Oh look it's another belated blues wrap-up

Apologies for the ridiculous lateness of this; excuses can basically be summed up as "life: it's full of stuff and things".

Saturday was spent entirely in the Old Town Hall, a new venue which took advantage of the old council chambers for more intimate performances - sadly lacking in the beverage department, alas! (And by beverages I mean booze, of course. This is blues musicians we're talking about.)

First up were Balding & Croft, a blues duo from Tasmania. Although they've only been performing together seven years, they both have about 40 years of blues-playing each under their belts. There were several dips into the folksongs and depression-era music, the highlight for me being "One Meat Ball" - the almost hair-raising effect of their vocal harmonies in the chorus was glorious.

Next was Damien Coen and Paul Johnston from Damien Coen & the Fathers of Necessity, playing a more acoustic-oriented set than the full band (duh). Catchy, laid-back originals - Damien was one of my favourite discoveries of the festival.

And finally, Stringybark McDowell. Totally awesome. Thick dreads topped by a malevolent brain-eater of a hat. With growly, snarling vocals, spectacular finger-picking on banjo or guitar, and two-footed acoustic beats, he filled the musical spectrum so that it sounded like a full band. Ooh, youtube clip of his cool medley! (Sinnerman/Motherless Child/17th Century poem I Am Stretched On Your Grave) A real talent, but lordy he was LOUD! I just about recovered my hearing in time for Sunday ;)...

Sunday (starting at the very civilised bluesician hour of 1pm) began with the Blues Preachers. These guys were the only band I knew this year, and they were still awesome as ever with their Depression-era music. At the risk of turning this into an ambiguous wine-tasting review: harmonious, rolling, spectrum-filling (although I mourn the absence of the washboard this time).

Then it was Brian Fraser in the Lieder Theatre with the axe. Brian Fraser is that white-haired ponytail-wearing Wise Beard Man kind of musician, and his appearance matched his talent on the guitar - the smooth and practiced result of years of playing. Beautiful, excellent finger-picking, a gruff voice, and music ranging from the serious (The River Ran Red) to the wryly humorous (Don't Ask Me).

And then my final artist of the festival, Col Ray Price. I truly regret missing this guy's blues history workshop earlier on, because he was amazing. While most of his songs are originals, they are strongly rooted in Delta blues traditions and sounds. Highlights were many, but included a version of 'St James Infirmary' melded with 'The Streets of Loredo' (some speculate they were once part of the same song before they diverged - see what scholarly coolness I missed out on at that workshop?). You know how some people collect multiple covers of the same song - Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah', for instance - and judge the talent of the artist by their interpretation, like with jazz standards? I think 'St James Infirmary' might be mine. Collard Greens & Gravy, Blues Preachers, Col Ray Price: St James Infirmary seal of approval.
Also, I've never before thought a kazoo could a) work in a serious song or b) evoke an incredibly seedy blues joint. I am now pleased to be enlightened.

And so it is over for another year. Blues mix upcoming!



(just add about five more for an accurate reflection...)
~