Aussie Blues Outstanding, says Blues Revue
The outstanding calibre of Australian blues is praised in the latest edition of Blues Revue.
Journalist and leading blues guitarist Bob Margolin praises Australian blues musicians in an interview with Melbourne Blues Queen Fiona Boyes.
Blues Revue is America’s most respected blues magazine with world wide distribution.
“For more than 30 years, I’ve been hearing and jamming with Australian blues players who deliver their original blues with depth and soul. They cannot be denied,” testifies Margolin.
Steve Sloan, editor of BluesWax (America’s leading Blues website, syndicated with Blues Revue) agrees: “Spending three weeks immersed in the blues scene in Australia only solidified our belief in the growth potential of the ‘Blues Down Under’…the quality players and the depth of their knowledge of what we often believe to be ‘our’ music was phenomenal…it is so exciting to see a fresh perspective on the blues from a place so far from the Delta,” he said.
The story follows Australia’s recent success in America, which confirms our place as a serious contender in the international blues scene.
Jimi Hocking, from Melbourne, won first place in the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in February this year. On the same day Melbourne blues band Collard Greens and Gravy won the ‘Best Self-Produced CD’ competition (part of the IBC) with their album Silver Bird. Hocking is the fifth Australian artist to win at the IBC; Fiona Boyes, Andy Cowan, Collard Greens and Gravy and Geoff Achison have all placed. Organised by The Blues Foundation and held in Memphis, Tennessee, the competition is largely an all-American event.
BluesWax mentions acts like Dutch Tilders, Nick Charles, The Backsliders and the Bondi Cigars as responsible for making “live Blues accessible to audiences across Australia.” It also recognises our host of young blues talents; Lloyd Spiegel, Pete Cornelius and Ash Grunwald amongst others.
The article published in BluesWax can be found on www.blueswax.com
