Three years ago Greg and Jan Dodd were discussing the plight of the world and decided that, “domestic violence, addiction, mental health issues and many other reasons all lead to one place, homelessness”.
From that discussion Blues for Lost Souls was born, which has become an annual fundraiser for organisations working in this area.
On the day there will be some sensational blues acts:
Jimmy Hocking’s Blues Machine and Chris Wilson: Jimmy has been playing since the 1980s. He’s played with The Screaming Jets, and now has his Blues Machine. Jimmy has also written music for film and TV, and recorded and played for many other artists in a career now spanning 25 years. I would call Chris Wilson blues royalty, if I wasn’t anti-monarchist! His harp playing is legendary, and the mention of his name is enough to fill a venue.
Lloyd Spiegel: Lloyd has been playing for 25 years and at last count has seven Victorian and Australian blues awards. He has played 19 overseas festivals from Japan to Germany, and many many Australian festivals.
Dreamboogie: Dreamboogie is from the new generation of blues acts, but they have already been to the International Blues Challenge, assisted by the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society.
Chris Finnen and Jeff Lang: Chris Finnen is another internationally recognised blues performer, whose CV includes playing for the Dalai Lama. He’s also shared the stage with some of the world’s best, including Buddy Guy, Bo Didley, Jimmy Witherspoon, Roy Buchanan, Eric Burdon, Keb Mo, Bob Brozman, John Mayall, and Mavis Staples. Jeff Lang is a Geelong songwriter, singer and slide guitarist. He has developed a system of amplifying his guitars, using a magnetic pickup and an acoustic microphone which allows a clear acoustic sound with effects. Seven of his albums have been nominated for ARIA awards.
The Justin Yap Band: The band plays a potent blend of deep blues, sanctified soul, and down-home funk. They are a young band which is making a mark for themselves, a trip to the IBC should be on the horizon.
The Ruby Rogers Experience: This band find the blues in jazz, the jazz in soul and the soul in blues. It’s a cool six piece band that performs sensational songs from inspirational genres. What’s not to love about tracks by Irma Thomas, Koko Taylor, James Brown, Martha High and Marvin Gaye.
South of the River Choir: This 40 voice choir celebrates diversity and harmony through a shared passion for singing. Under the direction of Annemarie Sharry, the choir explores the music and rhythms of Africa, traditional African American gospel and original Australian compositions..
The Blues Club Revival: The band members all played with the great Dutch Tilders in his bands. They want to re-visit the music and keep playing with deep respect to the Dutchman, thereby create a reunion for friends and fans of the great man.
Blues for Lost Souls takes place at Way Out West (Williamstown RSL) on August 8th from 3pm, $40 at the door.
Facts
Each night one in 200 people are homeless.
There are currently just over 100,000 people who are homeless.
Out of those who are homeless approximately 56% are male and 44% are female.
The rate of homelessness in Victoria has risen 20.7% since 2006.
The highest rate of homelessness are those aged between 25-34.
17% of those who are homeless are aged under 12 years of age.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians count for 25% of those who are homeless.
These figures were obtained from Homelessness Australia from 2012 statistics.
Written by John (Dr John) Lamp