Blues Heaven

Newcastle Herald

Saturday February 7, 1998

ANTHONY SCULLY

WHEN the first Australian Blues Music festival was held at Goulburn last year more than 4000 music lovers from around Australia turned up to hear the cream of Australian blues music.

Such a turnout at an inaugural event was impressive, given the amount of blues music festivals already on the Australian music circuit.

This year's event, which begins next Friday, February 13, and continues until Sunday, February 15, will again feature an all-Australian line-up of more than 30 blues bands performing under two Ashtons Circus tents with seating for 5000 people each.

In its second year the organiser of the festival, Mr George Lipman, is confident that crowds of more than 10,000 will make the journey to what is rural Australia's first road stop between Sydney and Melbourne.

Ever since Lipman, a former Sydney Morning Herald chief photographer-turned-hotelier, took over the town's historic Tattersalls Hotel, blues bands have been making the trek to his doorstep.

Word got out that George, proprietor of the blues trail-blazing Cat & Fiddle Hotel in Balmain, had got `itchy feet' after selling up in 1992 to finally enjoy his retirement.

Pretty soon Victorian groups such as Dutch Tilders, Salty Dog and Marco Goldsmith, and Queensland groups such as Chain, Hat Fitz & The Blooze Bitz and Buzz & The Blues Band, were beating a trail to Mr Lipman's door.

Trouble was that sleepy Goulburn, with its population of just more than 20,000, was not big enough for an eight-night-a-week roster of blues like George had been running at the Cat & Fiddle.

It occurred to Mr Lipman, his wife Maryanne and his business partner Mr Richard Simmer, that the town was well placed to take advantage of its rural setting, and location near the junction of the Hume and Federal Highways, by staging a major festival.

Like many NSW country towns, Goulburn has experienced its share of economic downturn, with government departments rationalising and an ever-tightening grip of drought on rural industries.

The town has begun to look increasingly to its tourist industry for economic growth.

The support of the Goulburn Mayor, Cr Margaret O'Neil, and the Goulburn City Council's tourism office was enlisted and the NSW Departments of Tourism and Regional Development contributed $15,000 a year to produce full-colour brochures distributed to travel agencies nationally. WHILE Goulburn is only one of half-a-dozen blues music festivals in Australia, it is easily the best festival sporting an all-Australian line up.

It was inspired by groups who wanted a festival with an Australian blues music focus rather than on the imported variety.

Organisers have worked hard to make this year's festival a memorable one with a number of firsts including an all weather venue after part of last year's event was rained out.

This year's festival will also see the staging of the inaugural Chain Australian Blues Music Awards, named after the Australian blues group Chain, which celebrates its 30th year this year.

Two judges from each State and Territory will decide winners from six categories, based on submissions of recorded material from the past 12 months. GEORGE Lipman hopes that the Australian Blues Music Festival will do for Goulburn what the Australian Country Music Festival has done for Tamworth.

`When I was with The (Sydney Morning) Herald I went to Tamworth for the very first country music festival,' Mr Lipman recalled.

`At that time Tamworth was the poor sister of Armidale, and in a very, very short time the country music festival took off and it brought more people into town and more motels and more shops and the music festival went from two days to two weeks.

`It has quadrupled the economy.'

Of the town's 20,000 population Mr Lipman estimates that between 500 and 800 are interested in hearing live music on a weekly basis.

But he points out that there are between three and six million more reasons ? the number of dollars generated during the three-day festival last year ? for more people to become interested in blues music.

`The town loves it,' he said.

`It was a wonderful success and the reports we got from all over Australia were absolutely magnificent.'

Although it rained out main stage on the Saturday night last year, Mr Lipman said the rain enabled another first to occur.

`The musicians playing on the main stage jammed in undercover with the musicians that were playing undercover on the second stage,' he said.

`It was the best night's music that Australia has ever seen in blues music.'

Tickets are available for a day at a time, and three-day passes are also available.

Accommodation, including motel, farm stay or campsite, and bookings can be arranged by telephoning the Goulburn Visitors Centre on 1800 353646.

* The Herald has a three-day pass, valued at $69, to give away to one lucky reader. For your chance to win, write your name, address and telephone number on the back of an envelope and address it to The Newcastle Herald, Australian Blues Festival Giveaway, PO Box 510G, Newcastle, 2300, before Thursday, February 12. Winners will be notified by telephone.

Bands performing at this year's Australian Blues Music Festival in Goulburn include:

NSW: Kevin Borich Express, Chasin' The Train, Psycho Zydeco, Foreday Riders, Thundershuffle, Gangsters Of Love, Midnight Howlers (Newcastle), Third Degree, D.I.G., Don Burrows, Funky Grass, John Leigh Calder Band, Trouble No More, Midnight Ramblers plus Terry Casey & The Contenders.

Queensland: Chain, Hat Fitz & The Blooze Bitz, Buzz & The Blues Band plus Phil Manning (solo).

Victoria: Dutch Tilders, Harper, Salty Dog, Marco Goldsmith, Louis King & The Liars Club, Muddy Puddles plus Turning Blue.

South Australia: Blind Dog Taylor & The Heelers plus Chris Finnen Band.

ACT: The 708s.

Western Australia: Ten Cent Shooters.

© 1998 Newcastle Herald

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