Program
Australia’s Biggest Little Blues Festival
Here’s a sample of what we got up to in 2022!
Friday 18th February
Seniors Lunch with Jan Wositzky
12 midday to 2pm
Founding member of Australia’s famous Bushwhackers Band Jan will entertain with yarns and tales from Australian history and his own experiences, and sing songs accompanying himself on banjo, harmonica and bones.
And if anyone in the audience has a good story good tell, Jan will make them welcome.
Where: Bowls Club
Entry: Free for Bruthen Senior Citizen’s group and $2 for non-members.
Blues Jam
7.30 pm to 12.30pm
A great opportunity for all ages to get up and jam in front of an appreciative audience. The renowned Blues Jam encapsulates the grassroots, inclusive spirit of our festival. Get into the festival mood and listen to the ‘jamming’ of upcoming and seasoned performers. Prior applications are essential to play.
Host Band: South Bound Snake Charmers
Where: Bruthen Inn Hotel
Entry: $25
Jammers free.
Blues at the Bullant
6-7pm
Featuring Todd Cook
Where: Bullant Brewery
Saturday 19th February
Festival Market
9am to 3pm
A large market with a huge variety of stalls including food trucks and a NEW East Gippsland Showcase area. No second-hand goods.
Where: Main street Gardens
Entry: $2 entry.
Blues in the Paddock
11am to 5pm
BYO your chairs or picnic blanket and settle into the magical, relaxed atmosphere, while enjoying fabulous music. Plenty of gazebos and umbrellas for shade.
10.50am Olivia Lay
11.40am Indigenous welcome to Country
11.50am Official Welcome
12pm Jarrod Shaw
1pm Charlie Bedford
2pm Raven and the Dove
3pm Black Satin
4pm The South Bound Snake Charmers
Where: Police Paddock
$2 entry to market/paddock area.
Saturday Workshops
Storytelling and Yarning – Sharing stories – Sharing hope
11am
With Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky In this session Jan will share some of his stories and invite others to share a story they might like to tell. Where: Neighbourhood House $20
Blues Guitar Workshop with Jimi Hocking
3pm
Where: Neighbourhood House $20
Walk Your Blues Away 1pm to 3pm
It’s back! Walk Your Blues Away is back by popular demand. Join one of several guided mystery walks to find some great acts, with a mental health theme, stationed along the way. Bookings are essential and can be made at the Blues Information Desk.
FREE
Afternoon Blues at the pub
2pm
George McFloyd band. Where: Bruthen Hotel. FREE entry.
Blues at the Bullant
2pm
2pm to 4pm Dan Dinnen
6pm to 7.30pm Charlie Bedford
Where: Bullant Brewery
Blues in the Paddock including the “Taste of Gippsland” Sunset Dinner
6.30pm to 11pm
The Blues Café has moved outside! You have the choice of bringing your own chair or rug to enjoy the music OR partaking in the delicious Taste of Gippsland Sunset Dinner, where you sit at a table with nibbles, a glass of wine and a gourmet picnic box for 2 or 4 people. This is a GLASS FREE event.
Red Bluff Brewery and Wyanga Winery will be on site.
Headline Act: Smoke Stack Rhino
6.30pm Blues Jam winner
7.15pm Kane Vincent
8.15pm Todd Cook Band
9.15pm Barren Spinsters
10.10pm 19-Twenty
Where: Police Paddock
Tickets: Sunset Dinner seats
2 people entry and Sunset Dinner $150
4 people entry and Sunset Dinner $280
BYO Chair or Picnic rug Adults $25
Children 17 years and under $10
NB: A limited number of places are available for the Sunset Dinner – so get in early!
The Big Blues Bash
7pm to 12.30am
This popular event is the jewel of our music line-up. The best of the best big-name acts will have you up and dancing. The atmosphere is electric – it’s THE blues party!
Headline Act: The Badloves
7.30pm Julian James
8.30pm Brooke Taylor and the Poison Spitting Gin Queens 9.30 pm Electric Blues Collective
10.40 pm The Badloves
11.50 pm The Bruthen ALLSTAR review
Where: Bruthen Hotel.
Tickets: $70
Sunday 20th February – Oh No! It’s the last day.
Bruthen’s Blues Big Family Breakfast
8am to 1pm
Enjoy a delicious breakfast ‘cheffed up’ by the Bruthen and Tambo Upper Primary Schools. Good family fun including kids activities, art workshops and the famous Great Gizmo’s junk percussion workshop.
Where: Police paddock (Community hosted event & duck race)
$2 entry to market/paddock area.
Festival Market Continues
9am to 2pm
A large market with a huge variety of stalls including food trucks and a NEW East Gippsland Showcase area. No second-hand goods.
Where: Main street Gardens
Entry: $2 entry.
Blues in the Paddock
10am to 1.30pm
BYO your chairs or picnic blanket and settle into the magical, relaxed atmosphere, while enjoying fabulous music. Plenty of gazebos and umbrellas for shade.
10am Barren Spinsters
11.05 am Kane Vincent
12pm Duck Race Introduction
12.15 Duck Race parade and Race
12.30pm Acapella Hackett and the Drug Store Wives.
Where: Police Paddock
$2 entry to market/paddock area.
Sunday Workshops
Kids Craft workshop
8.30am
With artist Tracey Johnson and her helpers
Keeping the Beat junk percussion workshop
10am
Learn a percussion instrument routine to lead the Duck Parade.
With Mr Beat and Tricky Rythym
Harmonica workshop
Time 11am
With Dan Dinnen
$20
Where: Neighbourhood House
Blues at the Bullant
1.30pm
Jay Wagstaff
Where: Bullant Brewery
The BIG Blues Recovery Gig
1pm to 7pm
It’s nearly over, but don’t get the blues! ….. come and join us for the last hoorah. The Blues Recovery afternoon is a time to wind down (if you haven’t already!) with your new friends while being delighted for the last time this festival by some of the best blues music this country has to offer.
Headline Act: Jimi Hocking
1pm Julian James
2pm Dan Dinnen and Shorty
3.40pm Jimi Hocking
5pm Defunked
Where: Bruthen Inn Hotel
Tickets: Adults $50
Kids 17 years and under $15
NB A weekend ticket for the Blues Jam, Big Blues Bash and the Blues Recovery is $130.