Former Screaming Jets and The Angels guitarist Jimi Hocking will feature in the second annual Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival in November (8-11).
Hocking, aka ‘‘Jimi The Human’’, will join some of Australia’s best Blues & Roots artists for the four day festival, taking in 80 acts over roughly 20 great venues in and around Bendigo.
The lineup also includes Blues sensation Dallas Frasca, Josh Owen, Sal Kimber & The Rollin’ Wheel, Archer, Abbie Cardwell, Ash Davies, Stringybark McDowell, and Genevieve Chadwick. The main event of the festival will again be an all-day, family-friendly, free-entry concert on Saturday, November 10 featuring 16 great acts (and other attractions) and will be held at the Civic Gardens surrounding and incorporating our magnificent Town Hall.
Before then however, top class local and imported music will combine with exquisite food and refreshing craft beer for the inaugural Ewes, Brews, Stews and Blues at Goldmines Hotel on July 22. The BB&RMF has teamed up with Festival of Lamb and Bendigo Beer for the festival’s second showcase of 2012, which kicks off from midday and runs until 7pm.
The day long event will see Goldmine’s intimate courtyard stage and famous rustic cellar host an array of musical talent, including Jacob McGuffie from white-hot indie band The Fearless Vampire Killers, and folk siblings Alanna and Alicia Egan, fresh from their national tour. Local stalwarts Urban Creatures, Andrew Garlick, Chris Jacobs, one-of-a-kind Alawishus Jones and local legends Old Buzzard Medicine Show will also perform, alongside Archer, Twelve Inch Clocks, Michelle Meehan, Trouble in Mind and local whiz kid, Zac Camm.
The music will be complimented by an array of delicious grub and beverages, with Executive Chef Josh Pearson creating some unique lamb dishes for the day, and Bendigo Beer showcasing local brews. Festival director Colin Thompson said the Ewes, Brews, Stews and Blues would serve as a tasty advertisement for what November’s festival has to offer. ‘‘The Ewes, Brews, Stews and Blues follows BB&RMF’s showcase for 2012 at the Rifle Brigade in March, which attracted
hundreds of new fans to the festival,’’ he said. ‘‘The festival is put together by a team of very motivated volunteers, so your support is not only welcomed, but integral to the festival’s growth. Its truly a great time to be involved in music in Bendigo.’’
The BB&RMF will also host two intimate events at the Australian Sheep & Wool show on July 20 and 21, between 3 and 4pm, with Alawishus Jones and Talisa Jobe respectively, and specialty lamb dishes prepared by Justin McPhail and matched with local craft beers. Interviews are available upon request.
