Quiet Color

by eliza czander

I just got back from a week of camping in the rain at Bluesfest, up in Byron Bay (the east coast of Australia), and shit am I happy to be home. Not to say it wasn’t a great time – trust me, it was – but, watching music in the pouring rain, attempting to stay dry under a single sheet of plastic, and losing your life in the mud underneath your feet is only fun for so long, you know?

Artist: Michael Franti & Spearhead Song: Say Hey (I Love You)

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Aside from the rain and general haphazardness, there was some amazing music radiating from underneath the six tents at Bluesfest. The first act I caught on Thursday put me in the right head space for the shit ton of music that laid ahead. Seasick Steve is fucking amazing. Sure, his back story (leaving home at 13, playing on buses and trains around the globe) aids in an audience appreciating his “realness.”  He still wears dirty overalls, plays his three-stringed guitar, and bangs on a wooden box – I think all of that definitely allows people to latch onto the idea that they’ve discovered something genuine.

I was able to catch the end of Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, a married duo who are a bit too country for my taste, but seem to have a heavy Australian following. She’s got a fantastic voice, and he’s not bad to look at, so I stayed for a dance, a drink, and a couple of jams.

Onto the highlight of the evening for me – the incomparable Michael Franti. God I love this guy. He can put any wet, muddied up and miserable person in great fucking mood. His hip-hop-funk-reggae-rock infusion is completely original to him and his band, the Spearheads, and every time I’ve seen him play (about three now) he’s put on a fantastic live show. Playing a bunch off of his new album, All Rebel Rockers, he also hit high notes with favorites like “Ganja Babe”, and “Love’ll Set Me Free.” At one point during the set, he talked about how we’re all on the brink of change, and the need to care for our country, and said something to the likes of, “We now have a great man in the White House. Not only is he great, the man is a gentleman.”

The Magnificent Xavier Rudd was next up at the main stage. I was looking forward to his performance as well, as the man has never let me down in the past.  Though he is incredible in his musicianship, I have a hard time pointing out differences in his shows. Of the few I’ve seen, it’s hard to note any real distinguishing factors from one to the next. This could possibly be because he’s always sitting on a stool behind five million didgeridoos, which he often will jam out on for minutes at a time, but varied or not, the guy certainly puts his whole heart forward when he plays.

Day 2 brought sunshine, and of course, more incredible music. Having been introduced to Blue King Brown at Playground Weekender, I was psyched to see them play again. Lead singer Natalie Pa’apa’a is a real treat to watch, and is also stunningly beautiful as she writhes and sways all about the stage. They played hits off their 2006 album, and earlier, self-titled EP. The crowd went particularly nut-so for “Stand Up,” which got a lot of radio play a few years back.

Next up at the main stage was Dan Auerbach, guitarist and vocalist from The Black Keys, who’s decided to take it solo. His album Keep it Hid was released this past February to mixed reviews, and it seems he’s still trying to find his own sound. That being said, the guy still absolutely kills it on guitar, and his backing band definitely helped to lift his act to a higher level of rock-godness. His drummer, dreads hanging to his ass, was all over the kit, moving onto the tambourine, and finally the triangle. Sick I tell you. Being a big Keys fan, I was thoroughly contented at that moment in time. Was sorry it had to end so soon.

On to Day 3, and fuckin A, more rain. Ah well, I’d about given up by this point anyway. My feet were doomed to stay muddy, clothes soaking, but hopefully spirits high as I entered into the fest to see someone I had been hearing a lot about. That 1 Guy. Okay, this guy is weirdly awesome. He’s got this big “magic pipe” which is a 7 foot installation of bells, percussion, and some crazy electronic sounds. He basically plays it upright like the slap bass, but the sounds reverberating from that thing are incredible. It sounded like a six man band up there, no joke. I will say, however, that his lyrics are…fuck, they’re kinda creepy. “I want a bucket of guts” was the main chorus to one of his tunes, and I his latest album was titled The Moon is Disgusting. But like I said, weirdly awesome. Check him out.

Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 was headlining for the evening, and from what I had heard, was packing a whole new band with a whole new sound. Because the new album doesn’t drop until May, people weren’t really sure what to expect. Apparently, much of the crowd was not impressed, as people meandered in and out of the tent, hoping they would hear an old jam that they could sing along to.  They played their new album obviously, they are a new band, but I was expecting him to belt out a classic or two, maybe by his lonesome. I personally think Ben’s an incredibly talented musician, and his vocals were definitely on point as he slid his fingers down, up and down that fret, but at one point I’ll admit I was a little bored with all the riffing and jamming, and rocking out. Wanted a little “Burn One Down” in my life! Ah well, who knows, the new album will probably be great. Anyway, on to the next!

Day 4, and guess what? It rained! Fucking poured! Nothing a little State Radio can’t fix, right? I’ve been a fan of these guys since their first album was released in 2006, but never had the chance to see them live. The three-piece from Boston sounded better than on their albums and rocked just hard enough to be one of my high points of the five days at the fest. Their sound is a little alternative for a blues and roots fest, but evidently John Butler Trio are fans of theirs and personally asked them to come play. I think Aussies might get on board with this one. Now, if they’d only put out a new album!

Speaking of John Butler Trio, holy shit are those guys great. I’ve only familiarized myself with their music since coming out to Oz – they’re a pretty big deal out here – and was really hoping they would live up to the hype. Needless to say, they certainly did, and John Butler himself is a fucking legend. The band hasn’t released anything in a couple of years, but they still have quite a catalog to choose from, and they truly played to the crowd covering hits like “Better Than” and “Funky Tonight.” John was also much younger than his music conveys – Yeah, I definitely have a crush.

The last day of this massive fest, I have to admit, I was a bit over the fucking rain. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal, if only I had known ahead of time and made some arrangements. Waking up in my leaky tent, it was definitely a kick in the balls to crawl out and see people reading in their camper vans, cooking up eggs and bacon under their humongous tarps, dry as desert sand. Not cool. But hey, another day of music right? I was pumped to see Missy Higgins, as I has been learning from friends that she was an amazing live performer. I was also impressed to learn that she was my age (25) and had started writing music and winning competitions at age 16. Missy didn’t disappoint as she ripped through her inventory of hits and bluesy ballads, keeping the crowd at her fingertips.

Jason Mraz was following, and quite honestly, I wasn’t so sure what he was doing there when I scanned across his name on the lineup. He did play last year though, and recently released his new album, so I suppose it would make sense. I’ve always been a sort of informal fan of his. When I was in college and heard him play, I thought he was fantastic. Fantastic voice, fantastic guitar player, fun songs to sing along to. Whatever. This time, sporting a goatee and one of those dumb Cubano straw hats, it just seemed like he was trying too hard. The new album is all kinds of cheesy, much reflected in his performance that night. A little too much talk about the universe, and how we’re all connected, blah blah – did he just raise the roof? Yes. Yes he did.

It was time to be out, to brave the rain and jump on a buggy to the VIP tent to enjoy the last couple of hours in Byron in a dry place with a drink in hand. A wonderful time, and a great 20th anniversary for an outstanding festival. I suppose next time around I’ll just know to get a hotel or a tarp ahead of time….