Performers

The ‘wild man’ of Australian blues, Fitz hails from Queensland. Backed by his longtime drummer, Fitz plays guitar (usually a metal-bodied resonator), stomps his foot and sings the blues with a physical presence and power that remind listeners of past blues greats like Son House and Charley Patton. In many ways, he is Australia’s counterpart to R.L. Burnside or T-Model Ford, playing gritty blues of mesmerising, deceptive simplicity.

The essence of every Hat Fitz performance is control of mayhem. A single metal bodied resonator guitar hammers out modern tributes to masters long gone, all the while driven along relentlessly by the thunderous drumming of his drummer ridin shotgun.

Over the last twenty years, Fitz has toured regularly, playing at festivals around Australia (including thirteen successive years at the world renowned East Coast Blues festival), and in Europe. He has released nine independent CDs, including the 1998 encounter with guitar maestro Jeff Lang on The Silverbacks.

His repertoire includes his own interpretations of blues classics like ‘Shake ‘Em On Down’ and ‘Crawling King Snake’, as well as a swag of original songs. Thanks to Fitz’s telepathic rapport with his drummer, the duo can build their performances through a series of frenzied, almost-out-of-control crescendos.

“This is a loud, feral stomp down a Queensland dirt road ..… the players sound like they’re beating their instruments to within an inch of their lives.” - Jeff Lang

Hat Fitz

Mirenda Rosenberg, a powerhouse singer from Washington DC, has been entertaining since she was a small child. By the age of four years old, she was singing gospel solos in her church, and by the age of fourteen, she was singing in venues throughout the United States with the Maranatha Touring Choir. She studied classical music for several years, performing in both operas and musicals, before branching out into the realm of jazz and blues. Mirenda also performed all over America with blues/rockers White Noise as well as the Hornman's Jazz Circus. After settling down with her family in Letterkenny, she formed The Mirenda Rosenberg Band with guitarists Marc Geagan and Zac Drummond (ex Riverdance), bassist Emmet Brady and drummer Kevin Lowry. The band has since appeared at the Ocean Festival as well as headlining the Warm Water Classic in the North-West. With TV appearances on RTE and TG4 as well radio performances, Mirenda is fast becoming a national musical sensation. She now spends her nights performing in her trademark sexy and vivacious style. Her influences of jazz, blues funk and soul are reflected in the bands exciting repertoire that includes songs by Billie Holiday and Tom Waits in addition to their original material.

www.myspace.com/themirendarosenbergband

The festival committee are proud to present the Swingin' Bluecats who are traveling from Dublin between engagements at the Dublin Taste Festival to appear here. Resplendent in Royal Blue 1940's Zoot Suits the focus is firmly on Jump, Jive & Swing. The band covers artists such as Big Joe Turner, Louis Jordan, Louis Prima, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Colin James, Fats Domino and Cab Calloway.

Get your dancin' shoes out for Saturday night at Owen's marquee.

The Swingin' Blue Cats

The Swingin’ Bluecats on MySpace Music

According to Real Music Live, London England, Key Frances "Re-writes the blues manual, tears it up and walks off with the very best elements into another stratosphere...Guitar led psychedelic intensity that takes your breathe away". Touring with with a 3-piece band of drums, bass and his own powerhouse guitar and vocals, Key Frances combines elements of Bo Diddley and 60's R'n'B with Hendrix styled blues/psychedelia for an unforgettable show.
Born and raised in Seattle, while developing his music, Key worked as a cross country truck driver, a railroad brakeman, a commercial pilot. He has worked on sessions for Motown and Daniel Lanois. Key's music caught the attention of Bob Dylan producer Bob Johnston who teamed him up with Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon of the famed Stevie Ray Vaughan's band "Double Trouble" for an album of Key's original music. Key has shared the stage with among others : Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Albert Collins, Charlie Sexton, Robert Cray, John Hammond, Joe Ely, Townes Van Zandt, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
"I've seen alot of players, but Key is the real thing"- Junior Wells.

www.keyfrances.com
www.myspace.com/keyfrances

Steve James is a well known name among devotees of contemporary acoustic folk and blues; this notoriety based on numerous critically acclaimed recordings, a tireless international tour schedule and a sheaf of published work including articles, instruction books and videos. His instrumental versatility (on guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, guitar-banjo) also makes him a favorite at music camps and workshop programs. He's been interviewed for features in Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Player, Blues Revue and Folk Roots (to name a few), and has been heard on "A Prairie Home Companion", The House Of Blues Network and many other syndicated programs worldwide.

Raised in New York, James moved to Texas in the mid 1970's and has shared the stage with such luminaries as Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, John Hammond, Delbert McClinton, and even the late Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe. James cites "hillbilly music" as another of his influences and has recorded with Cindy Cashdollar and James McMurtry.

This is virtuosic guitar playing – as good as it gets.

SteveJamesHomepage

Steve James Fan Site on MySpace

This exciting band from Donegal are cutting edge of new roots based music in Ireland. Mark Black is a fine singer/songwriter , and unusually inventive musician who has recently released an album of original music to critical acclaim. 'Sweet Rescue Blues' is a unique slice of rootsy blues, a musical spaghetti western, although there is an obvious influence of Ireland with a strong use of celtic melodies throughout the album and unusual and diverse instrumentation. An exceptional performer, Mark has secured a spot at Glastonbury festival this year. This band features Mark in full electric mode playing a bluesy and funky set.

Mark Black on MySpace

www.markblackmusic.com

The Apex Jazz Band was formed back in 1966 by trumpet player George Chambers and is unarguably Ireland's longest established and most successful jazz band. Steeped in the tradition of New Orleans Jazz, The Apex Jazz Band repertoire includes material from Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, George Lewis, Kid Ory, Bunk Johnston et al. Marches, spirtuals, rags, blues, stomps and pop tunes from the jazz age are all present in a well balanced and entertaining programme.
Throughout the years the The Apex Jazz Band has appeared all over Ireland and Europe at festivals, concerts and jazz club sessions, has backed many big name singers, and has made numerous radio and TV appearances for BBC, Ulster Television and RTE.

www.apexjazzband.co.uk/

The Easy Jazz Trio

The Easy Jazz trio are a three piece jazz combo based in Northern Ireland and specialising in easy listening jazz music. The quartet includes Michael Watters on classical/jazz guitar, Jim Mc Dermott on saxophone/flute/clarinet, and John Somers on bass. They play jazz standards, bossa nova and latin music and also specialise in playing pop standards in a jazz fashion. If it sounds good they will play it in their own inimitable way. Their wide ranging repertoire includes anything from George Gershwin to The Police.

www.myspace.com/easyjazztrio

Errol Walsh was born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland then emigrated to Canada during the late sixties and became a singer and songwriter.By the early seventies he returned to the UK and moved to the Isle of Arran on the West Coast of Scotland,then back to Ireland to the magical 'Kingdom of Kerry' for a few years before moving to Dublin with current band at that time "Stagalee".After a few years of great music in a funky/soul vein with Stagalee, Errol moved into a bluesier vein with a band called "The Business" inherited from Paul Brady's 'Hard Station' album.'Stagalee' and 'The Business' benefitted from the remarkable talents of many of Dublin's leading musicians of that period (Jimmy Faulkner, Pat O'Farrell, James Delaney, Tommy Moore, Fran Breen, Don Baker, Declan McNeilis, Dave Gaynor, Carl Geraghty, John Forbes, Greg Boland, Dave McHale, Eoin O'Neill, Phillip Donnelly) and a few talented Scottish imports from Glasgow band Cado Belle (Colin Tully, Maggie Reilly and Gavin Hodgson). There was even a short lived exploration of rock meets folk with leading Irish female singer, Mary Black.

The eighties saw Errol in London where he founded several new bands featuring, at different times, legendary pedal steel player, B.J.Cole, ex Sutherland Brothers sidemen Tim Renwick and Willie Wilson and virtuoso Dublin born guitarist Ed Deane.In the nineties 'Coyotes' enjoyed considerable success in the 'Americana' genre including appearances at major Americana festivals and a 'Best Album 1997' award at the BBC television 'British Country Music Awards'.That same year Errol found himself in Nashville, in a studio with some of Nashville's finest from Kieran Kane's 'Dead Reckoning' stable. The resulting album 'Waltzin' In The Water' won the coveted 'Northern Lights - Spirit Of Antrim' award for contributions to the Irish music industry (previous recipients included Brian Kennedy and Liam O'Flynn).

 Some of Errol's influences include Bob Dylan, The Band, Levon Helm, Taj Mahal, Merle Haggard, Delbert McClinton, The Amazing Rhythm Aces, John Fogerty, Guy Clark, John Prine, Steve Earle, Ry Cooder, Bill Withers, Eddie Harris, Boz Scaggs, Randy Newman, Stephen Bruton, Jesse Winchester, The Staple Singers, Willie Nelson, Lowell George, Mississippi John Hurt, Dr John, Lucinda Williams, Steve Reilly & the Mamou Playboys, Mary Gauthier, Joel Sonnier, and Leon Russell.

Errol Walsh

Errol Walsh on MySpace

A consummate guitarist, whose tasteful acoustic picking caused a reviewer in the Irish Times to refer to him as ''Donegals best kept secret and a real find'' . Paul Buckley has been plying his trade, acoustic and electric, band and solo, since the mid 1970's and plays a repertoire of old American folk and blues songs mixed with his own material. A musician's musician, Paul's material has been performed and recorded by many, including Mary Black, and his work is often heard on film and TV.

The Men Who Knew Too Much

The Men Who Knew Too Much play  a delightfully unique style of Country-Hawaiian-Jazz. Their musical ingenuity and wry humour never fails to offer a direct connection to the heart as they effortlessly relay sharp vocal-phrased, self deprecating songs about drinking, loving, cheating and fighting, from the archives of Randy Newman, Tom Waits and Bob Dylan.

Spanning a combined one-hundred years of playing between them, this is a trio of equal partnership that can’t be beaten for sheer consistency. Percy Robinson (guitar, dobro, pedal-steel),  Egon Callery- van Vliet (guitar, mandolin and vocals) and Sean McCarron (saxophone, percussion), have variously recorded and played live with John Prine, Don Everly, Nancy Griffiths, Mary Black, Paul Brady, Townes Van Zandt, Henry McCullough, Terence Trent Darby, the Naturals, Boof, Quarterdeck, Gooseberries,  Brendan Quinn,  Paul Buckley, The Mark Black Band and many others.

The Bad Habits

A welcome return to the festival for Cara Robinson with her latest venture 'The Bad Habits'. Cara is no stranger to Limavady music lovers, who will fondly remember her soulful vocals and flute playing. Cara has been getting lots of airplay for her album "Keep Her Lit' on radio and television. Joining her are singer songwriters Jackie Rainey on guitar and Eilis Phillips on bass. These girls deliver a sassy show of acoustic soul and blues, original songs and thoughtful covers, outstanding vocal harmonies and dynamic rhythms.

CARA

Cara Robinson on MySpace

Jackie Rainey on MySpace

Eilis Phillips Music on MySpace

Mark Black has just released his second full length studio album and is set to tour nationally in May and June in support of this release including an appearance at Glastonbury 09.  The live show features a 3 piece power house dynamite explosion of rhythms, didgeriidoos, amplified 12 string acoustic guitars and lap steels, drums and bass.  Joined by Seamus Devenny on drums and percussion and Martin Smyth on bass guitar, both of whom also have a strong vocal presence, this is one of the most dynamic and unique live acts around. 

Mark Black on MySpace

www.markblackmusic.com

This 4 piece blues ensemble from Portrush Co. Antrim take their influences from artists such as Bo Diddley, BB King and Cream. They promise a foot stompin gig of Chicago/Texas style rhythm'n'blues. The line up includes Pete Simpson(vocals/guitar), Doc(guitar), Mike Thomas(bass) and Robert Cardwell(drums).

lightnin tree on MySpace

Local 5 piece, Graffiti Limbo take material from classic and contemporary sources, stirring in their own collection of influences ; Dr John, Taj Mahal, Little Feat, Howlin Wolf, Tom Waits, Stax soul, etc ; to produce an eclectic mix of searing, soulful vocals, swirling Hammond, swooping bottleneck guitar and funky grooves. Recently returned from a solo tour of New Zealand, singer Donald Craig is looking forward to getting back together with his old bandmates and the boys aim to get the joint jumping with their good time R&B sound.

Consummate flat-top acoustic and resonator fingerstyle and slide guitar playing combined with a voice that delivers his choice of material with authority and authenticity, Mark Braidner is the real deal. Leadbelly, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Robert Johnston, Blind Blake and trad. gospel tunes all get the Braidner treatment - infectious.

This guitar duo features Frank Robinson and Ian McGowan, who have many years gigging experience and will be familiar to many festival goers. Their repertoire is a relaxed and unpretentious mix of jazz blues and country.

The beekeepers are an established outfit from west Donegal, appearing for the first time at this years festival following great reveiws from the Dunfanaghy Jazz and Blues festival last year. They promise a hard driving mix of blues, funk/rock and soul delivered through the exceptional vocals of Lianne McLaughlin, the guitar genius of Jimmy Simmons, the red hot harp playing of Sean Debney and the driving groove of the ryhthmn section: Harry Law on Drums and Marty Sheridan on bass. With influences as wide as Lightnin Hopkins, Fleetwood Mac and Bonny Raitt, the band promises a stonking night of great music to close the Festival"

Local blues rockers Zero Resistance make a welcome first appearance at the festival. Fronted by Rory Gallagher fan Giles O'Hara (guitar/vocals), the boys play a range of rock and blues material from the likes of Gallagher, Thin Lizzy, Jimi Hendrix, SRV, Johnny Winter, Gary Moore,  and Horslips. Owen Anderson (bass) and Adam McIvor (drums) complete the lineup of this exciting young band who have lined up a series of festival appearances this summer.

www.myspace.com/zeroresistancerocks