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SYDNEY BLUES & ROOTS FESTIVAL

Sydney Blues & Roots Festival delivers a stellar final bill!

Baby Animals confirmed to headline event from 27th-30th October.

New additions include Diesel, Folk Uke (USA), Abby Dobson, Kim Churchill & Tim Chaisson (Canada)!

The Sydney Blues & Roots Festival has today revealed a final roster that showcases a selection of the most outstanding local and international blues, roots, rock, folk and acoustic acts on the music scene.

In what can only be described as a major coup, iconic home-grown rockers Baby Animals will headline the four-day event, taking place from Thursday 27th to Sunday 30th October in Windsor, in Sydney’s North-West.

Baby Animals have been hard at work since reforming in 2007, having recently performed for His Holiness the Dalai Lama in their hometown of Perth. One of Australia’s most revered rock bands, and featuring the stunning voice of Suze DeMarchi, Baby Animals promise to bring a taste of true rock n’ roll grit to Sydney’s premier blues event.

On the back of the release of his latest studio album ‘Under The Influence’, prolific local singer/songwriter Diesel joins the line-up for the first time this October. With two ARIA No.1 albums and multiple awards under his belt, Diesel will take the stage to celebrate his silver jubilee and is sure to deliver a terrific and memorable performance.

The daughters of music royalty, Folk Uke (USA) is Cathy Guthrie (daughter of Arlo Guthrie) and Amy Nelson (daughter of Willie Nelson). The duo combines sweet vocal harmonies with contagious melodies and explicit lyrics, a winning combination that earned the pair a cult following in 2005 after the release of their debut self-titled album. In Australia to tour their sophomore release ‘Reincarnation’, Folk Uke will have music lovers enthralled as soon as they hit the stage.

Abby Dobson, the voice of Leonardo’s Bride, makes her Sydney Blues & Roots Festival debut this year to great acclaim. Described as “… one of the most distinctive voices in Australian music…” by Melbourne’s The Age, Dobson has garnered numerous industry accolades over the years, along with an APRA Song Of The Year award for the ARIA chart-topping single ‘Even When I’m Sleeping’.

Gracing the festival bill alongside these illustrious acts is local guitarist and singer/songwriter Kim Churchill. One of Australia’s most exciting new artists, Kim has wowed audiences at festivals around the country including Byron Bay Bluesfest, Woodford Folk Festival and the Queenscliff Music Festival among others.

The Sydney Blues & Roots Festival will see another talented young star on the rise take the stage in the form of Canada’s Tim Chaisson. A gifted multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter, Tim performed at the 2010 Winter Olympics, topped Canada’s MuchMoreMusic and East Coast Countdown charts with his latest single ‘Broken Hearted Beat’, and is on the cusp of releasing his acclaimed fourth studio album in Australia.

Festival Creative Director Steve Griffiths today said, “Geoff Trio and I at Code One were very pleased to be invited to curate this year’s Sydney Blues & Roots Festival. The organisers wanted to expand the reach of the event to include genres related to and descended from the blues, and we’re delighted to have such a dynamic range of artists on board. We’ve worked hard to assemble a bill that will satisfy hard-core blues fans, but will also excite lovers of great contemporary live music”.

Adding to this year’s dynamic mix is Afrocolombian rock/roots outfit Watussi, along with up-andcoming local blues/rock act The Snowdroppers, who were last year heralded as one of the top 10 bands to watch by the Sydney Morning Herald and Rolling Stone magazine.

America’s Bushwalla will deliver his unique blend of Southern Californian funk, folk, freestyle, acoustic and hip-hop to festival audiences and is sure to have audiences grooving along to his infectious beats.

This eclectic mix of talented acts joins Australian favourites Jeff Lang and Ash Grunwald, and the voice of Canada’s The Tea Party, Jeff Martin.

Sydney’s premier blues and roots event will see a plethora of established and up-and-coming acts descend on some of the best venues in the Hawkesbury region from 27th October. Music lovers, don’t miss out on this one-off live experience!

Final line-up for the Sydney Blues & Roots Festival:

Baby Animals

Diesel

Jeff Lang

Ash Grunwald

Jeff Martin (Canada)

Folk Uke – Cathy Guthrie & Amy Nelson (USA)

Abby Dobson

The Break – Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes) & Martin Rotsey, Rob Hirst & Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil)

Chain

The Snowdroppers

Kim Churchill