Festa: Women Sing the Blues

Festa: Women Sing the Blues

Three amazing women take on the blues with their own songs and interpretations of blues classics in a night not to be missed!

Bonnie Kay and the Bonafides: Here is a unique sort of soulful and sassy package of blues and roots: Open it! Bonnie Kay, a contemporary American singer/songwriter from Philly who landed in Australia via Tokyo, uses acoustic, finger-picking, slide-guitar techniques, plus a voice reminiscent of blues icon Bonnie Raitt's, to deliver her own red-hot, sexy sound.

Her Bonafide companions? Matt Russell added depth and support to the sound when the two became a duo. Wayne Rigby made the duo a trio with his saxophone and flute, taking the dance to a sobbing heap on the floor and then lifting it up into a foot-stomping, hollering hootenanny . Add Jed Wesley Smith on double bass, Peregrin Chiara on drums and Tanya Bethune on trumpet and you’ve got additional elements of jazz, soul and funk- a Bonafide Band with a capital B. That, there, is the whole truth.

Christina Crofts: A review of Christina's 'Midnight Train' album describes her as 'Lucinda Williams meets Rory Gallagher down under' (Ron from Rootstime) and it is considered by many to be a fitting description. Perhaps this is evidence of the variety of influences, which have shaped her musical direction, having been raised in a household, which enjoyed music of all styles and flavours ranging from country, rock & blues through to classical, as well as the traditional music from her Scandinavian/German ancestors.

A warm and engaging performer with a wealth of life experiences, Christina is respected among her peers as a talented lead/slide guitarist with a distinctive sound and style.