia. In March 2017 they released their self-produced and recorded debut EP, Sketches 2 Seed.

Nick Wilton

Nick Wilton is a blues guitarist and harmonica player who channels the likes of Muddy Waters Johnny Winter and Steve ray Vaughn when playing with his backing band.

Sitara

Sisters Erin and Tess Fowler have taken a lifetime of shared experience to create music that resonates with haunting emotion and honesty. Sitara features rich, soulful vocal harmonies with an evocative blend of soul and folk music. They have recently embarked on a monumental artistic journey to produce a Alchemy: The Visual Album - a 40 minute cinematic journey through their latest eight track release.

Wanderers

Trio Wanderers have cemented their place within the local industry with their captivating live show and musicianship that has translated effortlessly from record to stage. The trio refined their sound through countless live shows, which culminated in the release of their sophomore EP, Something For A Distraction.