BRIAN WILSON, THE MOZART OF ROCK, PERFORMING PET SOUNDS + GREATEST HITS LIVE AT BLUESFEST!
Embargoed until: 8am AEDT Thursday 5th November 2015
Today Bluesfest, the 5 Day Festival, held annually over Easter just north of Byron Bay (EVENT DATES: Thu 24th March to Mon 28th March 2016) announce five new eclectic additions to the 2016 line-up.
LATEST BLUESFEST 2016 ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT INCLUDES:
BRIAN WILSON PERFORMING PET SOUNDS + GREATEST HITS
TAJ MAHAL (SOLO)
THE RESIDENTS PRESENT SHADOWLAND
NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS
SHOOGLENIFTY
and many more to come!
In an absolute coup for the festival, the inimitable musical genius, Brian Wilson is coming to Bluesfest on Easter Monday to perform the resounding masterpiece Pet Sounds, one of the most influential albums of all time live in its entirety including the hits; ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, ‘Sloop John B’, & ‘God Only Knows’.
Brian Wilson performing Pet Sounds plus his greatest hits in an extended set will be a rare and unforgettable live music experience for the Bluesfest audience, with an incredible 11piece band including original Beach Boys member Al Jardine & long-term member Blondie Chaplin plus an eight piece string section.
Brian Wilson is a multiple Grammy award winner, who has been called the Mozart of Rock, the Gershwin of his generation, is a Rock’n’Roll, Songwriters & UK Music Hall of Famer,& cited as inspiration by luminaries including, Sir Paul McCartney, who acknowledged that Pet Sounds “was the big influence that set me thinking when we recorded ‘Pepper’”. His life was the central focus of the recent film Love & Mercy which has received widespread critical acclaim.
Brian Wilson stopped being a performing member of The Beach Boys in late 1964, apart from some rare appearances together, he went into the studio and almost singlehandedly produced The Beach Boys recordings whilst the band toured. Since that time Brian has continued his association with The Beach Boys on a recording basis as well as the odd reunion tour including the 50th Anniversary tour in 2012. He released his first solo album in 1988, his latest solo release No Pier Pressure released by Capitol records in 2015 proves his talents continue all these years later. The album features his former Beach Boys band mates Al Jardine, David Marks and Blondie Chaplin, among other special guests and session all-stars.
One of the most prominent and influential figures in the late 20th century Blues and Roots music, Taj Mahal has also been added to the line-up. Bluesfest is proud to announce Taj Mahal will be performing solo and unplugged for the first time in Australia since 1994.
Over his 50 year career, composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Taj Mahal has been nominated for nine Grammys and won two. In 2014 he accepted the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association, an honour he described as: “This is one of the most powerful and wonderful things that could happen in life.”
Also featured on the latest announce is the avant-garde American collective The Residents presenting Shadowland on their 40th Anniversary tour. With their heads hidden behind giant eyeball masks, coupled with their visionary music and unique aesthetics, The Residents have been regarded as icons in the world of experimental music and performance art for over forty years. They will be performing at Bluesfest as part of their first trip to Australia in a decade and are here to present Shadowland – Part 3 of the Randy, Chuck & Bob Trilogy.
Soul sensations Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats also make their Bluesfest debut in 2016. Originally a solo singer-songwriter, Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff formed the seven-piece soul band Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats in 2013. Their debut self-titled album was released to widespread acclaim on the iconic Stax Records in 2015 and peaked at #17 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart. Rolling Stone have described the Night Sweats as “one of rock’s best new live acts” and they were the #1 buzz artist at the Latitude Festival. With this new addition to the line-up, alongside previously announced artists Allen Stone and St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Bluesfest is bringing the best of the Blue –eyed Soul revival hitting the US, together next March.
Scotland’s Shooglenifty will also be making their Bluesfest debut in March 2016. Shooglenifty has been credited for being the originators of ‘Acid Croft’, a fiery and infectious blend of Celtic traditional music and dance grooves, a unique sound that has seen them perform across the globe since 1990.
Brian Wilson will be performing on Easter Monday, 28th March along with Tom Jones, Joe Bonamassa, Jason Isbell, Taj Mahal and many other great artists, plus more yet to be announced. Taj Mahal will also deliver a unique Bluesfest show on Easter Sunday, 27th of March.
Bluesfest shows no signs of slowing down and will continue to release artist announcements in the coming weeks. Festival and camping tickets are reported to be selling fast. Info on tickets, the daily artist playing schedule, plus more is available on www.bluesfest.com.au
Bluesfest Festival Director Peter Noble shares his excitement about the latest announcement:
“It is with pride we announce Brian Wilson performing Pet Sounds, the album that changed the course of music upon its release in 1966, in its entirety at Bluesfest, as well as a number of the hits he wrote and produced whilst a member of the Beach Boys and in his solo career. Pet Sounds has been listed by Rolling Stone as the second greatest album of all time, after The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and has only been performed a handful of times before, and not for a decade.
Brian Wilson HAS achieved greatness, he IS the architect of the California sound, a multi Grammy award winner and is regarded as a musical genius.
His songs typically played at his concerts include ‘California Girls’, ‘Little Deuce Coupe’, ‘I Get Around’, ‘In My Room’, ‘Surfer Girl’, ‘Don’t Worry Baby’, ‘Help Me Rhonda’, ‘Surfin’ USA’, ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ and ‘Love & Mercy’, which is also the title of the acclaimed movie about his life released this year. Some of the brilliant songs from Pet Sounds played include ‘God Only Knows’, and ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’.
The 2015 release by Wilson – No Pier Pressure, shows he is STILL at the top of his game and is another work of brilliance by a man who has seen the highs and lows in life and has emerged greater than ever.
The recent movie Love & Mercy (2015) the story of Brian Wilson, has caused many to discover him, as well as re-discover this true genius.
It is an honour to be presenting Brian Wilson at Bluesfest doing his hits, as well as Pet Sounds – the way it was meant to be presented – with full band and small orchestra and string section. The only thing that will be missing at Bluesfest will be the trains and barking dogs from the original release.
Taj Mahal the legendary Blues & Roots musician is coming to Australia performing acoustically, for the first time in over 20 years. His fans have been asking for this for so long, and finally they are going to hear Taj do his classics in such a special way. We can’t wait to welcome Taj back to Bluesfest – he is one of our all-time favourite artists.
Add in Shooglenifty, performing traditional Scottish music with a blend of fusion, even indie rock, topped with The Residents – the San Francisco bubble eyed Avant Garde, art collective, performing on their 40th Anniversary tour. Put Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats in the mix, whose album has taken the soul revival world by storm and was THE hit at England’s recent Latitude Festival, and you have ANOTHER SERVING IN THE MUSICAL GUMBO THAT IS Bluesfest.
This is shaping up to be one of our best years – and there’s more to come yet. So what are you waiting for, rush out and buy your Bluesfest tickets today – whilst you still can.”
2016 BLUESFEST ARTISTS ALREADY ANNOUNCED:
KENDRICK LAMAR
TOM JONES •THE NATIONAL
NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS
UB40
feat. ALI CAMPBELL, ASTRO & MICKEY VIRTUE
JOE BONAMASSA • TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND
MELISSA ETHERIDGE • JACKSON BROWNE
CITY AND COLOUR • THE DECEMBERISTS
THE CAT EMPIRE • JASON ISBELL
TWEEDY • STURGILL SIMPSON
STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES • THE WORD
GRACE POTTER • LORD HURON
BLACKBERRY SMOKE • VINTAGE TROUBLE
NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE
SONGHOY BLUES • SHAKEY GRAVES • ALLEN STONE
ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES
LUKAS NELSON AND PROMISE OF THE REAL
THE SELECTER • RHIANNON GIDDENS
JANIVA MAGNESS • LUCKY PETERSON • EMDEE
THE WAILERS
PRESENT BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS 4 ALBUMS IN ENTIRETY
EXODUS, SURVIVAL, UPRISING & LEGEND OVER 4 NIGHTS
ARTIST BIOS
Brian Wilson performing Pet Sounds
“’God Only Knows’ is the most beautiful song ever written” – Sir Paul McCartney
“Pet Sounds’ trenchant cycle of love songs has the emotional impact of a shatteringly evocative novel” – Rolling Stone
“Brian Wilson is one of the greatest innovators of my decade or any decade” – Burt Bacharach
The inimitable musical genius, Brian Wilson is coming to Bluesfest, performing Pet Sounds plus his greatest hits in an extended set, will be a rare and unforgettable live music experience for the Bluesfest audience, with an incredible 11piece band including original Beach Boys member Al Jardine & long-term member Blondie Chaplin plus an eight piece string section.
Pet Sounds – the ground-breaking psychedelic Rock album that featured hits including ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, ‘Sloop John B’, and ‘God Only Knows’, and Rolling Stone declared as the 2nd Greatest Album of All Time (second only to The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band) – is the album that turned the industry on its head, broke all the rules & changed Rock’n’Roll history, influencing greats including The Beatles, The Who, Radiohead, Elton John, REM and many more.
Wilson co-wrote, arranged, produced & performed on nine consecutive gold albums that featured more than two dozen Top 40 hits including ‘Good Vibrations’, ‘California Girls’ and ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ to name but a few, all remaining celebrated classics, almost 50 years on.
2015 has marked a triumphant return for Brian Wilson with a brand new solo release No Pier Pressure, proving his talents continue all these years later, featuring his former Beach Boys band mates Al Jardine, David Marks and Blondie Chaplin, among other special guests and session all-stars, as well as Brianfest – a star-studded tribute concert held in Los Angeles in April (including Norah Jones, The Flaming Lips, Boz Scaggs, & Heart’s Ann Wilson to name a few), a re-release of Pet Sounds, as well as the release of Love & Mercy – the commended biographical film about Brian’s remarkable life and creative process.
Brian Wilson performing Pet Sounds plus his greatest hits will be an unforgettable live music experience for Bluesfest audiences. It is a magical celebration that ignites nostalgia, romance & sheer awe of the wunderkind songwriter’s incomparable genius; a not-to-be-missed performance that will transport you to the most exciting time of Rock music history.
Taj Mahal – 1st Australian solo performance since 1994!
Composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, and Bluesfest favourite, Taj Mahal is one of the most prominent and influential figures in late 20th century Blues and Roots music, and he is returning to Australia to perform solo and unplugged for the first time in over 20 years!
Famous for nearly singlehandedly reshaping the definition and scope of the Blues, via the infusion of exotic sounds from the Caribbean, Africa and South Pacific, the two-time Grammy winning singer, songwriter, film composer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist from Massachusetts has been writing and performing for over fifty years.
Taj Mahal formed the Rising Sons, a six-piece outfit that included guitarist Ry Cooder. The band opened for numerous high-profile touring artists of the ’60s, including Otis Redding, The Temptations and Martha and the Vandellas. Around the same time, Taj also mingled with various Blues legends, including Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Sleepy John Estes. In recent years he has collaborated with Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Angelique Kidjo, Los Lobos, Ziggy Marley, Blind Boys Of Alabama, Van Morrison, The Roots, Eric Clapton, Wynton Marsalis and Tedeschi Trucks Band and others – many of whom have been directly influenced by Taj’s music and guidance.
Renowned as an ‘International Treasure’, Taj Mahal is recognised as one of the most diverse, and prolific Blues performers in the world, and perhaps, ever. He has released 26 studio albums, appeared in nine films and written soundtracks for two, received a Blues Music Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 13th Annual Americana Honors and Awards.
Taj continues to tour internationally, doing as many as 150 shows per year throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Bluesfest is proud to welcome Taj Mahal back to the stage – one of the Blues, and the world’s greats.
The Residents Present Shadowland
Performance art at its best will be on display at Bluesfest when the experimental avant-garde music group The Residents make their return to Australia for the first time in a decade.
The Residents have managed to keep their identity a secret over their 40+ year career, hiding behind giant eyeball masks among other disguises and becoming one of the most enthralling and unusual bands in the history of music. They have recently and unexpectedly morphed into a power trio and are currently going by the names of Randy, Chuck and Bob.
The Residents have been regarded as icons in the world of experimental music for over forty years and have garnered legendary status for their visionary music and unique aesthetics. They will be presenting their new show Shadowland (Part 3 of their trilogy), where Randy, Chuck & Bob will focus on the beginning of life – birth. As with Parts 1 & 2 of the trilogy, Part 3 will feature music from The Residents’ extensive catalogue interspersed with short videos about birth, rebirth, reincarnation and NDEs (near death experiences).
In addition to their ground-breaking work in the areas of Trance, World Fusion, Electronica, Punk, Industrial and Lounge music which has seen them release around 70 albums, the group has also been credited with being among the originators of performance art and music video.
It’s going to get weird at Bluesfest when The Residents take to the stage and we can’t wait.
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
“The album is full of the ghosts of songwriting greats like Otis Redding, Chuck Berry and Van Morrison, and sounds like it should establish Rateliff as the breakneck bar brawler of the new soul movement.” The Guardian
Prepare to be blown away when the Soul sensations Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats make their Bluesfest debut in 2016. It is bound to be a foot tapping, hand clapping, raucous occasion with one of the best new live acts on the road. Rolling Stone have described the Night Sweats as “one of rock’s best new live acts” and they were the #1 buzz artist at the Latitude Festival.
Originally a solo singer-songwriter, Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff formed the seven-piece Soul band Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats in 2013. Their debut self-titled album was released to widespread acclaim on the iconic Stax Records in 2015 and peaked at #17 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart.
After a rousing performance of the debut album’s lead single “S.O.B” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon went viral, the track became the No. 1 add to alternative and the No. 1 viral track slot globally on Spotify and made its way to #1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs Chart. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats have also recently made it on Billboard’s list of predictions for the Best New Artist Grammy for the 2016 Awards.
Those familiar with Rateliff’s solo work have experienced a new sound from this once Folk musician, however when they delve beneath the raw-boned surface of the new album’s wall-rattling presentation, with its deep-gut grooves, snaky guitars, churning Hammond and irresistible horns, they will find a familiar sensitive, introspective voice from Rateliff who simply and bravely tells it like it is.
It’s going to be soul-shaking and it’s going to get sweaty when this band on the rise perform at Bluesfest for the very first time in March.
Shooglenifty
Scotland’s Shooglenifty will be making their Bluesfest debut in March 2016. Credited as being the originators of ‘Acid Croft’, a fiery and infectious blend of Celtic traditional music and dance grooves, the band have been performing their unique sound across the globe since 1990.
Snake-hipped fiddle-toting Highland front man Angus R Grant still rules the roost after a quarter century, but he has been joined centre stage by the band’s new secret weapon ‘puirt à beul’ vocalist Kaela Rowan. It’s a potent mix that has invigorated a band that still retains four of its original members: Angus, Garry Finlayson on electric and acoustic banjo, Malcolm Crosbie on guitars, and James Mackintosh on percussion. The line-up is completed by Tasmanian mando hero Luke Plumb and Quee MacArthur who provides the funkiest bass riffs this side of Philadelphia.
Shooglenifty’s skill at fusing exquisite traditional sounding tunes to devilishly dirty rhythms is unsurpassed, and thanks to their globetrotting adventure, their rich back catalogue of influences flows from everywhere from Rajasthan to Russia, Borneo to Brisbane, Ghana to Glenfinnan.
The band will be showcasing tunes and, for the first time, songs from their 2015 release The Untied Knot as well as lots of old favourites!
There will be a lot of dancing when Shooglenifty take over the stage with their witty and energetic live shows at Bluesfest.
All 5, 3 & 1 day festival and camping tickets are on sale through www.bluesfest.com.au or phone the office on 02 6685 8310.
Tickets are also available through Moshtixwww.moshtix.com.auand Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.com.au.
www.bluesfest.com.au
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Gaynor Crawford, Bluesfest Publicist
