Fresh off a captivating performance at Splendour In The Grass 2015, roots and blues performer C.W.Stoneking will bring his live show to Fairgrounds this weekend.
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The new live show will see him replace his vintage national guitar and banjo combo for a shiny gold Fender as he goes electric.
With three studio albums under his belt, Stoneking has had sell out shows across the UK, Europe and Australia and is excited to be bringing his special brand of boogaloo boogy to Berry.
Stoneking is no stranger to the South Coast, having played headline shows at the iconic Milton Theatre to rave reviews.
“The line-up looks pretty good to me. It’s a very diverse range of artists so it is shaping up to be a great festival,” Stoneking said from his Melbourne home.
Stoneking spent his formative years in the Aboriginal community of Papunya in the Northern Territory.
His schoolteacher father had moved to Australia from the US as a result of the Vietnam War, bringing with him a large record collection and a love of poetry.
All of these things left an indelible impression on the young Stoneking.
“I guess when I did move back to society that upbringing branded me as a kind of outsider. It got me used to being a bit of a loner.”
Around the age of 13, he first started paying attention to the blues.
“The more I listened to it, I just liked it more and more,” he said.
Besides blues performers his early influences included the gravelly tones of Tom Waits and Bob Dylan.
His passion has always been music. “Once I got into music that’s all I wanted to do – besides drinking and girls, but the other two kind of dropped off the scene,” he said.
On Saturday, December 5 he will be joining artists such as Meg Mac, Ben Abraham, Jessica Pratt, Father John Misty, Le Pie and Mercury Rev.
On Friday night, as part of the Fairgrounds Festival, there will be a free film festival under the stars starting at 6.30pm.
One of the most adored animated pictures to come out of the Studio Ghibli film studio, My Neighbor Totoro will endear itself to audiences young and old alike. This will be followed by a screening of the documentary Searching for Sugar Man; a poignant look at one of the mysterious figures in music history, ‘70s musician Rodriguez.
For more information or to purchase tickets go to www.fairgrounds.com.au.