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Paul Simon, Rufus Wainwright, Julia Stone & Gossling Added To WA Blues Fest

Dan Condon

It's shaping up to be a mighty tenth anniversary for the event.

A few more names have been added to the West Coast Blues 'N' Roots Festival on this, their tenth anniversary.

Grammy-award winning artist Paul Simon and Canadian singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright have both been added to the Fremantle event, as well as a few Aussie favourites in Julia Stone, Gossling and The DomNicks.

They join Robert Plant, Santana, Ben Harper, Jimmy Cliff, Iggy & The Stooges, Wilco and plenty more.

The event runs across Saturday 23 March and Sunday 24 in the beautiful Fremantle Park.

PAUL SIMON:

Yes his work with his mate Art Garfunkel as Simon & Garfunkel was incredible and insanely influential and timeless and all that, but that is just one very small element of the professional career of the great Paul Simon. In 1985 and 1986 he made a record called Graceland which fused the music of Africa with contemporary western music in a way that few considered to be possible. It shone the spotlight on the music of Africa in western society in a way that hadn't been seen since the popularisation of blues music. He also wrote Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard, 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover and You Can Call Me Al which might be three of the best songs ever written, so, y'know.

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT:

The Wainwright's are a disturbingly talented bunch; his old man Loudon, his sadly departed mother Kate McGarrigle and sister Martha have all carved out acclaimed careers in what would loosely be deemed folk music, but Rufus Wainwright is perhaps the most well-recognised of them all. He released his eponymous debut around a decade-and-a-half ago and has gone from strength to strength since then; his most recent release, this year's Out Of The Game, getting fantastic reviews across the board. His enormous Australian fan base will be beside themselves with the news that he is finally hitting the Bluesfest stage.

JULIA STONE:

With a little bit of time away from her brother, Julia Stone has been able to show something of a different side of both her songwriting and performing style and Australian audiences have truly lapped it up. With a record and a bunch of touring keeping her super busy over the past few months, you can be sure that she is performing at full strength and still will be once the West Coast event comes around.

GOSSLING:


Fresh from singing for the new Woolworths ad campaign and the hit single Boys Like You with your man 360, Gossling is forging a path of her own. Her debut album will be released early next year through Dew Process, so keep your eye out for new tracks.