Byron Bay of Plenty

Well, well, well oh Rambling Masses,

Here I am, fresh back from the Byron Bay Blues Fest, though fresh is perhaps not the best way to describe my current state after 5 days of fun, frolics and music. "Quietly Contemplative (Dog Tired)" or "Nice Smile On Face After A Magnificent Festival" may be better descriptions.

For those that went to the BBBF, it was nice bumping into you, and my, weren't there a lot of you!

For those that would like to know a bit about the joys of BBBF according to Pete, cast your eyes over this particular wordy ramble:

After a joyful trip up from Sydney to Byron Bay, with a few stops along the way for wizard adventures and lashings of ginger beer, we (being Three-Knees, Carnie-Queen, The Hobbit, Big-Dancer, CD and yours truly) set up the campsite (thanks for booking Carnie-Queen, you legend in cowboy boots).

This was made easier with assistance from fine weather, years of setting up the old tarp, and Big-Dancer's new Go Go Gadget - the caravan. Never have I camped in such luxury. Top work, buddy. What will it be next year I wonder - personal hovercrafts and a bio-dome?

One of the greatest things about these multi-stage music festivals is the ability to walk around and choose the music that grabs your fancy. If you don't like an act, you mosey on over to another tent and give that a go. With 4 tents to choose from at BBBF, not only do you get to listen in on your favourite acts, but you get to discover some hidden gems that had never before delighted you with their sparkle.

For me, the acts I knew about and which left a real impression were (in no particular order other than vaguely chronological) Lee Scratch Perry, Gomez, Joss Stone, Bo Diddley, Fishbone, Eric Burdon & The Animals, The Ghostwriters, Paul Kelly, and Taj Mahal.

The acts I knew nothing about (but was very pleasantly surpised) and which I'll be checking out more of were Dallas Frasca, Ben Kweller, AYO, Paolo Nutini, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Old Man River, Bluezone, The Neo, Kaki King, Chris Smither, Larry Carlton Blues Project with Robben Ford, and Piers Faccini.

We camped at the Byron Bay camping park just across the road from the festival, and so it was a mere 5 minute amble over whenever the urge took us either way. Good for those cross-kneed waddles back to camp for a toilet break when the queues at the festival got longer than 7 km.

Lucky we were so well prepared - it rained on and off throughout the festival days and nights, and we had the pleasure of several big downpours. It got pretty sloppy at the festival on the last 2 days.

This didn't get us down, though. The only blight on an otherwise perfect trip was the rather lacklustre security of our campsites. Groups of kids were roaming around, flogging anything that wasn't locked in cars or vans. People lost a fair bit of grog, and anything else they were silly enough to lay tantalisingly in the open.

We were lucky - the only real theft incident of note that we had was on the last night of the festival. It was also a masterfully executed sting operation with a twist. A few of us who shall remain nameless left a "present" for the pack of little rapscallions - a bottle of whiskey with about 5 cm of fine malt liquor left in it. A little extra flavour was added to help restore the Karmic balance of the Cosmic All.

The bait was taken, and you can chalk one up for the good guys. I could wax lyrical about the intricate and ultimately satisfying joys of poetic justice, and I just did.

Sorry, I got distracted by a shiny thing. Now, where was I? I should be getting back to the music, for that is one of the two main reasons for going to the BBBF, the other being the fine companionship of great mates in the only hippie communal environment left for us to experience - the camping trip.

THE standout experience for me at BBBF would have to be Chris Smither. Amazing that his first record came out in 1970, and I had never heard of this incredible man. Stylistically, he combines the best of folk, blues and (dare I say it?) country. Despite being a great guitar player, this plays second fiddle to his amazing lyrical prowess. I was rewarded with song after song with the most amazing words and poetry. The writer in me instantly connected. His between-song monologues were incredibly insightful comments on life, and his dry humour was a delight for me.

It's funny how everyone has their own ways of connecting with the world. Funny and fantastic - so much variety! What you are resonates with things you experience in the world around you (call it Hippie vibrations if that tickles your fancy). Big-Dancer and Three-Knees are guitarists, and I saw their joyous rapture at the Larry Carlton/Robben Ford show. That's how they connect.

Me, I'm a big fan of the music, certain instruments, minor chords, stage presence, and all of the multitude of things that make up a live music experience. What I really connect with, though, is folk-style deep lyrics that starts this war in your head - at the same time you are trying to feel the music and trying to dive deeper and analyse the lyrics. That's the writer in me. I watched/listened to the Larry Carlton/Robben Ford show beside Big-Dancer and Three-Knees. I know enough about what I like with guitar music to know when to nod appreciatively at Big-Dancer at just about the right times. I think that I almost had him fooled ;-)

But I don't get the depth of experience that the two guitarists do. They analyse sounds, chord structures, action, tuning and a bunch of other things that I can't begin to imagine. The whole experience is able to give you much greater enjoyment if your levels of appreciation become more sophisticated through knowledge.

That's why I love lyrics. I know by my gut a great number of different techniques by which the message in a poem can be delivered to the reader, whilst at the same time providing its own soundtrack through the sounds of the voice as the words are either spoken or sung. Poetry and music are very closely linked, and I'm not just talking about the prevalent use of the rhyming couplet.

Chris Smither got me diving right in and analysing his lyrics. I came out both awed and inspired. If you ever read this, Chris - thank you from the bottom of my heart and the top of my mind.

Lee Scratch Perry was very pleasant. Through my rather unusual love of Dub music, I have a number of Scratch's albums. He could be called the Godfather of Dub, so it was a great pleasure to see him live. What a strange weird little man he is, bless him.

Gomez was a standout for me, too. Great voice that lead singer has, and the music rocks.

Bo Diddley - man, what a legend. Dwayne Dibbley? Noooo, how come I got to be Dwayne Dibbley? Seeing Bo again was a true delight. The man IS blues.

Joss Stone - punch one through the knuckles. Great show - very polished and real.

Fishbone were very funky, and their stage presence makes for an amazing act. Great use of the crowd surfing whilst singing at the same time - would have been easier if they had radio mikes instead of roadies feeding out the mic cord. Still, they somehow managed it. The lead singer brought out the largest saxomophone you've ever laid eyes on - it was almost as big as him. He blew about 10 notes through it, and I am sure that an earthquake happened somewhere because of it. Then he put it away again.

Eric Burdon & the Animals - man can that guy still belt a tune out! These guys were brilliant. Loved the songs, big hits and small.

The Ghostwriters - some great moments. Despite not quite being Midnight Oil, they still belt out some fine tunes with traditional gusto. They deserve more recognition, I think - one of Australia's forgotten bands.

Paul Kelly - Fungus was right - "The Yanks have Bob Dylan. We've got Paul Kelly." The man is an icon. Every song just shouts out Australia from the top of the coathanger. He should be the next President.

Taj Mahal - solid blues music with a great sound. Despite his keyboard incident, he went on to wow the crowd.

Dallas Frasca - good guitarist and a powerful, hard voice. She should invest in a drummer, though - I couldn't get that stomp box beat out of my head for days.

Ben Kweller - awesome sound, great bluesy-rock.

AYO - so sad I only caught a song and a half at the end of her show. Amazing presence, and an incredible sound. Her voice has this amazing quality to it, and her phrasing is delightfully different.

Paolo Nutini - once again, only caught the last few songs. The adjectives are getting a bit repetitive, but Paolo's music was fantastic. The CD Big-Dancer bought shows a slower, more mellow side than what we heard in the big closer songs.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - Future Man rocks! This was probably number 2 behind Chris Smither for me. The banjo was great, though I can't help feeling stuck in a Dukes of Hazard car chase every time I hear it. The bass player was the most remarkable I have ever seen. I stood transfixed as he slapped through solo after amazing solo. Saw these guys twice, and loved every minute of it.

Old Man River - another new find for me. Bought the album and love it already.

Bluezone - saw a few songs and was very impressed with their sound.

The Neo - from Darwin. I was lucky enough to catch these funky freaks. They have a great bunch of tunes, and they sound great. Kinda Cat Empirish ska.

Kaki King - along with Bela Fleck, this has to be my number 2 at the festival. Her live show is breathtaking. Such an unassuming, almost shy presence on stage, and then this amazingly intense unaccompanied guitar music hits you right in the kisser. Very unusual tunings (just reading from the blurb about her - as if I'd know about unusual tunings...) and a very unusual use of percussive techniques on the strings and guitar body (I could work that bit out by myself). She also did a couple of songs where she sampled loops and licks from a slide guitar and added these progressively to compose wonderfully full-sounding pieces of music, adding layer upon layer.

Chris Smither - I thought I'd mention him again, just 'coz he's tops.

Larry Carlton Blues Project with Robben Ford - I saw Robben Ford many years ago at the Basement, and was an instant convert to his genius. I hadn't heard of Larry Carlton before (philistine that I am). They were incredible. Virtuoso guitar playing without the bravado - these guys are true giants of the genre.

Piers Faccini - amazing wailing vocals. Sort of Cold Play meets Muse. Enjoyed it heaps.

Big-Dancer criticised me for my blog posts being too long, and here I have gone and done it again. Will I ever learn?

'Til next time, oh Rambling Masses, whenever the fancy takes me.