The Bands 2009

Eric Bibb was born in New York into a musical family. He learned to play guitar at 7 and at the tender age of 11 had already met Bob Dylan.
By Junior High School, Eric was consumed by music and aged 19 he left for Paris, where he focused his interest in blues guitar. When Eric later moved to Sweden, he found a creative environment in Stockholm which took him back to Greenwich Village during the heyday of the folk revival.
The album Good Stuff was released in 1997 followed by Me to You, featuring appearances from Mavis Staples and Taj Mahal.
Then came Home to Me (1999), Roadworks (2000) and Painting Signs (2001)  Just Like Love, then A Family Affair - the first ever album recorded together by father and son - Leon & Eric Bibb. Natural Light followed then Friends - 15 tracks featuring Eric and musicians he has met on his travels such as Taj Mahal and Charlie Musselwhite.
Eric has appeared and his songs have been featured on countless major TV and radio shows including Later with Jools Holland and The Late Late Show. Eric and his band have played at most of the world’s major festivals including Glastonbury (4 times this year) and the Cambridge Folk Festival in the UK. He joined Robert Cray on two U.S. tours in 2001 and 2002 and opened for Ray Charles in the summer of 2002.
Eric's talent has been recognized with a Grammy Nomination (for Shakin' a Tailfeather) and 4 W.C. Handy nominations, including Best Acoustic Blues Artists of the Year.
In 2005 Eric released A Ship Called Love and toured the world as ever, including a major US tour with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Robben Ford. A Ship Called Love was nominated for Acoustic Album of the Year in the 2006 Blues Music Awards.
Diamond Days was released in 2006 and has become the biggest selling album of the Eric’s lengthy career, receiving universal critical acclaim. The album entered both Australian (National) and US charts (Blues).
2008 sees the release of Eric’s latest album, Get Onboard with Bonnie Raitt and Ruthie Foster as guest performers.
Eric describes his latest creation as follows: “My new album Get Onboard is, without a doubt one of the most exciting projects of my career. It’s a further exploration into the place where blues meets gospel and soul.”

A performance by Eric Bibb is an enriching experience – both musically and spiritually. Purveying a beautifully realised and deftly accomplished, soulful and gospel infused, folk- blues, Eric has no problem melding a traditional rootsy American style with a subtle contemporary sensibility. As one critic wrote “ Eric’s singing and versatile guitar playing fuses a variety of genres to become a New World Blues”.

"Eric is one of the new, young singers that has appeared on the scene that, much to my delight, has a great voice, is an excellent performer and has a great knowledge about the roots of this music"
Taj Mahal

www.ericbibb.com

Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s have been the torchbearers of a great American blues musical heritage, not for two years but two decades. Taking  their inspiration from the great jump n' boogie outfits of the late 40s and early 50s, they breathe fresh life into the music that gave birth to rock n'roll. Woods styled his group after the jumpin' n' jivin', shoutin' n' honkin', pumpin' n' poundin' bands of Louis Jordan, Wynonie Harris, Joe and Jimmy Liggins, Amos Milburn, and Roy Milton. Adding a healthy dose of New Orleans rhythm and blues, piledrivin' piano, and some of his own contemporary playful lyrics, Woods and His Rocket 88s forge their own brand of music they call "rock-a-boogie."

On his latest CD/DVD project, Big Easy Boogie, Mitch brings together the inner circle of Rock’n’ Roll royalty. Featuring some of New Orleans’ legends including original members of the Fats Domino band, Herb Hardesty and the Blue Monday Horns, and Jimmy Moliere on guitar, the sound is true to the roots New Orleans R&B. It is vintage rock’n’roll and boogie inspired by New Orleans piano greats Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, and Little Richard, performed in Mitch’s joyous entertaining style that makes you feel like you are not only in the audience but on stage with him having a ball! Whether it is a pounding piano pumper, a Mardi Gras mambo, or a moody late night blues with cascading piano and sultry sax, Mitch Woods’ Big Easy Boogie will delight all lovers of New Orleans music.
Don't miss Mitch's fiery close Saturday night!
www.mitchwoods.com

Bert Deivert is an American blues musician residing in Sweden. He has played acoustic guitar and mandolin based blues for over 40 years and performed and recorded with grammy nominated artists like Eric Bibb, Peter Case, Wanda Jackson, Cadillac John Nolden, Bill Abel and many more. Performing along with Bert is Swedish ace guitarist Janne Zander on resonator slide guitar and the pair tours the world playing classics by the likes of Son House, Yank Rachelle, Robert Johnson and others.

Bert’s 9th album, “Takin’ Sam’s Advice” (2007) has received top honors by the European blues press and after listening to it we simply had to invite this artist. If like acoustic blues you’ll love this!  www.deivert.com

 

The OZ contribution to the festival this year is a beautiful lady from the city of Perth in Western Australia. Her name is KNIKI and her voice is grunty, strong and sexy. Having listened to her just released second cd, "JUST" (August 2008) we just felt compelled to invite her to the 2009 show.
Performing a combination of Blues, Soul and Rock, this Indie singer/songwriter and her band which includes guitar great John Meyer will keep your eyes and ears glued to the stage!
www.kniki.com

 
Led by Chicago-born and world travelled guitarist Ken 'Snowman' Minahan, The Blues Machine plays regularly at the Blues Factory in Pattaya, the city’s top blues venue.  A very accomplished guitarist / singer / songwriter / producer, Snowman has won the prestigious Blues Foundation International Blues Challenge and the B.B. King “Lucille” awards.  The band also features Filipina Mary with a big voice and a show that will keep your attention from start to finish. www.thebluesfactorypattaya.com

CANNONBALL
is a five-piece high energy contemporary blues band that was formed several years ago when they got together in Bangkok to write and develop their own style of blues and take it on the road.
Today Cannonball is one of the premier blues bands in Asia and have released their debut album - 'The Blues Is a Good Man Feeling Bad' - recorded over eight months in several studios in Bangkok, mixed and produced by famed producer Simon Henderson. The band is returning to our festival by popular demand. C'mon down and get into the Cannonball groove!
www.myspace.com/cannonballbluesrockband

Fronted by Tony "Chainsaw" and guitar wiz Rob the local blues meisters return to rock the fourth festival as they did the first three. Performing their precision on stage surgery, along with some great stuff of Blues Brothers fame, the Docs will really get you into the Groove!  www.phuketbluesband.com

George Cordeiro and the Fai Jang Blues Gang is a 5-member group of diverse musical and ethnic origins. Their vocal flexibility, groove and performance appeal has brought them to stages around Asia, America, the Caribbean and the Middle East, performing with members of groups and artists as diversified as Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alex Taylor, Eldee Young to a host of international audiences.
A hot newcomer to the festival!
 

Originally from the UK Li’l Willie arrived on Ko Samui 4 years ago after traveling the southern states of the USA honing his skills as vocalist and blues harp player.

Willie's love for the blues has taken him all around the globe and he is now a much sought after player on the Thailand live music scene.

His truly international band this year consists of Bob out of the west coast of the USA on drums, Canadian Derek on bass and Singaporean Patrick on guitar.

His material includes originals and numbers he has picked up from some of the harmonica greats as well as classic blues standards.  

To sum things up Willie draws from the sentiments of blues legend Jimmy Rogers “If you ain’t dancing you must have a hole in your sole”, which just about says it all.  

Sam Wilkinson comes from Liverpool and has NOT met The Beatles. However, he once bought a pint for John Lennon’s school friend’s ex-fiancée’s neighbour so stardom is no stranger to him!
Together with daughter Miki, power drummer Peter and Patrick of Rockin' Angels fame, Sam will entertain us with some outstanding bluesy numbers!
 

Corinne Gibbons is a well known jazz/blues singer/guitarist on the Australian independent music scene renowned for her beautiful vocals and song interpretation. 
With a voice constantly compared to music legends like Karen Carpenter, Kate Bush and Eva Cassidy, she has built for herself a loyal following in Australia, Japan and Singapore for the past eight years.
We just learned that she will be in town during the festival and invited her to join us for a short set.
Corinne is right now putting the final touches to her new album MELT which is an intimate journey into her world and will be released later this year. She will give us a preview of this during her performance Friday night. Enjoy!