Australia’s longest running blues music venue - The Blues Train - is launching a new concert series to support and celebrate a unique blend of emerging and established blues and roots artists.
An integral part of the Queenscliff Tourism and Victorian Music Industries for the past 28 years, this year will see Queenscliff’s legendary Blues Train feature a dedicated program of emerging and established Australian contemporary blues and roots musicians for the very first time in the newly announced, The Blues Train Next Generation Concert Series.
Taking place across four special weekends in November, The Next Generation Concert Series will showcase established artists who have contributed to the sustained success of the world-class cultural tourism drawcard, that is The Blues Train, with emerging artists performing their interpretation of roots music suited to the next generation of audiences.
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With the Blues Train already being a unique way to enjoy live music on the Bellarine, where four carefully selected Australian Blues acts perform onboard a moving, Bellarine Railway heritage train, The Blues Train founder and curator Hugo T Armstrong has launched this new series to champion both established and emerging artists alike, gifting punters and musicians an invaluable experience.
“One of the greatest challenges of running a music venue for almost three decades is finding the right balance of high-profile artists, while still providing the opportunity for emerging artists to gain employment and profile, combined with valuable gig experience. This often leads to collaborations and mentorships with established artists which otherwise would not happen,” Hugo explains.
“Another challenge of running a legacy venue is the ever-evolving music tastes and trends of audiences. For the first time, the Next Generation Concert Series has clarified these two challenges and created the opportunity to address them in a creative and engaging manner for artists and audiences alike.”
For the forthcoming series, Hugo has handpicked a selection of esteemed Blues Train veterans, giving attention to those with careers hit hardest by Covid-19 shutdowns over the past two years. This includes George Kamikawa, The McNamarr Project, Damon Smith, Anna Scionti, Nardia, The Mojo Corner, Mission Brown, Lazy Eye, Phil Para Band, and King Canyon.
With a strong a connection to his local area and a great ear for the next-big-thing, Hugo has selected a diverse collection of talent to join these established artists from the extensive Blues Train artist stable. Up and comers in the concert series include 2020 International Blues Challenge Finalist Aaron Pollock, Geelong’s Jack Meredith and Warrnambool’s Eddy Boyle (both understudies of the legendary Chris Wilson), Lazenby Recipient for Young Blues Guitarist of the Year Rhiannon Simpson, Queenscliff-based Tex Miller the 2017 Connecting Song recipient, and Geelong’s infused jazz/blues artist Georgia Rodgers.
You’ll also hear the likes of Bendigo singer/songwriter Bill Barber, Keith and Harley (from Ocean Grove’s The Von Robertsons), high-energy blues duo White Lightning from Melbourne, Self-taught guitarist from country Victoria Jarrod Shaw, singer/Songwriter Dean Haitani, Ocean Grove based family band The Von Robertsons, three-piece blues rock band Devil’s Brew, Melbourne newbies Phil Coyne & the Wayward Aces, Blues, Roots and Southern Soul Duo Midnight Jackson and Jonno Zilber, a vibrant up and coming blues singer, songwriter and guitarist.
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Bringing together a handpicked selection of talented Blues Train veterans and local emerging artists on the cusp of greatness, the series remains true to the original Blues Train formula of showcasing four blues and roots artists per show – a solo artist, a duo, a trio, and a full band. As patrons swap carriages throughout the evening, they will see four completely different interpretations and styles of roots music, a committed gender blend of artists, and all the sub genres within blues and roots music on board a heritage steam train.
In another first, The Blues Train will curate pre-travel and half-time entertainment by emerging and recently established artists on the Queenscliff and Suma Park Railway station platforms for the duration of the series.
Sure to excite a new generation of Blues Train fans, the series will run on each Saturday in November – 5th, 12th, 19th – before culminating in a special three-day extravaganza on the 25th to the 27th. On this last weekend you can expect to find special shows in and around the Queenscliff platforms, plus a pop-up stage adjacent the Queenscliff Railway Station to enhance the Queenscliff Community Market featuring local mental health initiative “Shedding The Blues”.
The strength and reputation of the contemporary blues and roots scene in Geelong and the Bellarine region of Victoria will be boosted by showcasing the depth of local talent programmed in and promoted by Australia’s longest running Blues & Roots Venue (established all the way back in 1994) thanks to The Blues Train Next Generation Concert Series.
The Blues Train Next Generation Concert Series will take place in Queenscliff on various dates in November. You can purchase tickets online here.
The Blues Train Next Generation Concert Series has been supported by Live Music Australia.
