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While on tour in Australia a couple years ago, Mraz opened his heart and soul to the little miracles that take place every day. “I was in Australia and a package was left for me at the hotel, full of books and CDs: Books on Buddhism, books on the Bhagavad Gita, on Christianity, Sai Baba’s teachings and Autobiography Of A Yogi. All these sort of worldly religious books just appeared, no note—other than ‘when you finish reading them, pass them along’." Mraz dove into the books and world music, which led to his going to India and “just writing things I never thought I would write. To this day, I have no idea who sent me the package. This was one of the many major coincidences that caused me to say, ‘This is who I am and this is why I have taken the time off the road and this is what I’m supposed to be writing about’." Mraz’ start continues to shine brighter as he makes his way through life with song. Catch him at the West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots before he signs off from touring to create another brilliant album and truly arrive as an international megastar.

Strange things happen in Nashville, Tennessee. People forget who they are. Dreams come true. Fingers get covered in blisters. All of these things happened to Kevin Mitchell, erstwhile front man of much-loved, Perth indie band Jebediah, now an ARIA award-winning, singer-songwriter performing under the name Bob Evans, during the making of his third album, Goodnight, Bull Creek! Bob Evans is the name Mitchell uses to record and perform his critically acclaimed albums, Suburban Kid, Suburban Songbook and his upcoming album Goodnight, Bull Creek! This time, however, he is leaving the landscape of his suburban childhood behind.

When Moo, You Bloody Choir was released by Sony BMG in 2006, it sparked 18 months of furious activity for Augie March. Accolades poured in at home, with the album winning them the Australian Music Prize in 2007. The album received four ARIA Award nominations, while the single One Crowded Hour topped the Triple J Hottest 100 in 2007 and was named song of the year at the APRA Awards later in the year. The world the band has created for Augie March’s fourth album, Watch Me Disappear, is certainly not everyday. Barbarians have breached its walls and are wallowing in the chaos. Muggers mug, killers kill, dragons with bulldog heads inhabit the pubs and a wealth of richly-drawn characters trade punches, kisses and everything in between. It’s a place of extraordinary beauty too, a beauty that offers escape from the evil, from the anarchy – from the everyday.

A confused and shy individual, Charlie Parr plays original and traditional folk and rural-style blues, accompanying himself on National resonator guitars, 12-string guitar and a fretless banjo. Parr has failed at most things in his life. Music seems to have rendered him unemployable and is the only thing he’s ever done with any confidence. A lot of folks have been saying nice things about Charlie, despite the lingering odors and indecipherable comments he makes. It says a lot about folks; they’re hanging in there with him, in spite of himself. Why don’t you hang too, at the sixth annual West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival?

Little Bushman is a proggy psychedelic rock band from New Zealand that fancies the old ways of doing rock’n’roll. And bless them for it. Little Bushman grew out of members of several bands in New Zealand’s communal musical scene, including Fat Freddys Drop. On themselves, the band explain: “When we are engaged in our music, whether it be in the studio or performing live, our first concern is the dynamic direction of the song. Where is it going to peak? Where will the quietest point be? Draw the audience in here…Blow them out there. We collectively try to create a journey without sounding contrived and have made a conscious decision to use influences from the experimental, psychedelic rock era of the 60s and 70s: Led Zep, Jimi Hendrix, The Who."

Melbourne-based band LABJACD (pronounced “lab-jacked") are a dynamic nine-piece outfit that’s been making a big splash lately, both in their hometown and beyond. Since their formation in 2004, they’ve quickly built up an impressive reputation for their exhilarating mix of old school hip hop, Cuban salsa, jazz and even Andean folk music. Singing and MCing in both English and Spanish, the group’s three vocalists all share a Chilean heritage, and like the band’s other members, have all previously performed in a number of well-known Latin big bands and a variety of funk/jazz configurations.

John Butler is many things to many people. To John’s family he is a much-loved husband, father, brother and son. To his ever-growing fan base it is purely about the musical journey, the groove of the Trio, the soul of the guitar and the honesty and integrity of John’s lyrics. John Butler was born in California and at age eleven swapped one West Coast lifestyle for a vastly different one when his family moved to Pinjarra in Western Australia. By age sixteen John was learning guitar alongside other family members, but he quickly found his affinity with the instrument and his own inspiration to excel, appreciating the cathartic and therapeutic nature that writing and singing his own songs brought to his life in a small country town. It’s been a steady rise for John since then – through gold and platinum sales, Aria awards and international recognition. But he remains dedicated to his original mission – to change the world, with song.

Passionate and sincere, Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins is a welcome relief in a music landscape littered with disposable pop. The Melbourne native has enjoyed phenomenal success in her homeland, and a growing fanbase in the US. She’s adopted a more timeless approach, relying on her undeniable songs and unforgettable live performances to forge a genuine connection with her audience. Higgins’ most recent album, On A Clear Night, retains the irresistible melodies and piercing lyrics of her critically lauded debut The Sound Of White, which was Australia’s best-selling album of 2005. On A Clear Night (certified triple platinum in Australia) was awarded the Highest Selling Australian album of 2007 and saw Missy crowned with yet another ARIA Award as the country’s Best Female Artist for the second time.

If you aren’t already lost in the crazed noodlings of Frank Zappa…then it’s time you were. Sadly, the great man passed on a while back. Thankfully he had a son who likes crazed noodlings as much as his old man did. So let us introduce you to Zappa Plays Zappa. Guitarist Dweezil Zappa has cocooned himself away in the studio this past year engineering his own metamorphosis. “In order for me to play my father’s music correctly I needed to understand the fundamentals of his music more thoroughly, which meant a lot of studying,” he explains. His goal was to emerge as a “better musician” as well as a “better guitarist”. And so was born Zappa Plays Zappa – the tour extraordinaire – the first official live concert events of Frank Zappa’s music since his untimely passing in 1993.

A songwriter never can tell where the next one is coming from. Inspiration can strike from anywhere: a painting hanging on the wall, an 18th Century book of poems, or just the joys of driving around. Other songs rise up from a vocabulary that pays as much heed to old-time music and language as it does to current events and sounds. One embodies the horror of killing in the name of religion, another comes from the pages of the Old Testament. Paul Kelly takes pieces of them all and weaves them into his magic. And he just keeps getting better. His latest studio release – not counting the release of chapter two in his Songs From The South anthology – Stolen Apples has all of this and more; as rich and rewarding, and surprising, as any in the 30-year recording career of one of the world’s greatest songwriters.

Considered a true leader in modern reggae, Easy Star was conceived in New York City in the mid 1990s by founders Michael G, Eric Smith, Lem Oppenheimer and Remy Gerstein. While fostering a vibrant roots and culture scene in NY through their regular Tuesday night parties, Easy Star released Easy Star Volume One, which included the talents of the legendary artists like Sugar Minott, Sister Carol, Ranking Joe and The Meditations. Easy Star Volume One received considerable attention in the reggae world and set the foundation for the rest of the label’s releases. In 2003, they released Dub Side Of The Moon to critical acclaim worldwide. The Easy Star All-Stars released RADIODREAD, a complete reggae version of Radiohead’s OK Computer, in late 2006, featuring Toots And The Maytals, Citizen Cope, Morgan Heritage, Horace Andy, Sugar Minott, Frankie Paul, Israel Vibrations, The Meditations and more. Easy Star’s goal is to create the new classics in reggae.

In 1969, Tony Joe White brought his brand of Swampy Blues into a Top 10 hit with his song Polk Salad Annie. This was followed very shortly in 1970, by Brook Benton’s soulful rendition of White’s timeless Rainy Night In Georgia. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s White toured in support of artists including Creedence Clearwater Revival and James Taylor. In the 1990s Tina Turner recorded four of his songs for her multi-platinum selling album Foreign Affairs, including the world-wide hit Steamy Windows. With the advent of that project, White formed an alliance with Turner’s manager, Roger Davies, and his career began to soar. In Europe, White gained legendary status following a successful debut at the historic Isle Of Wight Festival in 1970. Most recently Tony Joe White released The Heroines and the critically acclaimed new album Uncovered – both released on his own label, Swamp Records.

Ben Kweller (born June 16, 1981) began his life buried to the knees in grunge. His band Radish was compared to Nirvana in Rolling Stone Magazine in the 1990s…not a bad start hey? The band grew in popularity in the Dallas, Texas music scene from its formation in 1993. However, Kweller had other things in mind. He began his solo career with his 2002 debut Sha Sha, which included the rocking and mighty popular single Wasted & Ready. In 2006, and after a short break in which he had a son named Dorian, the eponymous album Ben Kweller was released. Taking influences from solo rock artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, Kweller aimed for a more refined and well-produced sound. Every instrument (and handclap) on the album was recorded by Kweller himself. Now the man takes a great leap forward again with Changing Horses – his latest offering, to be released early in 2009. Welcome back Ben!

Blue King Brown return to home shores for one very special journey West…to the Blues ’n’ Roots! With the release of their new single, Moment Of Truth, the follow up album to their award-winning debut, Stand Up, is due for release in 2009. Sharing stages across the world with the likes of Damien ‘Jr Gong’ Marley, Julian Marley, Santana, The John Butler Trio and Michael Franti has brought this incredible band’s craft to another level and a brand new audience. Peter Gabriel’s WOMADelaide and Al Gore’s Live Earth 2007 are just some of the highlighted festivals that have given Blue King Brown their platform to spread their music and message. Being invited to jam with Carlos Santana and gaining his dignified respect, when they supported his recent Australian stadium tour, was a lifetime highlight for front woman Natalie Paapaa.

He was the hit of the West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival for 2008, now let’s reintroduce Seasick Steve: a real American, train-hopping, jailbirding, cowboying, carnival working, migrant farm picking, occasionally tramping, near-fatal heart attack surviving old hobo. Indeed, he’s real deal. And we’re thrilled he’s coming back to show us how it’s done again. Three albums in (Cheap, Dog House Music and now I Started Out With Nothin And I Still Got Most Of It Left), Seasick Steve has risen from the gravel to becomes one of the most acclaimed new bluesmen of our time – taking out a Mojo Award in the process. Be a part of blues’ latest (living might we add) legend at the sixth annual West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival.

Eric Bibb, already enjoying success in Europe, is becoming a familiar face – and voice – in the acoustic folk-blues scene. His unique talent continues to draw critical acclaim around the world. Twice nominated for the W.C. Handy Awards and winner of the Best Newcomer title in the British Blues Awards, Bibb has been appropriately described as “discreetly awesome” and “a total original”. As his popularity escalates, earlier comparisons to legendary greats Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal are being replaced by quotes that speak to Bibb’s ability to “use standard blues ingredients to cook up something all his own”.

What do you get when you fuse ska legends The Specials and The English Beat…The Special Beat, that’s what! Captained by Beat toaster Ranking Roger, the group also stars former Fine Young Cannibals trumpeter Graham Hamilton. Playing the hits of both The Specials and The English Beat, Special Beat have been making quite a name for themselves since their inception in the early 1990s. A couple of live recordings and acclaimed tours through Europe and Japan later, we’re honoured to finally have the legends descend south for their inaugural West Coast Blues’n’Roots Festival.

Kevin Barry Moore was born on May 23, 1955, to Nancy Power and Andy Moore of Newbridge in County Kildare, Ireland. Music was an intrinsic part of his life growing up. All of the family sing and play, but Barry had his own way and style of making music. He first went on tour as the support act to his eldest brother, Christy Moore, in 1969. This was a tour of English folk clubs. He was all of fourteen years of age. From then on Barry spent all of his time writing songs and playing guitar. Around this time he wrote Jenny Of The Sun and Wave Up To The Shore – which was recorded by Christy in 1976. Finally in 1987 he made the decision to head to America and check it out! Before he left the shamrock shore he made a serious decision. New country, new people, new everything – why not a new name? Luka Bloom became a possibility – Luka from the Suzanne Vega song and the Bloom from James Joyce’s Ulysses. By the time he landed in New York Luka Bloom was born! Now begins some serious work.

It’s not every band that’s still staking out new musical territory and embracing fresh challenges more than 20 years into their career, but that’s the case with Blues Traveler. Having long ago graduated from the jam-band underground to mainstream stardom, the iconoclastic combo has consistently stuck to its guns and played by its own rules.
For their new release (and Verve Forecast debut) North Hollywood Shootout, the quintet ventured out of their creative comfort zone to explore some adventurous new horizons. The resulting album is a landmark in Blues Traveler’s large and widely loved body of work, demonstrating the enduring strengths of the band’s songwriting while capturing the spontaneous spirit of their legendary live shows.

C.W. Stoneking is a man you should know. A musician who draws influence from pre-war blues, jazz, 1920s calypso, folklore and personal experience to produce his original songs, he’s a very rare fish in a mighty big ocean of music. Accompanied with his trusty steel bodied dobro guitar and tenor banjo, or with his brass band, the Primitive Horn Orchestra, Stoneking’s songs range in style from lonesome field holler blues, to cheeky hokum duets, to full-blown jungle jazz epics. 2008 sees the release of C.W. Stoneking’s latest recorded treat, Jungle Blues. Inspired in part by Stoneking’s amazing experience as a survivor of a shipwreck off Africa’s West Coast in 1998, Jungle Blues is a must for any serious music fan.

When did we start saying “I’m going to go see that band tonight”? Was it when Pete Townsend smashed his guitar? When GG Allin smashed his face on the stage? When AC/DC inflated Rosie? Who can say, but one thing’s for sure – somewhere along the way, listening became secondary to looking. In the case of Melbourne’s Little Red, however, people would filter out of their early shows, raving about the harmonies, the guitar tones, the whip-crack drums. Sure, the suits were cute, and the smiles were mile-wide, but here was a band who had so expertly cultivated their sound that you just wanted to shut your eyes and let it wash all over you. It’s fitting, then, that their debut long player is called Listen To Little Red.

Superlatives are rare in album titles, and for good reason: unless you’re a living legend or a legend-in-the-making like the Man In Black (1958’s The Fabulous Johnny Cash) or the Queen Of Soul (1962’s The Electrifying Aretha Franklin), you’re all but begging for a crash course in humility. So if you’re going to stick a word like “phenomenal” in front of your name on a record cover, you damn well better have the goods to back it up.
“Those are some big shoes!” laughs Ruthie Foster, who, just for the record, is really one of the most humble and down-to-earth artists you could ever meet, phenomenal or otherwise. She admits to initially having “quite a few reservations” about calling her fifth album The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, crediting both her producer, noted Austin-based “swamp music” guitarist Malcolm “Papa Mali” Welbourne, and her label, Houston’s Blue Corn Records, for making that particular gutsy call.

Aboriginal Australia now has many contemporary voices. There’s the sharp, dance rhythms of Yothu Yindi, the warm country stylings of Roger Knox, the dance-pop of Christine Anu, the soulful vocal harmonising of Tiddas, the sad and melancholy folk of Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter and the exciting didgeridoo playing of Alan Dargin, David Hudson and Mark Atkins. Then there’s Kev Carmody. In 1989 when his first album, Pillars Of Society, was released it was tempting to see him as an Aboriginal folk/protest singer. A kind of black Australian Bob Dylan, a comparison that many of the critics at the time were eager to draw. His second album, Eulogy (For A Black Person), released in 1991, did much to confirm this initial impression. Then, in 1993, along came Street Beat And Freedom and the folk/protest tag fell away. He’s also left a massive legacy – along with Paul Kelly – on the classic Aussie anthem From Little Things Big Things Grow; a masterstroke of song.

Rodney Crowell migrated from Texas to Nashville to learn to be a songwriter in the 1970s. The strength of his writing, singing and guitar playing earned him a spot with Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band and launched his career. Here are some things you probably already know about Rodney Crowell: In 1977, he formed his own group, The Cherry Bombs, and in 1978 released his first album, Ain’t Living Long Like This. In 1988 he released Diamonds And Dirt, which generated an unprecedented five number-one singles, including It’s Such A Small World, with Rosanne Cash, his wife and partner at the time. They split up in 1992, but they are still friends. His acclaimed autobiographical album, The Houston Kid, in 2001 marked his break from the constraints of mainstream record labels. There have been some awards along the way: Rodney won a Grammy in 1989 for the Best Country Song: After All This Time. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2003. After he re-formed The Notorious Cherry Bombs in 2004 with his old pal Vince Gill, the band was nominated for a CMA Top Vocal Group award. Hundreds of versions of his songs have been recorded over the years.

Melbourne artist Whitley is a contradiction. The cheeky, charismatic 22-year-old exudes charm and quick wit. Yet his music and lyrics belie an older soul, one with tales to tell. Whitley seamlessly blends organic acoustic flavours with electronic overtones creating songs with hushed, whimsical tales of love and loss. Whitley’s previous incarnations in hardcore and punk bands were tempered when he was dragged along to see alt-country stars Keiran Cane and Kevin Welsh by a friend’s dad. He had an epiphany and was converted to the “songs that made sense” and started listening to traditional country. The result of these influences has produced a folktronic sound all of his own.

Kora hail all the way from New Zealand…and are a five-piece band with huge live presence: vocal harmonies sailing on a powerhouse rhythm section. Solid musicians, the four brothers and Dan, hail from Wellington and Whakatane, Aotearoa. Let’s introduce you: Laughton Kora on vocals, guitar and keys; Francis Kora on bass and vocals; Stuart Kora on guitar and vocals; Brad Kora on drums and Dan McGruer ..s and bass. Their four-track demo caught the attention of Wellington based record label Loop, leading to the release of Barely Can See on Loop’s Select 004 compilation CD. The band have continued to write and record, taking their music into exciting new places. And their journey brings them to the West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival.

Born into a family steeped in music, Mama Kin has breathed the air of musical expression, filled her lungs and soul with it, and built her yearning in its language. Only recently has she been willing to exhale that breath and begin sharing the music of her being with the world. For Mama Kin, the experience of learning classical piano as a child led to a disappointing disconnection with music during her early adult life. Feeling paralysed by “a technical relationship with an instrument…. I had become scared I would draw a blank if left alone with the piano without someone else’s composition to drive my fingers”. Traditionally more at home performing intimate house concerts, a support slot with The John Butler Trio was Mama Kin’s first foray onto the big stage. Mama Kin aims to bring audiences a mix of her exquisite aural perfume, no longer hidden from the senses. And she’s only just warming up...
Next stop: West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival.