Renowned local bluesman Bill Barber is back on the boards this weekend – and this time he’s not on his own. The singer/guitarist, who regularly graces stages in a solo capacity, has rejoined forces with The Revelators for a much-anticipated show at the Golden Vine on Friday, May 10 from 8pm.
“It’s going to be a really interesting one for us,” Barber says of the Vine show. “We haven’t played in Bendigo, really, since the very start of the year, and there’s a whole lot of new things that have been written and tweaked since. We’re really excited to show people what we’ve been working on.”
The current incarnation of The Revelators cemented its line-up two years ago, forging a sound that Barber describes as “eclectic, to say the least”.
“(Drummer) Brad (Locke) and (bassist) Jaspar (Austin-Gray) are mainly funk/rock musicians, so the band has definitely been driven more in that direction,” says Barber, “although the music is always going to be pretty deep-rooted in blues.”
Barber admits to being fixated on different genres – anything from funk, to soul, to ’70s rock, to Americana – but the blues was his first love and the arena in which he has made his musical name.
“All my heroes and early influences were predominantly acoustic blues artists,” he says. “But as I got older and I started to become influenced much more by electric guitar, it almost seemed like a rebellious thing to try and get a band going after being a solo performer for so long.”
As usual, a host of diverse music will be pouring out of local venues all month long.
Come down to Hargreaves Mall on Friday, May 10, and get funky with Funk Junkies and friends. From 11am-2pm; free entry.
The mall will also host its regular singer-songwriter showcase on Saturday, May 11. Featured artists are Alex and Dan; Patrick Lionel; Sherri Parry; and Dan Duggan. From 10am-2pm; free entry.
Jump on board the Blues Tram on Saturday, May 11, along with this month’s featured artists, Melbourne-based duo Lily and King, and local singer-songwriter Alister Turrill. From 2-4.30pm; tickets $35 from the Bendigo Visitor Centre or www.bendigotourism.com
Dirty Rascal are hitting the highway from Melbourne and bringing their self-described “epic, transformational rock” to the Golden Vine on Saturday, May 11, as part of their national What Would Love Do tour. It is the second single from their debut album You Be The King, which came out late last year. From 8.30pm; entry $5.
Melbourne-based rapper Ivan Ooze is bringing his Thanks For The Memories tour to the Tap House on Friday, May 17, before going on “indefinite hiatus”. From 8pm; tickets $25-$30 from www.moshtix.com.au
Local rockers Astareth will be supporting Nirbira at the Golden Vine on Saturday, May 18. From 9pm; entry $5.
Written by Lynette Walker. Contact: [email protected]
