Bluesfest, Some artists I discovered Options

[Pokey]

I posted this somewhere else and thought I may as well cross post here and add a bit to it. Worth checking out if you're a fan of the blues. This is a festival I could see TGF fitting right in at next year with a Front Porch set!
Recently I went to a 5 day blues and roots music festival up in Byron Bay which had to be one of the best experiences of my life. The calibre of music was just unreal, trying to recount all the acts I saw over the 5 days is tough, but it's something along the lines of: Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, BB King, Jethro Tull, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Michael Franti, Blind Boys of Alabama, CW Stoneking, ZZ Top, Toots and the Maytals, Ernest Ranglin, Kate Miller-Heidke, Washington, The Bamboos, Eric Bibb, Hat Fitz, Jeff Lang, Wolfmother, Derek Trucks, Trombone Shorty, Mavis Staples, Wagons, Cat Empire, Cecilia Noel, Captain Matchbox, Red Eyes, Snowdroppers, Barrence Whitfield and well yeah, a shit load more.

Anyways, my point was just to share a few clips I found here and there of some of the people I saw, well worth checking a few out. A lot of the acts I was familiar with but I discovered so much just wandering up to stages not knowing who was playing.

Jeff Lang, this guy is an amazing Aussie guitarist, plays a lot of slide guitar but he has tackled a lot of different styles, incredibly fast. Check out this clip which I've skipped to the best part - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7pBb3Q6StM#t=4m15s

Rodrigo y Gabriela -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5xs6URmAOI
These guys just blew me away, the energy they had going in the place was crazy. They barely sat down the whole gig like they do in most of their shows I've found on youtube. literally like mexican jumping beans ... they can just read each others minds on stage. Guess thats whats happens when you've played guitar together all your lives. One of the top 10 gigs I've ever seen.

Kate Miller Heidke -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ7iC8fz0Wo
She did this Eminem cover at Bluesfest and its totally stunning, her voice never ceases to amaze me with stuff like she does in the chorus here.

Tombone Shorty -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjbd0QRxEtY
He's only about 22 years old and one of the best trombone players from New Orleans, the dude can hold a note for an abnormally long time by the crazy way he keeps breathing almost puffing himself up like a bullfrog whilst he plays. Super fun to dance to.

Eric Bibb -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0szwmdAfeNw
See when Ed sings about God I just can't get into it, but its not to say that all songs about God and Heaven are bad by any stretch of the imagination. If he could make it half as cool as Eric Bibb does here then he might be onto something.

CW Stoneking -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2n1qZPLo_o
This guy just stuns me, sometimes when you see an artist that is playing in the style of a year gone by it can be damn cool. With this guy you swear to god he was plucked directly out of the 20s or 30s and brought here.

Blind Boys of Alabama -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOiquKuoDac
These guys were amazing, totally had the crowd up and dancing. Not to mention them being up and dancing too with people making sure they didn't fall off the stage.

Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HnEtMyW6Tk
Never knew a thing about these guys before wandering up randomly, some old Aussie bush looking guy and a girl from North Ireland, great stuff.

There's about a bazillion more, but thought if anyone was interested it's worth checking out if you love the blues!