Bluesfest Releases More Sideshows!

Bluesfest touring have announced even more sideshows from the huge festival in Byron Bay next Easter.

The new announcement of artists include, Melissa Etherisde, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Decemberists, The Word, Vintage Trouble, Nahko and Medicine For The People, Songhoy Blues, Shakey Graves, Allen Stone, St. Paul & The Broken Bones and Rihannon Giddens.

Leading the announcement is the Academy Award and Grammy winning artists, Melissa Etheridge, who will be coming down under to perform songs from her new album, ‘This is M.E’ as wel as some of her greatest hits. Shows have been announced for the Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Wednesday 23^rd March, Palais Theatre in Melbourne on Wednesday 30^thMarch, Riverside Theatre Perth on Friday 1^st April as well as Bluesfest in Byron Bay on Sunday 27^th March.

Also included in the touring announcement is the Grammy award winning Blues and Roots Rock group Tedeschi Trucks Band who Bluesfest Festival Director Peter Noble says “are laying their claim right now as THE greatest live Southern Blues Rock band on the road today.” The supergroup will be heading to the Forum Theatre in Melbourne on Saturday 19^th March, the Canberra Theatre on Sunday 20^th March and the Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Tuesday 22^nd March before their Bluesfest performance. The 11-piece tour-de-force, has quickly become the vanguard of modern Roots music.

The Decemberists, the hugely successful and inspiring Folk Rock band, have charmed audiences all over the world with their eclectic live shows and it will be Melbourne and Sydney’s turn as well as Bluesfest in March 2016. The Decemberists will perform at the Hamer Hall in Melbourne on Tuesday 29^th March and the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday 30^th March.  The Texan one-man-band, Shakey Graves, who recently took out the ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ Award at the 2015 Americana Honors & Awards, will be opening for The Decemberists in Melbourne as well as performing his own headline show in Sydney at the Basement on Thursday 31^st March.

The Word, featuring pedal-steel guitarist Robert Randolph, keyboardist John Medeski and two North Mississippi Allstars, guitarist Luther Dickinson and drummer Cody Dickinson, will be performing their very first Bluesfest sideshows in Sydney at the Factory Theatre on Sunday 27^th March and Melbourne at the Corner Hotel on Monday 28^th March.

American Rhythm and Blues band Vintage Trouble were recently the special guests for the legendary AC/DC on their Rock Or Bust World Tour, have also toured with legends like The Who and have sold-out headline shows worldwide.  VintageTrouble will be coming to the Corner Hotel in Melbourne on Wednesday 30^th March, the Factory Theatre in Sydney on Thursday 31^st March for Bluesfest sideshows.

Nahko and Medicine For The People are returning to the delight of their many Australian fans and will be performing their unrelentingly positive and energetic shows in Brisbane at Max Watts on Thursday 24^thMarch, the Corner Hotel in Melbourne on Sunday 27^th March and the Metro Theatre in Sydney on Wednesday 30^th March as well as Bluesfest.

Mali’s Songhoy Blues are coming to Australia for the very first time in 2016 and performing official Bluesfest sideshows at the Astor Theatre in Perth on Wednesday 9^thMarch and the Melbourne Recital Centre on Wednesday 16^th March.

US Soul sensation Allen Stone will be performing sideshows in Sydney at the Factory Theatre on Wednesday 30^th March and Melbourne at the Corner on Thursday 31^st March.

The six-piece soul band from Alabama, St. Paul & The Broken Bones will be performing in Australia for the very first time in Sydney at the Metro Theatre on Monday 21^st March, Melbourne at the Corner Hotel on Thursday 24^th March and Brisbane at the Triffid on Friday 25^th March, as well as Bluesfest.

Rhiannon Giddens, the Grammy Award-winning former lead singer of African-American Folk interpreters Carolina Chocolate Drops. Rhiannon will be performing her Bluesfest sideshows in Sydney at the Factory Theatre on Monday 21^st March and Melbourne at the Corner Hotel on Wednesday 23^rdMarch.

All the dates and details on tickets for the Bluesfest sideshows are available on the Bluesfest Touring website.