February is kick-off month for so much around this place, and especially Sleepy Hollow Blues Club sessions. This month has a pretty damn special gig.
This year Sweet Felicia and the Honeytones celebrate their 20th Anniversary, and they’ll be at SHBC on the 24th.
The group evolved from L’il Fi and the Delta Rhythm Kings, initially as the Blue Link Trio featuring Felicia, Trevor Gollagher (drums) and “Dangerous” Dan Nosovich (guitar). Eventually Sweet Felicia and the Honeytones became the umbrella under which a number of major Australian blues artists have appeared including Jeff Lang, Paulie Bignell, Benny Peters and closer to home JP and Troy Love.
Felicia has played all over the country, including festivals such as Byron Blues and Roots, Woodford Folk, Bridgetown Blues, Thredbo Blues and Wangaratta Jazz, to name a few. A highlight in her musical life was supporting the legendary BB King at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
She has played bass for such legends as Phil Manning, Chris Wilson, Jeff Lang and Red Rivers. She has numerous awards to her credit including Female Artist of the Year, Band of the Year and Album of the Year 2000 from the Blues Association of South East Queensland. She was also nominated Best Female Vocalist in the Goulburn Chain Music Awards in 2000.
In 2010 she was winner of the MBAS Blues Performer of the Year Award. Their trip to Memphis USA in February 2011 when they represented MBAS at the International Blues Challenge was another high point in her musical life.
Felicia has loved having a musical passport which has given her access to people and places while touring overseas. At the Eutin Blues Festival in Germany the Mayor had her sign their Golden Book, noting she had travelled the furthest to play. Sweet Felicia charms audiences around Australia with her distinctive and powerful yet touching vocals and bass work.
Pistol Pete has a couple of internationals passing through in the next fortnight.
First up on the 16th Feb is the Bex Marshall Band from the UK. Bex is a four-time nominee for the European Blues Awards for Best Solo Acoustic Artist 2015/16/17/18. She prides herself on being a mixture of English blue-blood landed gentry and Irish Romany. Family Xmas must be fun! Her last release ‘The House Of Mercy’, released Sept 17th 2012, received stunning reviews worldwide and won 3rd Best British Blues Album of the Year Award 2013 and is featured in DOWNBEAT magazine’s Best Album of the Year list 2013 with a rare 4 star review. Amazingly promising.
Michael Brinkworth, on the 28th, is a Berlin-based, world-travelling Australian troubadour with a backpack-full of heart-felt road-worn songs. His tasteful hybrid of rhythmic-finger-style guitar playing, entrancing melodic harmonica lines and deeply soulful voice combining a unique raw power, vulnerability and fragility take the listener on a journey.
Both of these internationals sound like the goods.
Make it a date to come an celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Sweet Felicia and the Honeytones on Feb 24th. Check Sleepy Hollow’s FaceBook page for details.
