PRESS RELEASE: Bluesfest Touring is bringing the magic of Bluesfest to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra next April. The 2017 touring season features some of the highlights of the festival for those who aren’t lucky enough to make the trip to Byron Bay over Easter. FIRST BLUESFEST 2017 TOURING ANNOUNCEMENT PATTI SMITH AND HER BAND PERFORM HORSES THE LUMINEERS BONNIE RAITT SNARKY PUPPY ANDREW BIRD Patti Smith and her band will perform Horses to what are sure to be sold out houses in Sydney and Melbourne. It has been eight years since‘the godmother of punk’last toured Australia, and nearly 41 years since the release of her first and most celebrated recordingHorses. She will be accompanied by two members of the original group, Lenny Kaye and Jay Dee Daugherty, bassist / keyboardist Tony Shanahan, who has been a part of her band for twenty years and Jack Petruzzelli to performHorsesin its entirety during this not-to-be missed tour, as well as several time-honoured favourites. Bluesfest Touring & Handsome Tours are proud to announce that The Lumineers are heading to Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to celebrate their eagerly anticipated sophomore album Cleopatra. The Lumineers have gone on a journey that has taken them to the top of the charts, to the Grammys, even to President Obama’s iPod! Their popular anthem ‘Ho Hey’ took the world by storm back in 2012, spending a staggering 62 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and has had more than 153 million views on YouTube! Rock and Roll Hall of inductee Bonnie Raitt is more than a best-selling artist, respected guitarist, expressive singer and accomplished songwriter…. She has become an institution in American Music. Fans will have the chance to experience her incredible performances in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. Snarky Puppy havegone from the best kept secret to one of the most respected names in instrumental music. Theyseamlessly fuse a deep knowledge and respect for musical tradition, with sonic and conceptual innovation in a way that is able to reach the most critical or carefree audience. This convergence of musicians from white and black America have performed regularly with artists like Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Kirk Franklin, Justin Timberlake, Roy Hargrove, and Marcus Miller among others. Music innovator Andrew Bird returns to Australian for the first time since 2010 when he moved crowds at Falls Festival and sold out the Sydney Opera House. Do not miss out on the return of this remarkable live performer as he tours to Sydney and Melbourne. “Watching Patti Smith perform live – for the first, second or fifth time – feels like a life-changing experience.”- The Independent (Field Day)
“It’s a performance destined for the festival’s All-Time Greatest list”–Glastonbury Mojo It has been eight years sincePatti Smith ‘the godmother of punk’last toured Australia, and nearly 41 years since the release of her first and most celebrated recordingHorses. Horses was conceived to be, in her description, “three chord rock merged with the power of the word.”
“Patti Smith gives a fresh force to songs she wrote 40 years ago” – Metro “Horses and its shamanistic punk poet siren are undiminished 40 years on” – theartsdesk.com Best-selling author, performance poet & visual artistPatti Smith’slist of artistic accomplishments doesn’t end there. She is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, recipient of the Polar Music Prize, a human rights activist and also holds the honour of“Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres” from the French Ministry of Culture.
She will be accompanied by two members of the original group, Lenny Kaye and Jay Dee Daugherty, bassist / keyboardist Tony Shanahan, who has been a part of her band for twenty years and Jack Petruzzelli to performHorsesin its entirety during this not-to-be missed tour, as well as several time-honoured favourites.
In November of 1975,Patti Smithand her band recorded her debut albumHorsesat the famous Electric Lady Studios in New York City. An album that has come to be regarded as a seminal and landmark recording, that continues to have resonance and relevance for succeeding generations of musicians and artists. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see Smith honour the lasting influence ofHorseson this exclusive Australian tour.
“This is protest music. But it is protest with a fierce edge that seamlessly weaves a new politics into a rich legacy of rock-and-roll rebellion: She is celebrating a connection between music and movements that is swaggering and confident and more than ready to declare—as Smith does—that “we’re gonna change the fucking world!” ” – The Nation’
“It will be a true, proud celebration.”Patti Smith
Patti Smith and her Band perform Horses touring dates:
Presented by Bluesfest Touring
State Theatre, Sydney NSW – SUN 9 APRIL 2017
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 10am AEST
Tickets via ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100
Hamer Hall, Melbourne VIC – SUN 16 APRIL 2017
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 10am AEST
Tickets via artscentremelbourne.com.au or 1300 182 183 and ticketmaster.com.au 136 100
–Also appearing at Bluesfest Byron Bay 2017–
The Lumineers
“triumphant, barnstorming performance”– The Telegraph UK “essentially granted the choice of playing to whomever they wanted, wherever they wanted, whilst simultaneously owning the keys to cities all over the world.”– The AU Review After a solid three years of touring six of the seven continents; including two Australian tours of sold-out performances; The Lumineers return with their eagerly anticipated second albumCleopatra. The Lumineers exploded onto the scene with their monster single, ‘Ho Hey’(which spent a staggering 62 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #3) and its follow-up,‘Stubborn Love’(recently featured on President Barack Obama’s Spotify playlist). Their self-titled debut earned The Lumineers a pair of Grammy nominations (Best New Artist, Best Americana Album) and sold an impressive 1.7 million albums in the U.S., and 3 million worldwide. Cleopatrafeatures singles ’Ophelia’and ’Cleopatra’and is proof that Schultz, Fraites and Pekarek are neither taking their good fortune for granted, nor sitting back on their laurels. It has seen the band undertake a massive world tour, selling out multiple dates and playing arena and amphitheatre shows.
“To produce a second album as crammed with hits as their debut is a remarkable achievement…This is a band that stands out from, rather than blends into, an admittedly homogenised folk-rock scene.Wesley Schultz has a rasping, crackle of a voice that rose to a primal yelp during My Eyes…there is a party going on that millions of us don’t want to miss”.– The Telegraph UK
The Lumineers touring dates:
Proudly presented by Bluesfest Touring, Handsome Tours, Triple R and theMUSIC
Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW – MON 17 + TUES 18 APRIL 2017
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 9am AEST
Tickets via sydneyoperahouse.com/music
State Theatre, Melbourne VIC – WED 19 APRIL 2017
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 10am AEST
Tickets via artscentremelbourne.com.au or call 1300 182 183 and ticketmaster.com.au or call 136 100
Metro City, Perth WA – SAT 22 APRIL 2017
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 11am AEST
Tickets megatix.com.au and oztix.com.au or call 1300 762 545
–Also appearing at Bluesfest Byron Bay 2017–
Bonnie Raitt
“Bonnie Raitt continues to exhibit the hot-blooded enthusiasm of performers half her age.” – Variety US
Rock and Roll Hall of fame inductee Bonnie Raitt is more than a best-selling artist, respected guitarist, expressive singer and accomplished songwriter…. She has become an institution in American Music.
The ten-time Grammy winner is returning with her twentieth albumDig In Deep (2016), the follow up to her critically acclaimedSlipstream (2012).Bonnie Raitt will be joined by her long time touring band: James “Hutch” Hutchinson (bass), Ricky Fataar (drums), and George Marinelli (guitar), along with Mike Finnigan (keyboards).
“I’m feeling pretty charged, and the band and I are at the top of our game,” says Bonnie Raitt. “This period of my life is more exciting and vital than I was expecting, and for that I’m really grateful. At this point, I have a lot less to prove and hey, if you’re not going to ’Dig In Deep’ now, what’s the point?”
“I can’t wait to get back out on the road and play these songs,” she continues. “The band has never sounded better… and the best part is that we know how lucky we are to still get to make our livings doing something we love this much.”
Bonnie Raitt tour dates:
Proudly presented by PBS 106.7FM, Eastside Radio and Beat & Brag
State Theatre, Sydney NSW – FRI 7 APRIL 2017
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 10am AEST
TICKETS VIA: ticketmaster.com.au or call 136 100
Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra ACT – SAT 8 APRIL 2017
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 10am AEST
TICKETS VIA: canberratheatrecentre.com.au or call 6275 2700
Hamer Hall, Melbourne VIC – MON 10 APRIL 2017
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 10am AEST
TICKETS VIA: artscentremelbourne.com.au or call 1300 182 183 and ticketmaster.com.au or call 136 100
–Also appearing at Bluesfest Byron Bay 2017–
Snarky Puppy
“This is instrumental jazz at its most joyful and optimistic, designed to unburden and enliven.” – Themusic.com.au
Snarky Puppyhas gone from the best kept secret to one of the most respected names in instrumental music. They seamlessly fuse a deep knowledge and respect for musical tradition, with sonic and conceptual innovation in a way that is able to reach the most critical or carefree audience. This convergence of musicians from white and black America have performed regularly with artists like Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Kirk Franklin, Justin Timberlake, Roy Hargrove, and Marcus Miller among others.
Picking up a Grammy for Best R&B Performance in 2014 and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2016; their 11th album Culcha Vulcha is their first purely studio album to be unleashed in eight years.
Snarky Puppyis led by bassist/guitarist/composer/arranger Michael League, with a New-York based, shifting ensemble of over 40 exceptional multi-instrumentalists referred to as “The Fam”.
Don’t miss Snarky Puppy’s first ever national Australian tour; a guaranteed R&B, big band and jazz fusion in all its skilful glory. Snarky Puppy Tour Dates:
Proudly presented by Bluesfest Touring, Eastside Radio and theMUSIC
Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne VIC – SAT 8 APRIL 2017 *TWO SHOWS ANNOUNCED* 4pm + 7.30pm
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 10am AEST
TICKETS VIA: melbournerecital.com.au or call 03 9699 3333 Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW – MON 10 APRIL 2017
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 10am AEST
TICKETS VIA: ticketek.com.au or 132 849
–Also appearing at Bluesfest Byron Bay 2017—
Andrew Bird
“This is a classically trained multi-instrumentalist whodevotes equal attention to his violin and guitar onstage, a voluble and arcane lyricist who whistles full solos with the blithe, pitch-perfect clarity of a damn angel’s” – Pitchfork “you couldn’t take your eyes off the stage, even for a moment. Except, perhaps, when you were closing them, allowing his violin to take you into a dreamlike state…” – The AU Review
Music innovatorAndrew Birdbegan to play the violin at age four, learning to play Bach and Mozart by ear as if they were folk tunes. The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist will be returning to Australia off the back of his most recent releaseAre You Serious(2016) featuring contributions from Fiona Apple and Blake Mills. Classically trained,Andrew Birdis known to attract adoring fans who connect with his personal and relatable lyrics, expect to hear a mass whistle-along at his exclusive Australian performances. “I never walk onstage knowing what I’m doing,” says the artist. “It’s a shrug-of-the-shouldersapproach and people like it, it seems human to them. I began playing with the idea of reinvention, so that onstage a wild untamed thing can happen. I wanted to make a record that lets me subvert or expand my onstage personality.”
This is Andrew Bird’s first trip back to Australia since 2010, when he moved crowds at Falls Festival and sold out the Sydney Opera House. Do not miss out on the return of this remarkable live performer. Andrew Bird Tour Dates:
Proudly presented by Bluesfest Touring
Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW – SAT 15 APRIL 2017
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 9am AEST
Tickets via: sydneyoperahouse.com/music or call 02 9250 7777
Melbourne Recital Hall, Melbourne VIC – TUES 18 APRIL 2017
ONSALE Thursday 22 September 2016 9am AEST
Tickets via: melbournerecital.com.au or call 03 9699 3333
–Also appearing at Bluesfest Byron Bay 2017–
For more information please visit: http://bluesfesttouring.com.au/ | 
