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An Intimate Evening with Jon Anderson – The Voice of Yes – two shows – 10 & 11 April!

 
One of the most recognisable & influential voices in progressive rock, as the lead vocalist and creative force behind the band Yes, JON ANDERSON was central to that band’s phenomenal success. Jon’s solo show includes many classic tales from his days with the supergroup and his ensuing solo career as well as the timeless songs from all across the Yes songbook & his own eclectic solo work.
 
Jon was the author and a major creative influence behind the series of epics produced by the legendary supergroup Yes including  such complex pieces as “Close to the Edge”, “Awaken”, and especially “The Gates of Delirium.” Additionally, Jon co-authored the group’s biggest hits, including “I’ve Seen All Good People,” Roundabout,” and “Owner Of A Lonely Heart.” Noted for singing in his original Lancastrian accent, this is a chance to see this truly unique musician perform solo, up close and personal.
 
“Yes, Jon still is the voice…Anderson’s voice remains exquisite, never more so than on Find My Way Home, Wondrous Stories and the sublime Soon excerpt from The Gates Of Delirium.” 
– EXPRESS & STAR
 
Irish-born JON ANDERSON, started off fronting Mabel Greer’s Toyshop, before forming Yes, however his musical career has never been creatively limited. Be it working on four celebrated albums with Oscar winner Vangelis, or playing with the likes of Toto, Glass Hammer, Dream Theatre, Kitaro, King Crimson, Mike Oldfield, Peter Machajdik, Gowan, Rick Wakeman’s concept album ‘1984’ and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones or producing 13 highly acclaimed solo albums. Jon has always found different avenues for creativity, be it composing and playing with dozens of orchestras throughout the world, composing ballet scores or contributing to countless film scores and painting. 
 
2013 will mark JON ANDERSON’s first ever solo Bluesfest and sideshow appearances. A masterful musician, a weaver of stories both verbal and musical, JON ANDERSON will make these nights linger long in the memory.
THE CORNER, MELBOURNE – Wednesday April 10, 2013 – Bookings: www.bluesfesttouring.com.au  or (02) 6685 8310  (LIMITED RESERVED SEATING)
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Peace Love Ukulele – JAKE SHIMABAKURO live at the Corner Hotel Friday, 5 April

“Jake is taking the instrument to a place that I can’t see anybody else catching up with him.”
– Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) after releasing his own album of ukulele songs
“Forget everything you know about the ukulele…and go do a Google search. The first video that pops up won’t be some grainy clip of Tiny Tim or George Formby but a performance by a hair-gelled 34-year old Hawaiian named Jake Shimabukuro.”
– Time Magazine

 

When Jake last played Bluesfest in 2008 the word went out and the buzz filtered through the festival about the young Hawaiian guy shredding it on the uke that resulted in a swell of excitement for his second set last time. It’s rare for a young musician to earn comparisons to the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis. It’s even harder to find an artist who has entirely redefined an instrument by his early thirties. But Jake Shimabukuro (she-ma-boo-koo-row) has already accomplished these feats, and more, in a little over a decade of playing and recording music…on the ukulele.On his most recent album ‘Peace Love Ukulele’ (which debuted at #1 on the Billboard World Album Chart), Jake and his “uke” effortlessly (it seems) mix jazz, rock, classical, traditional Hawaiian music, and folk, creating a sound that’s both technically masterful and emotionally powerful…and utterly unique in the music world.
For Jake, his life has always centered on the ukulele. He started playing the instrument at the age of 4, at the urging of his mother (who also played). “Everyone plays in Hawaii,” he says. “But I became obsessed with it.” Although a few well-received album releases helped the musician earn some fame in Hawaii, his career really skyrocketed when a YouTube clip of him performing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in Central Park went viral – with over 10.5million views and counting.
Celebrity fans and collaborations include Bela Fleck and Flecktones, Bette Midler, Yo-Yo Ma, Cyndi Lauper, Ziggy Marley, Levon Helm, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Les Paul, Dave Koz, Chris Botti, and Jimmy Buffett. He’s played on shows like “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “The Late Show with Conan O’Brien,” “The Today Show” and “Last Call with Carson Daly,” was a featured artist on NPR’s “Weekend Edition,” and more recently was a featured artist on Rolling Stone Live. He’s landed slots on the Monterrey and Playboy Jazz Festivals, performed at Google and the influential TED conference, and performed in front of the Queen of England in Blackpool (alongside Bette Midler). Jake also received a cameo in the Adam Sandler movie “Just Go with It,” where he also recorded a few songs for the soundtrack.Forget everything you think you know about the limitations of this traditional Hawaiian instrument and let this young uke axeman show you a thing or two.
Be warned – he’ll make you want to pick one up and have a go

“If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place,” says Shimabukuro. Get your masterclass when Jake Shimabukuro shreds his uke in your town.

In Melbourne at the Corner Hotel – ONE SHOW ONLY – 5 April.  Tix at www.cornerhotel.comjakejump

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Blind Boys of Alabama/Allan Toussaint/Sweet Honey In The Rock at Hamer Hall, 3 April! Get your Gospel on!

PEOPLE GET READY!
It’s time to get your Gospel on!
Bluesfest Touring presents

For 1 show only in Melbourne at Hamer Hall, 3 April – 8pm!

The Blind Boys of Alabama / Allen Toussaint / Sweet Honey In The Rock

“This ensemble is the gold standard…their voices are all fabulous, and they unite to create a sound so pure, smooth and homogenous that it does not seem humanly possible.” Fort Worth Star Telegram
The living legends of gospel music will be returning to Australian Shores with their glorious meld of gospel, blues and rock n roll.
It’s harder to find a more joyful sound than their unforgettable shows filled with laughter and packed with emotion.Winners of 5 GRAMMY Awards and honored with the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award (2009) are just some of their career highlights. The Blind Boyshave shared the stage and collaborated with the finest musicians and songwriters including Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, Mavis Staples, Tom Petty, John Fogerty and Peter Gabriel just to name a few. 

Performing with The Blind Boys of Alabama is Grammy award-winning, all-woman, acappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Their music is a celebration of the rich textures of their African-American legacy & traditions through their stunning vocal prowess that captures the complex sounds of Blues, traditional gospel hymns, reggae, African chants, hip hop, ancient lullabies and jazz improvisation.On the same bill, is Allen Toussaint, who is absolutely deserving of the title ‘Legend’ for his shaping of the sound of R&B, soul and funk as we know it, Allen Toussaint brings his incredible canon of production, soundtrack and composition work to Australia. One of the most influential figures in New Orleans R&B, Allen Toussaint has produced, written for, arranged, had his songs covered by, and performed with music giants Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Plant/Krauss, The Who, Patti LaBelle, Dr. John, Aaron and Art Neville, Trombone Shorty, Joe Cocker, The (original) Meters, Glen Campbell, The Band, Little Feat, The Rolling Stones, Devo, Lee Dorsey, Irma Thomas, Etta James, Ramsey Lewis and countless others.

Be blown away by the effortless beauty that is Sweet Honey In The Rock when they play as special guests to the incomparable Blind Boys of Alabama.

Let the spirit move you. 🙂allen-toussaint-horiz-michael-wilson-fountain
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Roger Hodgson & Band – The Voice of Supertramp – Thursday 28 March, Palais Theatre

Roger Hodgson_jpegThu 28 March 2013

-Bringing his full band to Australian for the first time-

Roger Hodgson has been recognised as one of the most gifted composers, songwriters and lyricists of our time. As the legendary voice of Supertramp and composer of many of the band’s greatest hits, he gave us “Give a Little Bit,” “The Logical Song,” “Dreamer,” “Take the Long Way Home,” “Breakfast In America,” “It’s Raining Again” “Fool’s Overture” “School”  and so many others that have become the soundtrack of our lives.

Hodgson co-founded the progressive rock band Supertramp in 1969 and was with them for 14 years. He wrote and sang most of the classic hits that brought Supertramp worldwide acclaim. During the time that Roger led the band, Supertrampbecame a worldwide phenomenon, and albums like “Crime of the Century” and “Breakfast In America” helped them to sales of well over 60 million albums.

His songs have remarkably stood the test of time and Roger Hodgson recently received 2 awards from ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) for his songs being in the top played songs in their repertory. And don’t think it’s all in the past.

Roger Hodgson is currently performing across the Americas and Europe in support of his latest release “Classics Live”.

Don’t miss this one-off opportunity to spend an evening with one of the world’s finest composers and lyricists.

www.rogerhodgson.com

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Tomorrow – Wednesday 27 March – Bonnie Raitt & Mavis Staples at the Arts Centre,Melbourne

BLUESFEST TOURING PRESENTS:
Bonnie Raitt & Mavis Staples
 
Two divas, One extraordinary show.
Combine a guitar virtuoso, highly acclaimed songwriting and the inspiration for a legion of country alt singers across the world and you get rock royalty BONNIE RAITT.
The recent 2013 Grammy Awards saw Bonnie Raitt collect her tenth Grammy for ‘Slipstream’ (Best Americana Album). It is no wonder that she is rated by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the Top 100 Guitarists and Vocalists of all time. Australian Guitar Magazine recently named her one of the top 10 guitarists to check out at this year’s Bluesfest.
Special guest on these sideshows is the legendary rhythm and blues diva MAVIS STAPLES. For over 60 years Mavis has been a trailblazer, delivering power, passion and soul in her gospel music. Mavis won her first Grammy in 2011 for ‘You Are Not Alone’ (Best Americana Album) produced by Jeff Tweedy from Wilco. She is a Lifetime Achievement Grammy award winner and named as one of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll.
Watch Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy perform You Are Not Alone: http://youtu.be/KW0kE6mucFY
Bonnie Raitt and Buddy Guy perform Sweet Home Chicago for President Obama: http://youtu.be/TawPDwaa09Q
Download ‘Used To Rule The World’ by Bonnie Raitt for radio airplay: http://yousend.it/ViytYz
Melbourne – Arts Centre, State Theatre            
Wednesday 27 March 2013
All Bluesfest Sideshow Information: www.bluesfesttouring.com.au
 bonnieraitt255x255
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Tedeschi Trucks Band with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue – 26 March Hamer Hall!

Bluesfest Touring presents

Grammy Award winners, guitar-slinging royalty and husband and wife dynamic combination, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks bring their Tedeschi Trucks Band to perform for one night only at Hamer Hall.
This 11 piece band overflowing with talent and familial harmony earned a Grammy for Best Blues Album with their first album, Revelator in 2011. Their sophomore album Everybody’s Talkin’, in May 2012 debuted in the top 25 of Billboard’s top albums chart and has maintained a top 3 position on the best-selling blues albums chart since its release.Following his awesome slide-guitar work with The Allman Brothers to his position for over a year as Eric Clapton’s featured soloist, Derek Trucks became the youngest musician to make Rolling Stone’s “Top 100 Guitarists of All Time” – and the only one in the Top Twenty under the age of 50!

Arguably this generation’s greatest female blues guitarist / singer, Susan Tedeschi burst onto the scene with her breakthrough album ‘Just Won’t Burn’ and from here won multiple awards. Susan Tedeschi is an exceptional blues guitarist, possessing an awe-inspiring vocal prowess with an ability to dig deep and deliver powerful R&B belters or wrap her voice around a gentle ballad.

Performing with the Tedeschi Truck Band is Troy ‘Trombone Shorty’ Andrews and Orleans Avenue. They stir together old-school New Orleans jazz, funk and soul, laced with hard-rock power chords and hip-hop beats which has led to rave reviews wherever they play.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue stir together old-school New Orleans jazz, funk and soul, laced with hard-rock power chords and hip-hop beats which has led to rave reviews wherever they play. Their latest album For True, featuring Kid Rock, Jeff Beck, Warren Hayes and Lenny Kravitz, debuted at # 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart, and remained in the top 5 for over 50 weeks. Troy ‘Trombone Shorty’ Andrews is the most awarded artist in Offbeat Magazine’s 2012 Awards with six wins including Artist & Album of the year.This lineup will probably NEVER be repeated – the Tedeschi Trucks Band with special guests Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue!MKT_Trombone Shorty-Colour

Don’t miss this extraordinary show!

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ROBERT CRAY – TAJ MAHAL – SHUGGIE OTIS – TONITE! MARCH 24 AT HAMER HALL, MELBOURNE CBD! BLUES TIME, BABY!!!

 

ROBERT CRAY – TAJ MAHAL – SHUGGIE OTIS

It’s BLUES TIME !

For the first time – 3 legendary artists  – on ONE incredible night !!

MELBOURNE THE ARTS CENTRE – HAMER HALL SUNDAY MARCH 24Robert Cray

 

It’s been seven long years since ROBERT CRAY has toured Australia, but he and his long-serving band still shred the blues like never before and we couldn’t be more excited about the ‘Strong Persuader’ returning for this series of Bluesfest sideshows around Easter 2013.

“Every time somebody asks me about where my music comes from, I give them …. a little rock, soul, jazz, blues, a little gospel feel. It’s pretty wide open. It’s hard to put a tag on it”

This effortless genre crossover is filtered through some of his most definitive songs like Smoking Gun, I Guess I Showed Her, Phone Booth and I Was Warned.   From his impressive catalogue it’s easy to see why he has 5 Grammy Awards (and 15 nominations) safely tucked into his guitar case, millions of record sales worldwide, is a Blues Hall of Fame inductee (one of the youngest to receive the prestigious honour), and why Fender guitars have made not one, but two signature Robert Cray Stratocaster guitars. He’s played with the greats including long time friend Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, Albert Collins and John Lee Hooker and through his sixteen Billboard charting albums, has become “one of the greatest guitarists of his generation.” Rolling Stone Magazine crediting him as reinventing the blues with his “distinct razor sharp guitar playing” that “introduced a new generation of mainstream rock fans to the language and form of the blues”.

You could call TAJ MAHAL a singer, composer, producer, two-time Grammy-winner, world-class musical collaborator, musicians’ advocate, world traveller, fisherman or cigar aficionado. These titles are all accurate, yet none convey the warmth, humour, and soulfulness of Taj and his music.

He has been playing his own distinctive brand of music – variously described as Afro-Caribbean blues, folk-world-blues, hula blues, folk-funk, and a host of other hyphenations – for more than 40 years.   A 2009 inductee into the Blues Hall of Fame, Taj Mahal’s has received a huge nine Grammy Award nominations over his career, and has won two of these: the first in 1997 with Best Contemporary Blues Album for Señor Blues, and again in 2000 with Best Contemporary Blues Album for Shoutin’ in Key.

“The one thing I’ve always demanded of the records I’ve made,” he says, “is that they be danceable”. Cue the music: Linda Lou,  Fishin’ Blues & Paint My Mailbox Blue   for starters – and let the good times roll.

A perennial Bluesfest favourite, last time round TAJ MAHAL played to sell-out crowds alongside Buddy Guy. This time looks set to repeat as he joins the ‘It’s Blues Time!’ Tour.

First up on this extraordinary Blues Tour is SHUGGIE OTIS – son of legendary R ‘n’ B bandleader Johnny Otis.  A musical prodigy he was playing with his father by the time he was 13 and from the word go displayed an uncanny mastery of the blues guitar. He wrote Strawberry Letter 23, a world-wide multi-million selling single for the Brothers Johnson in spring 1977 , and guested for Frank Zappa on the Hot Rats album – and with Mos Def on his album The New Danger. in His Inspiration Information album from 1974 has been lauded by many, including Prince, Lenny Kravitz and David Byrne as a cult masterpiece. In Feb 2013 Inspiration Information will be re-issued complete as a double album package, which will include a set of sought after unreleased masters.

 

Take this rare opportunity to see, for the first time, THREE legendary artists on ONE incredible night ! IT’S BLUES TIME

www.robertcray.com
www.tajblues.com

www.shuggieotisofficial.net

 

 

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WANDA JACKSON – 2 SHOWS AT THE CORNER HOTEL!

WANDA JACKSON

MELBOURNE THE CORNER 20 & 21 March 2013
bluesfesttouring.com.au 02 6685 8310

“An atomic bomb in lipstick – the queen of rockabilly” – Bob Dylan 

 

“She’s like my rockabilly Etta James. I love her, she’s so brilliant. I don’t think ‘Rollin’ in the Deep’ would exist if it wasn’t for Wanda Jackson” – Adele

 

Widely known and respected as the Queen of Rock & First lady of Rockabilly, we are delighted to announce that Wanda Jackson is not just appearing at Bluesfest next AEaster, but is also embarking on sideshow dates in several major cities.  Wanda has influenced generations of both male and female performers, and is now playing the best ever shows of her life!

Wanda’s latest rediscovery in 2011 saw her team up with Jack White to produce her wildly successful album “The Party Ain’t Over” and has since been working on her 31st studio album “Unfinished Business” with folk musician and Bluesfest performer  Justin Townes Earle. The album features performances of Woody Guthries “California Stars” and Bobby and Shirley Womack’s “It’s All Over Now” that was released October 2012.

Born in Oklahoma, Wanda first toured in 1955 when placed on a bill with none other than ‘The King’ himself, Elvis Presley. The two hit it off almost immediately and dated on and off.  Wanda has since mentioned that is was Elvis along with her father Tom, himself a country singer, who encouraged her to sing rockabilly. In 2009, Wanda became the only woman ever to be inducted into both the Rockabilly and Rock and Roll Hall of Fames (on recommendation of Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen).

Throughout Wanda’s 50+ year multi genre music career hits like “Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine”, “Fujiyama Mama”, “Heart Trouble” and “I Remember Elvis”, have landed her in the top of the country, rockabilly, pop and rock charts. Wanda continues to tour all over the world to sold out crowds of adoring fans, and now its our turn. If you can’t make it to Bluesfest next Easter then be sure to see the undisputed Queen of Rockabilly when she hits your town.

‘Wanda Jackson positively killed with her set at Venue last Saturday. Volatile as nitro-glycerine, Jackson exudes charms, sexuality, sincerity and humble honesty; often in the same verse…Her voice is a true gift to humanity.
– Vancouver Weekly, September 2012

www.bluesfesttouring.com

www.cornerhotel.com