Elvis is in the Building!
Names drop like musical notes
– and me, once again, am caught without an umbrella…
Apologies for the paraphrase, but when I envisioned dropping the names of some of the musical heavy-weights we had the good fortune to listen to at the Byron Bay Bluesfest 2014, I “saw” the names coming down like rain; like the tears in the old Michael Franti song: Caught Without An Umbrella. Music is like that, I guess; it makes for unusual connections.
I remember, many years ago, walking up to the sales register in a record store with a number of CDs: a 1953 recording of Mozart’s horn concertos; an Australian punk-rock album, popular with under-15s that I was buying for my daughter; the first studio album by Michael Franti’s Spearhead (see: Michael Franti and Spearhead); an older album by a contemporary jazz quartet; an early rock compilation; a classic Tony Joe White collection of “swamp music” and a couple of other disk I have forgotten. The store’s owner-operator raised one eyebrow and looked at me quizzically: “You have an eclectic taste in music,” he pronounced, dryly.
I guess he is right: eclectic, but lazy. That’s one of the reasons I love music festivals like Bluesfest: even though it is billed as “Blues and Roots”, in all honesty, almost anything goes! What better place to sample a broad range of music: from the classic roots to the leading edge; small bands and big names; local and over-seas.
Our first two days got off to a great start (Full Blast and Full Colour) and continued with a rich mix of sounds.
Get in Early!
Hearing great bands doesn’t always mean seeing them very well. We delighted in listening to tracks from folk-rock singer-songwriter Jack Johnson from a long way back in the big Mojo tent. Zach Gill joined him on accordion for the laid-back crowd-pleaser “Belle / Banana Pancakes”.
Accordion pop music? How’s that for eclectic?
Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes
In total antithesis to the soft sounds of Jack Johnson, Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes were belting out their brand of jazzy doo-wop in black vinyl dresses and hot red lighting, rounding out another night of varied music.
Clairy Browne
Smaller venues – in this case Delta tent – allow for closer access to performers.
Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience’s Grammy
Early Saturday we were in the Cavanbah tent listening to the infectious Terrance Simien as he explained Zydeco (Louisiana Afro-Creole roots) music and showed off the first Grammy he and his band won in 2009.
Another Accordion!
The two primary instruments in Zydeco are the accordion …
Stan Chambers (bass) and Ralph Fontenot (rubboard)
…and the rubboard or frottoir (French for friction strip) …
Audience Participation
… which children from the audience helped with.
Danny Williams
Keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Danny Williams, is proud to be part of both Grammy-winning albums. The most recent one, “Dockside Sessions”, won best regional roots music album in 2014.
Kate Miller Heidke
For a complete contrast, our next stop was for the Elizabethan-dressed, operatically-trained, in-your-face (language warning!) Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller Heidke.
Dreads, Beads and Tats
Music festivals are not just about the performers –
Face Paint and Cat’s Ears
– people-watching is half the fun.
Neville Brothers
With their distinctive mix of rhythm & blues, funk, jazz, and American R&B, the Neville Brothers, with Charles on saxophone and Aaron with his unique vibrato on vocals, filled the Crossroads tent with soul sounds.
“Bird on a Wire”
I don’t like people messing with my Leonard Cohen, but I can make an exception for Aaron Neville.
Belly Dancer
Back outside in the twilight, local belly dancers shake their stuff.
Camera Setup
Silhouetted against an almost-dark stage, a camera operator waits …
Gregg Allman
… for Gregg Allman, who sits high up on his keyboard like a Southern preacher at his pulpit.
Jeff Beck
The guitarist’s guitarist, Jeff Beck, with Rhonda Smith on bass, follows.
Morcheeba
Meanwhile, in Jambalaya Tent, British band Morcheeba, with their contemporary trip-hop rock, fronted by singer Skye Edwards, are pulling in the younger dance crowd.
We started our fourth festival morning with some choice Australian acts (Homegrown Favourites) before sampling performers from around the world in an assortment of musical styles.
Foy Vance
Early afternoon in the Mojo Tent …
Foy Vance
… singer-songwriter Foy Vance from Northern Ireland sings his original songs.
Nikki Hill
American vocalist extraordinaire Nikki Hill …
Nikki Hill
… set the Juke Joint on fire with early rock classics.
Playing for Change
More happy sounds come out of Mojo Tent as the performers from around the world who comprise Playing for Change sing their up-beat music; …
Chali 2na
… very different from the rap stylings from hip-hop artist Chali 2na in the Crossroads.
James Cotton Blues Band
In Delta, we went back to basics, and enjoyed music from some real blues veterans: singer Darrell Nulisch, harmonica legend James Cotton, and bass guitarist Noel Neal.
Nahko & Medicine for the People
Alternative Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Xavier Rudd joined the American group Nahko & Medicine for the People on stage for music with strong indigenous (First Nations) references.
India.Arie
Multi-award winning American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer, India.Arie performed in Mojo. Her R&B sounds and messages of education and empowerment are in contrast with …
KC and the Sunshine Band
… the pure sunny fun and disco party going on in Crossroads, where KC and the Sunshine Band were joined by exuberant leggy dancers.
Harry Wayne “K.C.” Casey
KC first formed the Sunshine Band in 1973 and had a number of disco-pop-funk hits before disbanding it in the early 1980s. The revival group has been performing since the mid-1990s.
Jeffery Reeves on Lead Guitar
Lights, dancers, horns, keyboards: KC and the Sunshine Band was one big party – and the audience was dancing along the whole time. Who says disco is dead?
After a second listen to the Cambodian Space Project, we checked out the young British Indie folk-rock performer, Jake Bugg.
Jake Bugg
Clearly a hit with the younger festival goers, …
… Jake Bugg is big voice from his spot on the stage.
Guitars Lined Up
Elvis Costello’s performance segued from one song to another, with guitar-changes, but no pause and very little patter.
Elvis Costello
With a career spanning almost four decades, countless songs and albums, numerous awards, including an Honorary Doctorate in Music and a Grammy, Elvis Costello’s performance was a fitting culmination of our five days of fabulous music.
“And memories come down and me once again
Am caught without an umbrella.”
Like I said at the outset: lots of names, big and small.
Lots of great music.
Pictures: 18-21April2014
[…] HillThis is another energetic firecracker that we’d seen at Bluesfest before (see: Musical Name-Dropping) and weren’t about to miss. Called a queen of R&B soul and rock, Nikki Hill had […]
[…] me back to my youth (see, for example: Bring on the Big Names; The Soundtrack of my Youth; Musical Name-Dropping; The Sound of Sunshine); others are more contemporary favourites that I am familiar with thanks to […]