The Milk Men are: Adam Norsworthy (The Mustangs)on guitar, Jamie Smy on vocals, Lloyd Green (son of Mick Green – Johnny Kidd & The Pirates) on bass guitar, and Mike Roberts (from the excellent Pirates) on drums. The guys have been rocking around the UK for the past 14 years, with an exhilarating live show, and Holy Cow is their fifth studio album release.
Any Joe Bonamassa show is something of an event, and the now fairly regular occurrences at the Royal Albert Hall are on another level. This was the 11th show here in 15 years, and the first of two nights, and the local musician network was out in force to watch one of the masters at work. The lights dim, and the intro tape gets overtaken by the band, and then Joe hits the stage in sharp suit, shades and sneakers, and we are off and running.
A vigorous end to the 35th Bluesfest was had with Californian band Infectious Grooves powering up the Mojo with unprecedented levels of exhilaration and raw energy. Front man Mike Muir (also from Suicidal Tendencies) spoke between songs, espousing living life your own way and the benefits of abstaining from alcohol. Hardcore motivational speaking between funk/metal masterpieces that are a rare treat stylistically for Bluesfest. Festival director Peter Noble was down the front enjoying the final night’s headline act. Clearly his passion for music across a diverse range of genres is what makes his musical curation such a success year after year. Bassist extraordinaire Rob Trujillo (current Metallica and former Suicidal Tendencies) brought his signature heavy yet deeply funky basslines to the show, and towards the end of the set his son TyeTrujillo (current Suicidal Tendencies) also a bass player of phenomenal skill, joined the band on stage for double delivery of bass brilliance.
Great to witness some new to Bluesfest artists performing
over the weekend. The Jambalaya was alive with powerful female vocalists this
easter Sunday. Fresh Australian talent WILSN blew everyone away with the
beauty and clarity of her tone. Citing a few years living in Nashville as
seminal in her song writing development. She is back in Australia now sharing
her contemporary soul music with new audiences. Don’t miss the opportunity to
see her emerging brilliance 5pm today at the Delta stage.
Big bands and big personalities were the flavour of Saturday
night. Age is no impediment to pulling a crowd at Bluesfest. Tom Jones had
the lion’s share of the festival crowd donning portable camp chairs at the
Crossroads, while he sang Sex Bomb and other hits to the largest audience so
far at this year’s festival. At 83, women are still throwing their underwear at
him. The Blind Boys of Alabama joined him on stage for a few songs
making the one man show a more collaborative experience. With that much love in
the room for one man he must be able to float to his next show. An aeroplane is
probably unnecessary.
With recent seminal festival cancelations front of mind, celebrating 35 years of Byron Bay’s Bluesfest really is a remarkable achievement. In a press conference yesterday Peter Noble announced that the 36th Byron Bay Bluesfest will be a four rather than a five day event next year, to help ease music industry pressures and ensure continued delivery of the regions premiere world class music event.
The 2024 iteration started in glorious sunshine and good
vibes. The thinner crowds of Thursday night enabled friends to find each other
easily amidst a sense of being in a magical place for a marathon of music. The
sunset obliged filling the sky with golds and reds, illuminating the feelings
of happiness oozing from the venue.
WALTER TROUT – BROKEN PROVOGUE RECORDS / MASCOT LABEL GROUP Release Date – 1st March 2024
All of us are broken. But no-one is beyond repair. It’s a philosophy that Walter Trout has lived by during seven volatile decades at the heart of America’s society and blues-rock scene. Even now, with the world more fractured than ever – by politics, economics, social media and culture wars – the fabled US bluesman’s latest album, Broken, chronicles the bitter schisms of modern life but refuses to succumb to them.
The long-awaited studio album from Bex Marshall, Fortuna, is a ten-track blues tapestry that bulges to the edges with addictive hooks and story lines. Bex is a writer of notability, she pushes the boundaries of blues and weaves the genre in and out of blues, funk, rock, and Americana.
PHILIP SAYCE THE WOLVES ARE COMING Released – 23rd Feb2024
Atomic Gemini/Forty Below Records
Rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Philip Sayce is excited to announce the release of his highly anticipated studio album The Wolves Are Coming.
Born in Wales and raised in Toronto, Philip’s love of the guitar started early. As a teen, Philip was plucked from the Toronto blues scene by the legendary Jeff Healey, who took the young guitarist under his wing and showed him the ropes, touring the world and recording as a member of Healey’s band. From 2004 to 2009, Philip toured internationally and recorded with Melissa Etheridge.
Backstory, my favourite song on Begins Here is Overwhelmed and I had NEVER seen it live. Back in the early 2000s, whenever I bumped into a band member, which happened quite often, I would consistently ask for them to perform it live. The guys could frequently be found at Brisbane bars that showed support for the local music scene. Considering how often I attended their shows in Brisbane, Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast, one can only imagine how many encounters I had with them. The response was always along the lines of ‘not tonight’, but always delivered in the most polite way, no matter which band member I interacted with, even though I was sure they were getting sick of this girl asking to play Overwhelmed. Can you imagine my excitement when the Begins Here tour was announced, with the album to be played in full. This was it, 20 years of waiting and I would finally get to see the song which resonated with me then and still to this day. Stick around to find out how the night unfolded.
London-based guitarist / vocalist Jack J Hutchinson has continued to develop his hard-hitting blues-laden hard rock style over the past 5 years, and has followed up the epic The Hammer Falls record from 2021 with an altogether classier collection – just as heavy, and with riffs to burn, but seemingly a little more polished around the rougher edges.
Australian hard rockers, Palace Of The King, have marked the end of a triumphant decade filled with multiple European tours as headliners and guests with the mighty Airbourne, three visits to the USA, and relentless touring across Australia as headliners and alongside iconic acts such as Rose Tattoo, The Angels, The Screaming Jets, Baby Animals, The Tea Party, Endless Boogie, Kingswood, The Quireboys, and many more.
CASSIDY PARIS – NEW SENSATION Released – December 8th 2023 Frontiers Music
Young Australian rocker, Cassidy Paris will release her debut album, New Sensation on December 8, as the high-profile follow up to her two sold out EPs – Broken Hearted and Flirt.
BERNIE MARSDEN –WORKING MAN Released – 24th Nov 2023 Conquest Records
There has been a huge outpouring of loving tributes to Bernie Marsden since he passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family on 24th August 2023 at the age of 72. I was lucky enough to see Bernie as part of the classic Whitesnake line up in the late 1970s and early 80s, and also got to meet him a couple of times at shows, and he was the most un-pretentious person you could hope to meet.
Jackson Dean / Tori Forsyth – FACTORY THEATRE Sydney – Oct 18th 2023
Jackson Dean is just 23 years old, hailing from Maryland in the US, and now based, like all the rest, in Nashville, having released his debut album, Greenbroke, in March 2022. He has been brought over to Australia for the Groundwater Festival on the Gold Coast, and has managed to fit in a couple of side shows in Sydney, and next week in Melbourne (CORNER HOTEL, Oct 25th).
Opening act for both the sideshows is Tori Forsyth, a singer from country NSW who debuted in 2017with the evocative single New Wall and the acclaimed EP Black Bird. Forsyth’s highly anticipated 2018 debut album Dawn of the Dark was hailed as one of the strongest country records of the year in Australia, its powerful song writing underpinning Tori’s gritty and expressive vocals. It planted Tori at the forefront of country in Australia, earning three Golden Guitar nominations and landing Tori on stages across the country and beyond. Not one to follow a predictable path, Tori’s second album Provlépseis (2021) was a stunning swerve away from traditional country – a bold and bruising rock record that pushed her out of her comfort zone and became a favourite with fans.
The set on Wednesday was a mix of both, some straight-up country, and some darker, heavier rock songs, delivered with intensity, backed by a really tight band.
We got some old and new songs, including the new single, Sometimes, and all in all were left with a sense that with the right support and exposure, Tori could really make a name for herself.
Jackson Dean will be on the bill at CMC Rocks 2024, and has been picking up exposure over in Australia in the past 12 months, so this was a must-see show, and Sydney turned out in force at the Factory Theatre to welcome him Down Under. A generally more switched on crowd, without the usual cries for a Shoey, and highly receptive to the top quality songs and delivery from Jackson and the band.
Jackson plays and interesting pair of Takamine guitars with custom carved finishes which I’d love to get the story of, and has a superb, solid tight backing band who built up a real head of steam as the show developed. It was all quite low key to start with, and little fuss about this being his first show in Australia, and he played a bunch of songs from Greenbroke, and treated the crowd to some really well chosen covers and a smattering of new songs from his upcoming follow-up album, due for release sometime in mid 2024, which were terrific.
Opening and closing the set with well-known songs Trailer Park and Red Light, Dean took charge of the stage with the power of his vocals. In-between these two we got Big Blue Sky, Don’t Take Much and Keep the Wolves away (Uncle Lucius cover). Then it was Train, and a couple of new songs in Heavens To Betsy, featuring the first of a handful of searing lead solos from guitarist Brandon Aksteter, and the hard-driving Blackout which was a real trip to the dark side…… a crunching riff in the chorus, with a stripped back verse. Jackson’s voice has really warmed up as the set goes on, and he takes the time mid song to thank the crowd for turning up! This has a bit of Gods Country about it with an awesome epic feel to it. In between these new ones we got What’s Up? From 4 Non-Blondes, with some crowd participation teed up at the start, and overall an interesting choice of cover song. Jackson gives it a Chris Stapleton workout and lets the crowd take the chorus, which they do in style.
49 Tons. (Fred Eaglesmith cover) is driven along by the bassline and drums, topped off with a gritty and powerful vocal line and a ripper solo, from the guitar hero who delivers with a hint of fiddle, and some rumbling Toms giving us the sound of the locomotive on the tracks. Fearless is up next, and is yet another example of this rich vocal tone delivering a more powerful sound than on the recordings. After the pulsating Blackout, Jackson did yet another cover, this time Ryan Bingham’s Hallelujah, which showcases more of this powerful voice accompanied by acoustic guitar in the verse, and then soaring over a heavy country rock beat for the chorus . A nice breakdown section letting lead guitarist show off a little, which turns into a lot!
The last two songs of the main set were 1971, the first song the band ever wrote together, and is a rollicking track driven by drums and with more of the fiddle effect on the guitar, before the drum intro to Don’t Come Lookin’ and the guitars kicking in. 100 mobile phones in the air and a few hundred voices singing the chorus back to him to close the set.
An encore was inevitable, and before the rousing Red Light we got the epic ballad of Wings – which again just highlights this young man’s extraordinary voice.
This was a bit of a slow-burner of a set, but Jackson was able to demonstrate what a powerful vocalist he is, and a couple of the unreleased tracks from the next album bode well for the development of his songwriting, and the growing maturity of the performance – assuming his voice holds out! This is a really appealing mix of quality country and southern rock that works so well when done well, and Jackson and the band really delivered on this. This may end up being one of those shows that down the track many hundreds of people claim they were at, as his first show in Australia – those of us who were actually there know the truth!