Dan Condon: Sick Tunes, Bluesfest 2013

This time next week I'll be sitting in a camping chair (maybe), drinking a can of Tooheys New (almost certainly), soaking up the second day of what I believe to be the best five days of any year – the Byron Bay Bluesfest. It was Bluesfest that turned my love of music into a full blown obsession and encouraged me to delve back in time and seek out great, relatively unknown music from decades past. Some might believe that is to my detriment; whatever…

I first went to Bluesfest as a youngster in 2001, desperate to see Midnight Oil and Ben Harper, and I haven't missed one yet. I've come close – poverty, work, university, touring, overseas travel have all tried to stop me at one point or another – but the past 12 Easters I've spent with a whole variety of different people in beautiful Northern New South Wales, seeing bands I love and, more importantly, finding new ones to love.

I'll always be thankful to the event for giving me the chance to see Bo Diddley, Arthur Lee and Love, James Brown, Little Milton and Solomon Burke (especially Solomon Burke), artists I adore and, with the exception of Mr Brown, would struggle to make it out here any other way than as a part of this bill. But it's the new discoveries that are the most refreshing; here are five I'd suggest you keep your eye on this Easter.

Shuggie Otis

I must admit to being somewhat concerned about how Shuggie is going to go; reviews of his recent shows in the United Kingdom hardly fill me with a great confidence about what he and his band will bring to the table.

But his songs are brilliant, he's hopefully still an incredible guitarist and he told me a couple of weeks ago that has put together “the best band [he's] ever played with”, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this will be unforgettable for all the right reason, rather than all the wrong ones.

JD McPherson

It was around 5.35am on a Friday morning in the middle of winter that I first heard this song. Driving in the car, listening to a local radio station, my sore eyes and general miserable demeanour seemed almost incurable until this song came on. I remembered the hook in the chorus and Googled the lyrics as soon as the car stopped and was shocked to hear it was a new release.

Oklahoma's JD McPherson released his debut LP Signs And Signifiers back in 2010, but it was until its re-release through Rounder Records in the United States last year that the 35 year old started to get any traction. His style is very much rooted in the tradition of 1950s rock'n'roll and he joins the growing list of artists who are able to authentically replicate not just the sound, but also the energy of great music from yesteryear. If you're into rockabilly, soul, rock'n'roll and rhythm'n'blues then you have gotta check him out.

Ben Caplan

Look, I'm not 100 percent sold on Caplan – probably closer to 75 – but I have been assured that his live show is brilliant so it is with great interest that I will head along to see him on his first visit to Australia. His appearance and the fact that he's lumped with the “folk” label mean that my initial impressions were a little incorrect; I'm pleased to say that his songs are gritty and genuinely interesting and his voice has a richness to it that demands attention. An obvious touchstone from an Australian point of view would be Henry Wagons, but rest assured Caplan is utterly unique. Bluesfest and his sideshows could well prove a good opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

Dr Burt

If you go to Bluesfest and don't see the Music Maker Foundation Revue then you have some serious issues. The not-for-profit foundation finds old blues players who are struggling financially, gets them gear, gets them gigs, makes sure their medical and housing needs are looked after and that they have a reason to continue playing music. Over the years they have brought us some incredible acts but this year's line-up is probably the best they've put together; a wide variety of styles played brilliantly by some real characters.

Dr Burt plays the kind of blues you'd imagine to hear coming from a porch in Birmingham, Alabama late on a Sunday afternoon and he returns for another stint at Bluesfest this year. His guitar playing is loose (though you'll understand why if you watch the clip), his voice weathered but the passion and inherent understanding of the blues makes his songs possess the kind of quality that simply can't be taught. Being shot, fighting his way through a five year prison stint,  I strongly urge you to watch the above clip and you'll know that you just have to go and see him.

Allen Toussaint

I'm not trying to insult your intelligence here, I know that many of you would be aware of the importance of the great Allen Toussaint in the scheme of blues, r'n'b and jazz. But for those who aren't aware, this New Orleans legend has written songs that have been recorded and made famous by the likes of Irma Thomas, The Yardbirds, Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, The O'Jays, Glen Campbell and scores more. He has also produced some of the best blues, r'n'b and funk records in history; Dr John, The Meters, Albert King, Lee Dorsey, Betty Harris Elvis Costello and Etta James are amongst the huge number of artists who have turned to Toussaint to make their records sound brilliant. Toussaint is a genuine legend who has had a hand in so much amazing music. Any chance to see someone of his stature must be taken.

If you make it to the event then get into the spirit of things; leave your worries back in the workplace and enjoy the best five days of the year in one of the greatest locations in the world. If you can't make it along, make plans to do so next year and head out and catch some sideshows while these great artists are in your part of the country.