The countdown is on to find the best blues act — a band or solo performer — to represent The Blues Association of South East Queensland in Memphis, the day of the big reveal is here.
Eight finalists will be pitted against one another in an afternoon contest at Lefty's Music Hall in Caxton Street, Paddington on August 24.
Doors open at 12pm first act on stage 1pm.
These are the acts performing on the day, although not in this order:
- 8 Ball Aitken & Taya Chani,
- Dillion James Band,
- Sugarbag Blonde,
- LR Marsh,
- Shotgun Sam and HWFBB,
- Shade Hadie,
- The Midnight Sound Machine and
- Zed Charles.
Of the eight finalists, six are bands and two are solo performers.
The artists who will showcase their stuff at Lefty's will need little if any introduction to Brisbane's die-hard blues fans.
Here's the rundown, not in any particular order.
8 Ball Aitken & Taya Chani are stars in their own right and now are combining their talents to explore new musical adventures, as seen with a recent album, Nightbird, released early this year.
The eponymous title track hit No 1 on the most reliable regional charts, run by the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project. This success was followed by another No 1 Hit with Miss You The Most. Their band is rounded out with drummer Nik Downing and bassist Norman Downing.
The Dillion James Band is fronted by a veteran of the festival and blues gigging circuits. The BASEQ performer of the year in 2010, Dillion has delivered his New Orleans piano grooves and funky Hammond Organ sound at the Byron Bluesfest, Blues on Broadbeach, Woodford, Mitchell Creek and many more.
At the beginning of this year, Dillion's full length album, Heavy Keys, hit No 1 on the National Blues & Roots Airplay Chart.
Sugarbag Blonde, a product of the laid back Sunshine Coast blues scene, is known for their distinctive blend of original tunes and reworking of classic blues through the ages.
They've played Festivals from Byron to Agnes Waters and supported top national acts such as Thirsty Merc, Russell Morris, Kevin Borich and the blue/rock organ maestro Lacey Doley.
You get a sense of where L.R.Marsh is coming from in his listed influences: from Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and R.L.Burnside through to hard core blues/rock bands, AC/DC, The Black Keys, Rage Against the Machine and Queens of the Stone Age.
He stands as a solo act but through dynamic instrumentation, he aims for a big four-piece sound, using a homemade setup of foot-operated drums and percussion pedals, and dynamic guitar playing — he says it lands as "raw, real and live".
Shotgun Sam and his World Famous Blues Band exploded onto the Brisbane live music scene in a clapped-out Cadillac with what could only be described as high-energy blues/rock and party vibes. A self-confessed sonic overload of sharp vocals, heavy riffs, explosive blues harp, thumping bass and hard-hitting drumming is something to behold.
The dedication to this high energy, raw style is seen in their favourite places to play: Redlands Blues Festival, Blues Inn Bruthen, GreazeFest, Bronwyn Street Blues, the Brisbane Blues Cruise.
Beyond those roof-raising joints, they can be found at plenty of gigs across Brisbane drawing on influences that stretch back to 1940s delta blues and classic rock from later decades.
Shade Hadie is a straight to the feet and hips band, using their youthful energy to unleash the often-ignored analogue sound from 1960s blues/rock.
Lead singer/guitarist Buddy Moyes has one of those powerful, gravelly voices, fluctuating between understated restraint and explosive raw intensity, blending Howlin' Wolf's haunting grit with echoes of Tom Waits's jagged tones.
Moyes, who also blows a Little Walter-style blues harp, and fellow guitarist Oskar Thaw jam their instruments together, creating intricate harmonies and syncopation that fires off an electrifying and unpredictable blend of improvised blues. The front line is backed up with bassist Michael Georgas and percussionist/drummer Riley Sharp. They are the new wave of Brisbane's raw blues.
Zed Charles is a guitar playing solo act who has been creating a name for himself across Australia's eastern seaboard, bringing music that's heavily influenced by traditional blues mixing his unique style with a modern, rock n roll twist.
Zed has toured with his band The Royal Artillery and Sippy Downs as well as working with 8 Ball Aitken and Chev Wilson.
Staking out a new career move, Zed is flying solo, a bet laid down with the release of his debut album, Hear My Word, which climbed to No 2 on the Australian Blues & Roots Airplay Chart in just a few weeks.
The Midnight Sound Machine is one of Brisbane's premier bands for events, weddings, parties, and celebrations (literally, everything as Mick Thomas famously nailed to his own musical mast in 1996). Specialising in soul, Motown, R'n'B, funk, and that quintessential Stax Sound, the Sound Machine brings an electric energy that keeps the dance floor packed from start to finish.
By any measure, this is a top line up of the best blues talent that Brisbane and surrounds has to offer.
Sunday August 24 is bound to be an afternoon and evening that will live in musical memories for years to come and the act that comes out on top will be off to Memphis where, early next January, they'll mix it with performers from around the world with lots of fame and maybe a bit of fortune at the end of that rainbow. |
|
