11th Annual Telstra GreatSouthern Blues & RockabillyFestival '06

Sun 15th Oct, 2006 in Gig Reviews

Trouble is brewing down Narooma way. Local sentiment is negatively opposed to the festival with the influx of the crowds and the inability of some parents to keep their teens off the streets during this long weekend. It may be the end of the event at that location, according to Neil Mumme, the festival producer. So be it, if it moves a little north to Batemans Bay, I am sure the talent on offer will continue to be the same. The 11th Annual Telstra Great Southern Blues and Rockabilly Festival, over the October long weekend, is always fun and this year was no different. The tourism industry though will not be particularly pleased if things move out of this hamlet.

3 nights and 2 days of music, delivered by some International artists and quite a large number of Australian acts, gives you the ability to soak up some sun and food and have a dance with your partner. This year the weather was fine and sunny during the day, but at night, the cold coastal air came in and we all found some solace in swinging to the music or drinking something to warm the blood. Punters choice there!

Kicking off on Friday night with five hours of music on the three stages, the crowd eased into the weekend. Neil Graham, a South Coast native, kicked off the festival as usual blowing his harmonicas. The still young, but very talented blues and rocking guitarist, Pete Cornelius and His Deville’s primed the weekend blues engine. A shit kickin’ rockabilly and blues set by Rockbottom James and the Detonators followed. This left many folks around me in a heap from sliding around on the grass dance floor and sweat even happened on some, making you almost believe it wasn’t so chilly and windy!

Fresh in from California were the frequent ‘touristas’, Little Charlie and the Nightcats. Thirty years on, the union of Mr. Charlie Baty on guitar and Rick Estrin on harmonica has lost none of their glow, energy or joy on stage. Joined by the dapper Lorenzo Farrell on bass and J. Hansen on drums this combo simply were polished and ready to blow the blues. Charlie Baty has to be experienced live to appreciate the licks he has developed through the years. During the closing of the set, they were joined by the legendary Charlie Musselwhite on stage to give us a taste of what was to come on Saturday and Sunday. Nothing like Rick and Mr. Musselwhite on dueling harps to warm your soul.

The highlights on Saturday came from the USA once again. Former slap happy bass man from The Stray Cats, Lee Rocker, brought his tight little outfit along for a blistering set of rockabilly and country tinged roots music. The place was hopping. Lee was dressed to impress and he sang his heart out covering a good portion of his new release, Racin’ The Devil. Check out the review of that release right here (http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/reviews/music/5902/). Lee has a fantastic voice and has not lost a thing since his days with the legendary Cat’s.

Charlie Musselwhite was the “living blues legend” for the evening, as he was introduced this way. I was happy for the crowd (and Charlie) that he was still alive! The master of the blues harp, looking as ever like a cross between a leprechaun and a street urchin, charmed the crowd with some funky blues and some sweet playing. Joined by  Kid Andersen, June Core, Randy Bermudes and Joe James, they brought the sounds of the Delta to the New South Wales Coast. Charlie mixes up his show so you get some politics in his words, some South American flavoured blues and the traditional Delta sounds we are used to hearing.

Australian acts that charmed the crowd on Saturday were the sweet playing and hard vocal style of Dallas Frasca, the rockabilly country blues of Johnny Green and the Blues Cowboys and the solid Backsliders. Richard Clapton filled the tent while he played and it looked as if the crowd was pleased hearing the old hits from the diminutive Mr. Clapton. But the Australian duo of Chris Wilson and Diesel were the show stoppers during the windy evening. Johnny was wailing on his guitar and vocals and the ever enigmatic Chris Wilson on harp and vocals made for a fantastic 90 minutes of music. ‘Evil’ (Willie Dixon) was one of the best covers heard all weekend down the coast.

Sunday kicked off with a sweet morning set by The Gospel Hummingbirds at 9AM. I must say that this was hearsay for this reviewer as I tried to catch up on some sleep. So I made sure I caught there funky-gospel set later in the day! They did not disappoint and their harmonies and humour made for a great time. But where did they get those suit jackets though? They hung on them like hospital coats!

Kelly Joe Phelps, with guitar and banjo, played his atypical set of intelligent country blues and well crafted songs. He definitely is a songsmith and is under appreciated within the festival setting. It’s hard to grab a crowd on your own, but I do think he has a dedicated fan base within Australia and they gobbled him up at Narooma. Lisa Hunt, the big voiced and boned soul singer was brilliant. Working through a set of Aretha Franklin and Motown covers that left most of the crowd dancing and bopping in the grass. She was well and truly lathered up and she even invited two lucky lasses on stage to form her tribute to the Supremes, costumes and all. What a hoot!

Another dose of Little Charlie and Charlie Musselwhite was in order for Sunday and once again they both did not disappoint the chilly crowd. Max Merrit and the Meteors and Daddy Cool were on hand to close out the evening with a tip of the hat to the old days of Australian Rock and Roll. Nostalgia in some ways, but both acts proved they still had the chops to impress a knowledgeable crowd.

This year’s festival seemed to have a slight cloud hanging over it. With the big screen showing the AFL and Rugby League finals and what seemed like some marginal acts here and there and some drunken behavior on show Saturday night, I did not experience the laid back vibe I had in the past. Maybe the festival is out growing Narooma. We shall see where the festival lands in 2007, but wherever it settles, the weekend of blues and roots is bound to be something to keep your eyes out for.