My Favourite BluesFest Artists

The grin from ear to ear that Elise and I have at the moment, is because we are super excited about attending our favourite music festival Bluesfest. When we were asked to attend and potentially interview some of the musicians that perform, we didn’t need to think about it…our answer was “Hell Yeah!”

We have attended the Bluesfest in previous years and we are feeling the same excitement now as we have in the past, leading up to the event. Each and every year it showcases artists we love and their performances are always amazing. As we count down the weeks until Bluesfest, we have many of the artists we will see live on our playlists constantly!

What is more exciting about this year than any others is that we will be heading into the festival with media passes. This means we will be able to bring you videos and photos from all areas of Bluesfest as well as some great shots of the artists everyone is there to see. Our aim is to take you along for the ride that is Bluesfest!

Many of the artists have strict media guidelines, but if we are lucky enough to interview some musicians you will be the first to see those interviews and we can’t wait to share them on Positive World Travel. Plus, we’ll be super excited to talk to some of our favourite musos in person!

So, if we are chosen to interview the artists on our list, we would love for you to tell us what we should ask them too.

On the top of our Interview Request is none other than…

John Butler Trio

We have been following John Butler Trio from as long as I can remember and the very first time we saw him and his band live was at our first Bluesfest event and it has stayed with us ever since. There is something very special about John Butler and now with his new sound we are really looking forward to seeing them this year.

John Butler is synonymous with Bluesfest and it just would be a bluesfest if he wasn’t on the bill. We recognise him as a roots superstar in Australia and he is slowly gaining recognition overseas and his fans are growing substantially.  It’s a long way from the time when, back in 1998, he was busking on the streets of Fremantle, West Australia!  He is regarded as Australia’s most succesful independent artist  and has been highly acclaimed which has earned him 5 aria awards over the years.

John Butler has even started his own record label, Jarrah records and who knows what is next…maybe world domination to spread his word of peace and unity. We love his music and everything he stands for and we would be overwhelmed to be sitting in front of him but overjoyed with happiness to be in the presents of such an unbelievable performer. Fingers crossed he selects us to interview him!

Blue King Brown

This band is one of our all-time favourite bands in the world! I also saw them first on the stages of Bluesfest and was introduced to them by Elise after she heard their track ‘water’ over the radio on Triple J. We have now seen this unbelievable band 9 times and whenever they are touring we will be the first in line to buy tickets. You, could kind of call us groupies in a way, but we just love everything about Blue King Brown.

Once you see these guys live no other live band will be the same. They are our bench mark for measuring live performances . Elise and I always turn to each other and say ” they were good but not as good as Blue King Brown”. Their show is packed with adrenaline and this 8 piece band will have you dancing all night. They mix their music with crowd interaction and you feel like you become part of the show.

“Natalie is a bright light in the world with a vision that extends beyond the stage and together with the rest of the band raise the roof off every show they play. I love em!!!” – Michael Franti 

Elise and I are guilty of being front and centre at every performance, singing the words alongside lead singer Natalie Pa’ ap’ a. We love the messages of this music and the dub style rhythms and many layers of sounds from this large band.

It would be an honor to interview Natalie from from Blue King Brown, after following them around at their gigs throughout Sydney and Bluesfest.

Dallas Frasca

We saw this lovely lady also for the first time at a supporting act for Xavier Rudd at a Sydney show. With nothing more but a guitar, a stomp box and a second guitarist she wowed us from her very first song. She has a husky voice that resonates deep within you and when you see her live you just get captivated by her presence. This is another artist that we will be lining up to see at this years Bluesfest.

“The modern day Janis Joplin” Triple J

She is a strong woman that doesn’t take shit from no-one and this is really portrayed through her performance on stage. When she sings you know about it and there is definite passion and authenticity in her delivery that you can’t help but be compelled.

Recently she added a drummer to the band and has recorded a new album titled “sound painter” which we are really looking forward to hearing. In the meantime we will have to be mesmerised  by her at this years Bluesfest.

Josh Pyke

This is will be our first time that we will see Josh Pyke live and this is first appearance at the Bluesfest. We are looking forward to seeing what he gets up to on stage and if his song writing is anything to go by then we should be in for an entertaining performance.

Josh Pyke has a number of aria awards under his belt already and it is about time that he ventured up to Bluesfest this year to showcase his talent. We are looking forward to his unique style of story telling and  he has a new album out that is title “Only Sparrows” which he wrote while in NYC in the winter time.

He has also support a number of international and Australia artists over the years like John Butler Trio, but has now spent more time concentrating on his own tours and refining his live performance. This is an artist we are really looking forward to and we hope he lives up to our expectations.

Sublime with Rome

I have listened to Sublime for 10 years now and I still love there sound of ska and dub style music. I couldn’t believe it when I first found out that the lead singer had died and I then thought that it was the end of Sublime. I am super excited at the fact the band has now found a new lead singer and is touring across the world again and this is a performance that I just won’t be able to miss.

It will be interesting to see how their music has changed and evolved over the years (and hopefully they will throw in a few oldies into the set list when performing at this years Bluesfest). The addition of  Rome Ramirez, a 21-year-old Californian is to relaunch the band and give festival goers a look at what Sublimes is like live.

Sublime has vowed that they never have a specific set list and never ever play the same live set twice. They play for the fans that are in the crowd and do this through their song selection as they go. They will be playing an eclectic mix from all sublimes old albums as well as some new tracks they have been working on with Rome.

I can’t freakin’ wait to be bouncing around in the crowd and listening to all the tunes I love and know.

Ziggy Marley

This guy has entertained fans at Bluesfest over the years and he brings a unique sound of reggae/rock/ dub to the stage. We have seen him perform a couple of times and he never disappoints us when on stage. He takes his inspiration from his father Bob Marley and fuses it with new and interesting sounds.

You never know what to expect from Ziggy when on stage but we are sure to be entertained with him and his band. Whenever we see him live we feel like we see a part of Bob Marley always shinning through. It would be a great honour to be able to interview a sibling of “the father of reggae” and who a justified artist in his own right.

What Should We Ask?

We may have an opportunity to interview the Bluesfest artists above and we would love for you to contribute to the questions we will be asking. That is why we need you help,! All you need to do is write in the comments below, a question for any of the artists above. If we get an opportunity to interview the artist we may select one of your questions and it will be featured in the interview articles as well as the video.

We need your questions! What would you ask these artists?