Tag: band
2019 Byron Bay Bluesfest | Playing For Change Band
In April, the members of the Playing For Change Band made their 6th appearance at the Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia. This was the festival's 30th year anniversary, and it featured a lineup of renowned world musicians such as Iggy Pop, Norah Jones, George Clinton, Mavis Staples, and Gary Clark Jr., as well as some PFC favorites like Jack Johnson, Keb' Mo', and Larkin Poe.
From humble beginnings, the Byron Bay Bluesfest has grown to become one of the world's largest venues for live blues music. The festival has attracted international attention by featuring some of the biggest names in music, routinely drawing in global audiences numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
In the past, Bluesfest has been headlined by the likes of Bob Dylan, BB King, John Mayer, John Legend, Angélique Kidjo, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, and many more outstanding artists. It has also led rise to the annual Boomerang Festival, a ground-breaking Indigenous arts festival for all Australians featuring an array of music, dance, theatre, comedy, and film, all to celebrate the heritage of first nations people.
As the Byron Bay Bluesfest continues to grow, its yearly celebrations of music, culture, and community have grown far beyond their blues, jazz, and roots beginnings, becoming a world stage home to Australia.
Playing For Change Band
For the past 6 years, the PFC Band has been honored to connect with international audiences on one of Australia's greatest stages. Although the band has seen many new faces and friends throughout the years, the mission to "connect the world through music" has always remained the same.
With Titi and Tula, Mermans and Tamba, Keiko, Roberto, Robin, Chantz, and more, the band was in full swing by the time they arrived in Byron Bay, having just played together in Bahrain a few weeks prior. They also managed to play a second show while in Sydney that same weekend, sharing the music with as many people as they could.
At the heart and soul of the PFC Band, we were overjoyed to see Grandpa Elliott make his way down under, gracing the Australian audiences with his profound bellowing voice and uplifting harmonica chimes.
In anticipation for the band's 6th appearance at the Byron Bay Bluesfest, organizers wrote:
"Playing for Change is back to share their powerful live performance with everyone at Bluesfest this Easter 2019. The unique fusion of influences and music from more than seven countries allows for an extremely special performance. United in purpose and in chorus, everyone is touched by music's unifying power!"
Until next year, Bluesfest!
Posted in BlogTagged 30th annual, 30th annual byron bay bluesfest, april, australia, australia bluesfest, band, bb king, Blues, bluesfest, bluesfest 2019, Bob Dylan, boomerang festival, byron bay, byron bay bluesfest, byron bay bluesfest 2019, celebration, chantz powell, claire finley, connect the world through music, gary clark jr., george clinton, global, global audiences, grandpa elliott, iggy pop, international, jack johnson, jason tamba, jazz, john legend, john mayer, keb' mo', keiko, Larkin Poe, live blues, mateo, mavis staples, mermans, mermans mosengo, music, norah jones, peace through music, pfc, PFC Band, playing for change, Playing For Change Band, roberto luti, robin moxley, roots, sydney, tal ben ari, titi tsira, tula, world, World musicLeave a comment
Putting the Power of Music to the Test | Part 1 of 2
A Brother's Fountain and their Journey to South Africa
The Playing For Change Movement grew from the belief that we are all connected through music, and it is the universal language that is able to cross borders, cultures, and continents, uniting us as one human race. As we continue our mission to inspire peace through music, we are thrilled to share the journey of Colorado-based folk group, A Brother's Fountain, as a few of their members embark on an adventure to South Africa to put the power of music to the test!
Beginning January 24th, A Brother's Fountain will set out for South Africa. Bringing with them no food or money, they will be relying on their instruments and the kindness of others to support them throughout their month-long stay. During their journey, the band will travel along the coast from Durban to Cape Town, stopping in Gugulethu to visit the Playing For Change Foundation's Imvula Music Program along the way.
When we asked what inspired them to take on this adventure, their response was:
"To write an epic story for ourselves, and not to do it in a manner that is necessarily traditional or comfortable. To be taken into a foreign environment with little resources or local knowledge so that we could see if we could truly connect with people and survive through music."
-A Brother's Fountain
Composed of seven members and countless collaborators, A Brother's Fountain has developed "a folk-inspired genre that you've always wanted to hear, but never knew existed" (A Brother's Fountain). Beginning on the street corners in Fort Collins, Colorado, this group of friends and musicians discovered a shared passion for music, community, and nature, inspiring them to spread their message and experiences with people from around the world.
The band features Ryan Guillen, Roel Calvillo, Bret Rindt, Graham Good, and Chris More, and was founded by brothers, AJ and Justin Fountain, (hence, A Brother's Fountain). Relying on a variety of instruments, from drums and guitars, to the mandolin, cello, banjo, and some sweet sweet saxophone, the brothers bring a soulful balance to these sounds with their unified voices and meaningful lyrics.
Heading to South Africa will be Justin, AJ, and Chris, along with Christopher Burkholder, a fellow musician, videographer, and friend. Together, the four had some hopeful plans and perspectives to share for the trip ahead:
Day 1, upon arrival, where do you go?
We arrive in Johannesburg and then we'll take a domestic flight down to Durban which is where our journey will begin. From there we will likely walk around town to get a lay of the land. We'll scope out some good places to busk, and probably ask around for spots we could camp on the outskirts of town. We do have a couple of connections in other parts of South Africa, but none in Durban yet, so it should be an interesting start to the journey for us!
What instruments will you be bringing?
We were graciously donated instruments from Guitars For Glory and Sweetwater. We have an alto saxophone, a mini guitar, a baritone ukulele, some harmonicas and a slew of improvised and hand held percussion instruments. We're excited to see what sort of new sounds we can create with this arrangement!
How do you plan to meet new people?
We hope to meet people by playing music and being friendly. We love people and hearing people's stories, so we'll try to engage with strangers every day. Busking on the streets and smiling a lot is going to be our best ticket to meeting new people.
Do you hope to be recording any particular songs of yours?
Yes, we hope to record 5-10 songs from our journey which would include songs already written and songs that we anticipate being birthed on the trip.
Where do you plan to visit? Any destinations in mind?
We're most excited for the towns that are a little more off the beaten path with a slightly slower pace of life. We're also really stoked to visit Cape Town and connect with some folks there.
We're excited that you will be visiting the Playing For Change Foundation's Imvula Music Program, what do you hope to learn and accomplish at the school?
We're are beyond thrilled to be visiting the Playing For Change music school in Gugs! We're so appreciative of this connection. The biggest thing we hope to accomplish there is to just have fun with some South Africans at the school. We'd love to help out wherever we can, and it sounds like we'll be able to play some music and possibly teach a class with the people there which is awesome. We also can't wait for the opportunity to learn a little bit more about the music culture of South Africa and witness it all in action at the school!
What will make this trip a success in your eyes?
Success in our eyes is coming home having learned about life from each other, from God, and from the South Africans. Judging by the fact that we haven't even left yet and have already learned a lot means we're already poised for success! We're a group of normal dudes who really want to squeeze all the juice out of life and who want to become better, more loving humans every day -that is ultimately "success" to us. We think this trip will help us do exactly that.
And before you go…
Will you be giving any updates during your journey for people to keep tabs on?
We will be uploading pictures, videos, and stories to our band Instagram throughout the journey. Our band Instagram is @a.brothers.fountain
But most of our documentation will be in video form for a short film documentary that we'll put together after the trip.
If you're interested in hearing more from A Brother's Fountain during their hiatus, check out these videos below:
You can also visit their YouTube channels, A Brother's Fountain, as well as Stoked Ember Productions.
Upon their return, we will be reconnecting with A Brother's Fountain to learn about their travels, the people they met, and the experiences they had. Until then, we wish the band safe travels and good luck for the adventure awaiting them.
Posted in BlogTagged a brother's fountain, abf, africa, aj fountain, band, brothers, campfire, cello, chris more, christopher burkholder, culture, desire, drums, foundation, fountain, friendship, gugulethu, guitar, inspiration, justin fountain, mandolin, memories, miracles, music, music school, only music, passion, passion project, people, pfc, pfcf, playing for change, playing for change foundation, power of music, saxophone, sounds, south africa, stoked ember, stoked ember productions, test, travel, worldLeave a comment