Blues News #719
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Blues News #719

Now there’s something I’d like to say right now, and I’ll probably repeat it at the end of the column… there is no Sleepy Hollow Blues Club gig this month. Unfortunately, it clashes with the Echuca-Moama Winter Blues Festival, and most of the club will be there on one side of the stage or the other.

One of the founding members of the Sleepy Hollow Blues Club was Vic Hunt, who tragically died while white water rafting. This led to the establishment of the Vic Hunt Memorial Grant. The aim of this grant is to nurture new, young blues talent within the community.

This year’s recipient was Ethan Farmer. He’s been playing guitar since age 12, learning from the greats like Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King and Albert King. As well as playing with us, he also attends Melbourne gigs and jams to get more influences and networking. In 2018, he took the next step and formed a blues trio called the Ethan Farmer Band, playing regularly here and out of town.

This month he is off to Boston’s Berklee College of Music for their five-week music performance course. This is an amazing opportunity to connect with hundreds of students, with the same interest and passion in music. The Club has made a grant to Ethan from the Vic Hunt Memorial funds to assist him and his August gig at SHBC will be one of his first on his return.

This month Georgia Rodgers has been playing at Pistol Pete’s on Tuesdays, and she will be playing there until the end of the month. Georgia has 12 years of experience, and toured Europe in 2012 playing at “Porretta soul festival”, “Montreaux jazz Festival” and “Jazz A Vienne” on lead guitar with the well loved and respected band The Sweethearts.

I remember from the Sweethearts days, and have heard her acoustic original material, and it’s well worth hearing. I really find it hard to believe that it’s 12 years since then. She has been honing her skills as a singer / songwriter, and performs a number of her own compositions as well as interpretations of blues standards that have been developed over the years, consisting of a laid-back jazz/blues feel, influenced by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Etta James, Macy Gray.

Well, even though there is no SHBC gig this month, there’s still plenty of music to be heard around the district.

The good thing about the Echuca-Moama Winder Blues Festival, is that you can legitimately call it the last of the festivals for the 2018-19 season. Next we have the down time of August’s rain and then the start of this year’s season.

September is the Mitchell Creek Rock and Blues festival on the Sunshine Coast, then you have October – Marysville Jazz & Blues Weekend, the Sydney Blues & Roots Festival, Great Southern Blues and Rockabilly Festival at Narooma and Red White Amber and Blues.

So check out Georgia Rodgers at Pistol Pete’s and make your festival bookings quickly, and remember, there is no July Sleepy Hollow Blues Club gig.

Photo by Patrick Callow