Bluesfest 2011 consolidates supersonic line up with class 2nd artist announcement!

The Soul, the Funk and the Blues pumping up anticipation for 22nd Bluesfest happiness

Bluesfest from Byron Bay, Australia’s favourite counter-culture, family-orientated, artistically diverse music festival, today unveiled its SECOND artist announcement – and what an array it is of classic and contemporary blues, soul, funk, reggae and much more!

Tickets are on sale for Bluesfest, the 2010 Australian Event of the Year, and are selling very fast. The festival dates next year over Easter are from Thursday April 21 through to Monday April 25, 2011.

The second Bluesfest announcement for 2011 includes:

Jethro Tull, ZZ Top, John Legend, Gurrumul (Bluesfest exclusive), Toots & the Maytals, Pete Murray, Wolfmother, Funky Meters, Irma Thomas, Booker T, Los Lobos, Kasey Chambers, Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, Tim Robbins & the Rogues Gallery Band, The Dingoes, Diesel, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, B.B. & the Blues Shack, Joe Louis Walker, Phil Jones & the Unknown Blues, The Snowdroppers, Ray Beadle, Nat Col & the Kings, and Barrence Whitfield.

The new names join the artists first announced in November which included:

  Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Elvis Costello & the Imposters, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Cat Empire, Blind Boys of Alabama featuring Aaron Neville, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Fistful of Mercy, Mavis Staples, Xavier Rudd, Trinity Roots, Kate Miller-Heidke, Washington,

Little Bushman, Tony Joe White, Indigo Girls, Eric Bibb, Ash Grunwald, Ruthie Foster, C.W. Stoneking, Jeff Lang, Saltwater Band, and RocKwiz Live.

Add it up for plenty of infectious grooves and merry wonderment… but don’t delay as tickets are selling faster than ever this year!

DIRECTOR’S COMMENT
Festival director Peter Noble said, “The response to our first announcement has been astounding, in terms of faster than ever ticket sales and comments, indicating that we’ve really captured the imagination of the Australian music lovers this year. But we’re most proud of the depth of the artist quality all the way through our first two announcements – which is why we often say our headliners might be the reason you buy a ticket to Bluesfest, but it’s everything else going down that makes you rave about it and keeps you coming back!

“Our second announcement really takes Bluesfest 2011 to another level: The beautiful tones of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu will truly light up the festival – and this is exclusive, you won’t see him perform anywhere else. We also have the reggae royalty of Toots & the Maytals, the absolute reigning soul queen of New Orleans Irma Thomas, the stunning soul voice of John Legend who has just recorded a killer album with the Roots, the greatest soul Hammond organ player ever in Booker T, and the preeminent Mexican-folk-meets-rock-and-roll band Los Lobos.

“Nowhere else in Australia will you find so many artists who are the best of the best. You’ll see the band that practically invented funk music: the Funky Meters, a jaw-droppingly great German band with the best blues guitar player in Europe – B.B. & the Blues Shack, Joe Louis Walker – one of the last of the great blues guitar heroes with fans including Mick Jagger, B.B. King, and Herbie Hancock, and the pumped up blues and soul of Barrence Whitfield who’s been described as Little Richard meets James Brown.

“And yes folks, there are still more great announcements to come!”

Recent awards for Bluesfest
Just last week, Bluesfest picked up a Silver in the Major Festivals and Events category of the NSW Tourism Awards for our 21st Annual Bluesfest held earlier this year.

In October, Bluesfest was overjoyed to take away the top gong, being named as the Australian Event of the Year at the Australian Event Awards (ahead of non-music events like the Sydney Royal Easter Show and the Australian Open Tennis 2010) – as well as winning Australia’s Best Cultural or Arts Event at the same awards.

And for the fourth year in a row – Bluesfest was awarded as an international winner in August for The Greener Festival awards, certainly a continuing tribute to the festival’s long-term commitment to environmental sustainability.


About Bluesfest

Bluesfest has grown to be one of Australia’s premier music festival events. Held annually for the last 21 years over the Easter long weekend, the 5 day musical extravaganza attracts people from around the World and across Australia to the North Coast of New South Wales, Byron Bay.

From humble beginnings in 1990 attracting a modest audience size of 6,000 music lovers from around the country, Bluesfest has steadily developed its reputation of excellence amongst musicians and concert goers nationally and internationally throughout its 21 year history.

Tickets can be purchased by: Phoning the Bluesfest office on 02 6685 8310
or visiting the website at www.bluesfest.com.au


Related:

* Bluesfest 2011 unveils joy and wonderment with signature super 1st artist announcement!
* Bluesfest 2011 Dates Announced!
* Bluesfest 2010 Highlights!
* Bluesfest 2010 wraps up its 21st Birthday
* Photo Gallery: Bluesfest 2010 Photos Preview
* Bluesfest 2010 artist Bela Fleck wins his 12th and 13th Grammy Awards!
* Byron Bay Bluesfest 2009 Photo Gallery 1
* Elize Strydom gets stuck in the mud at the 20th Annual East Coast Blues and Roots Festival [2009 Festival Review]
* “No Shoes, at Blues…” – By Tara Kai Hammond [2009 Festival Review]
* The East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival Byron Bay – BluesFest [2008 Festival Review and Photos]


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