A CELEBRATION OF AMERICANA, EARLY BLUES, ALT COUNTRY, AUSTRALIANA AND TRADITIONAL MUSIC
Nimbin Roots Festival will make its debut this September, celebrating all facets of the roots genre. Curated by ARIA and Golden Guitar nominee Lou Bradley, the inaugural festival will embrace the independent music scene. Celebrating Americana, early blues, alt country, Australiana and bluegrass music, the festival will feature a huge lineup of up-and-coming Australian talent. Plucked from over 150 applicants, the musicians will perform across four of Nimbin’s most iconic venues — the Bowling Club, the Nimbin Bush Theatre, the Phoenix Rising Café and The Church.
Australian singer-songwriter Lou Bradley is no stranger to festival curation. A very well respected veteran in the Australian music industry, Lou assisted in the coordination of the one-off event, Murwillumbah Country Roots Festival, which welcomed over 2,000 punters and some of the biggest names in Australian country music across four days in the Tweed Shire. A passionate ambassador to promoting local talent, Lou is well-respected for her ongoing support of independent and commercial artists alike. Channeling her energy into a festival that showcases Australian talent was a natural progression.
The ethos behind Nimbin Roots Festival continues to embrace everything Lou is passionate about – it is first and foremost about the music. “As a writer and grassroots musician myself I’m a firm believer in the importance of where music starts and where it comes from,” she says. “That’s what music is, and the Nimbin Roots Fest really represents that.”
The line-up for Nimbin Roots Festival is modest and eclectic, opening its musical arms up to artists in all stages of their careers. “After being around in the industry for so long I really don’t see the difference between a high profile artist and low profile artist,” says Lou. “To me, the art is the same and I can’t fathom the reason why one should have more attention than the other. I see a lot of artists out there who aren’t getting as much commission as they need. The public needs to hear music that’s a little more real.”
A familiar face in Nimbin, Lou says she can’t imagine a more perfect town to host the festival. “Nimbin has a very colourful culture, but it also has a strong foundation in natural living and a roots lifestyle,” she says. “It fits perfectly with the festival and it wouldn’t hurt to give it (Nimbin) a little more grounding. The venues involved and the people who are aware of the forthcoming festival are really excited about it.”
The two day Nimbin Roots Festival is setting aside the normal parameters of a festival and is instead drawing the entire town into its planning. Instead of basing itself in one venue with multiple stages, the event actually features four of the town’s most iconic venues – and everything in between. While punters can attend each venue to discover new music, there is also the opportunity to soak up the Nimbin culture, which is unlike anywhere else in the country. The venues – the Bowling Club, the Nimbin Bush Theatre, the Phoenix Rising Café and The Church – each has a history, presence and uniqueness that perfectly reflect the values and premise of the festival.