AIGF - Get Back To Your Roots@ Elder Park, Adelaide(30/11/08)

Thu 4th Dec, 2008 in Gig Reviews

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As the clouds closed in, the bogans at the Test Match cricket wandered home and the gulls soared overhead, Elder Park began to fill with punters keen to get back to their roots.

Now in its second year, the Adelaide International Guitar Festival has created a strong program filled with familiar Aussie names and some brilliant international artists, however tonight was an all Australian affair. Entitled Get Back To Your Roots, tonight’s concert lineup included Rob Sawyer, The Mason Rack Band, Ash Grunwald, Mia Dyson and Xavier Rudd, and was MCed by music identity Glen A. Baker.

First up was new kid on the block Rob Sawyer. Having caught this young man most recently at the Grace Emily, his likeability translated to the openness of Elder Park. Usually being first cab off the rank can prove quite difficult to get the crowd behind you, but he had people’s attention right from the get go. Playing only 3 songs (_Our Time_, Beauty Artillery and Satisfied Presence) his soothing chilled style was intermingled with casual chats to the crowd as he regaled stories of his last time in Adelaide. Seeming sincerely humbled to be invited to play at the Festival and armed with a cheeky smile and affable personality he is certainly one musician that will have the young girls after him in the future if tonight’s groupies were anything to go by.

Next up was Gold Coast natives, The Mason Rack Band. Having not heard of these guys previously I’ve got to say that they were my favourites on the night. With their swampy, foot stomping bluesy tunes and the husky voice of Racks, you found yourself subconsciously bobbing along. The son of Jazz Musician Billy Racks, Mason Racks spent the set hidden behind a pair of sunglasses and armed with a naughty grin, bringing a rock edge to roots, they created a different air to tonight’s festivities and as the sun went down the vibe certainly increased, you almost expected to be sitting in the Louisiana Bayou. Having spent most of the set seated with his slide guitar, Racks jumped down to the crowd barrier and used this as drum kit before launching himself back onto the stage and joining his own drummer on the kit. There was a definite tone of hillbilly craziness about this man and his band. You got to check these guys out, having heard they did an awesome 3 hour performance at the Wah Bar the night before I was kicking myself for not going!

Ash Grunwald a popular favourite amongst young and old alike proved why he has become one of the big names in Aussie Roots music. With his bare feet, dreadlocks, bronzed skin and easy swagger he is every bit the Aussie surfing roots musician. He does have talent, weaving the fine threads of melody and percussion he created syncopated beats with guttural rhythms. As the cold air set in and the dark clouds gathered over head it was Grunwald’s music not the weather that got people up and moving. Like those before him he casually chatted away “I’m going to do a medley into a new song of mine as I have been meddling my arse of late.” Alternating from Dobro to Hollow Guitar he achieved soul and depth to his music, also occasionally playing percussion even though he stated “I can’t really play percussion.” But it was an audience request that got the biggest reception. The Dolphin Song was written about Grunwald’s own dolphin experience whilst surfing, complete with dolphin calls “eha eha” you couldn’t help but laugh, this man doesn’t take himself too seriously.

The only female on tonight’s lineup, Mia Dyson bought things back a notch with her angst driven vocals and alt country blues feel. She seemed to divide the audience down the middle, either you loved her or hated her; it may have been for this reason she struggled to engage with the crowd at times. Joined on stage by Matt Walker, her sometimes achingly painful lyrics kept the rain at bay and highlighted the beauty of the surroundings, the city lights bounced off the glistening River Torrens and the Cricket Oval glowed, creating a beautiful backdrop during her set. I couldn’t help but feel after enjoying the fun highs of Mason Racks and Ash Grunwald and it being later in the night perhaps it would have been better have her on earlier, yet she still has a power and beauty to her presence.

After a short break, it seemed half the punters at the Festival had made their way to the front of the stage in eager anticipation of Xavier Rudd. It’s been some years since I’ve seen Rudd and he is still the unassuming musician of old but he now seems to have a real political fire in his belly. All previous musicians spent much of their set chatting to the crowd Rudd preferred to let his music do the talking, playing mostly new stuff off his last couple of albums the lyrics were laced with clear political and environmental messages. Obviously his relationship with Indigenous Australians and the injustices that are currently rife is a major issue, no one was safe not even Peter Garret.

An incredible musician Rudd played didgeridoos, percussion, guitar, mouth organ, drums and xylophone, many of these at once; it was rare that one part of his body was sitting still. Like Grunwald, Rudd often used a distorted signal processor adding yet another layer to his richly woven music. Accompanied by Canadian Dave Tolley on percussion, Xavier enjoyed a moment of percussion madness during Tolley’s extended solo before finishing up with a cover of Neil Young’s Rockin’ In The Free World. Coming back for just one encore he return to his roots and performed Let Me Be which got people up and dancing.

The Guitar Festival seems to have found the right recipe in their musicians this year, clearly there are more punters going along and why not, at $70 a ticket for 5 top notch musicians in a beautiful setting I’m sure we will see this great festival back again next year!

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE