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Byron 2008 Features Wilco,Black Crowes, Maceo Parker and more.
Monday, November 05, 2007
The first round of artists scheduled to perform at the 19th Annual International East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival has been announced.
The flagship festival will take place in Byron Bay between Thursday
March 20 to Monday March 24, 2008 over the Easter long weekend.
Satellite events featuring many of the same headline artists will also
take place at The West Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival (March 15 and 16, 2008) and The Point Nepean Music Festival (March 22 and 23, 2008), The Tasmanian Blues & Roots Festival, Botanical Gardens Hobart Sunday (March 23) and The New Zealand Blues & Roots Festival will be at Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsular (March 22).
The first announcement for 2008 includes:
Buddy Guy, Sinead O'Connor, Keith Urban, The Black Crowes, John
Butler Trio, Wilco, Eskimo Joe, Mavis Staples, Maceo Parker, Stanley
Clarke / George Duke Project, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Don McLean, Loudon
Wainwright III, Vusi Mahlasela, Ruthie Foster, Ron Sexsmith, Gotye,
Clare Bowditch, Angus and Julia Stone, Music Maker Foundation featuring
Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, Albert White, Pura Fe, Eddie Tigner, Tommy
Brown, Little Joe Burton, Dr. G.B. Burt and more.
New Byron Bay Location
The flagship Byron Bay Bluesfest event will offer a select space for
camping and take place at Belongil Fields. A site steeped in festival
history, Belongil Fields was an original festival home, when the event
first went outdoors in 1993 after three initial years at the Arts
Factory. In 1996, Bluesfest moved to the Rugby League Club grounds.
With Belongil Fields now an interim site, the organisers are working on
being at a new permanent location in 2009 for the 20th Anniversary
Festival.
More Festival Awards
The appeal of the festival to artists and the music industry continues
growing both here and overseas. In 2005 and 2006, Bluesfest won The
Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Music Festival in Australia two
years running. And the US based Pollstar Concert Industry Awards also
voted the event as a finalist for International Music Festival of the
Year for the same two years, alongside major events like the Montreaux
Jazz festival and Glastonbury.
Festival director Peter Noble said, “We couldn’t be happier with the
line-up announced so far, with great people still to come. We’ve really
hit on a winning formula that provides something for everyone with a
passion for blues and roots music from all around the world. And we’re
particularly proud to have recently picked up another award – this time
for being a green, environmentally responsible event.”
The International East Coast Blues and Roots Festival was recently
announced as an international winner in The Greener Festival Awards for
2007. These awards were allocated by the website –
www.AgreenerFestival.com, an influential UK based not-for-profit
organization.
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