Bluesfest drops first line-up for 30th anniversary

JACK Jonson, Ben Harper, Kasey Chambers, Vintage Trouble, Irish Mythen, Nahko and Snarky Puppy are the top-line acts announced for Bluesfest 2019, which will unify blues legends and the roots community at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm in Easter for the festival's 30th anniversary.

Playing exclusively at Bluesfest with music from his 2017 album All the Light Above It Too, Hawaiian singer-songwriter extraordinaire Jack Johnson will return to Byron Bay as a headliner.

Ben Harper, who was just in the country for Splendour In The Grass performing alongside Charlie Musselwhite, returns with the Innocent Criminals and Alabama's hit band St. Paul & The Broken Bones will also appear exclusively at Blues.

MR BLUESFEST: Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals.

Photo Christian Morrow / Byron Shire News — ICON: Jack Johnson performs at the Mojo stage on Good Friday at the 25 Annual Byron Bay Bluesfest in Tyagarah. 2014. Photo Marc Stapelberg / The Northern Star Christian Morrow

New to the festival will be American singer songwriter Ray Lamontagne, Kurt Vile (former lead guitarist of The War on Drugs) with his band The Violators, US bluegrass five-piece Greensky Bluegrass and folk supergroup I'm With Her.

Kurt Samuel Vile is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Marina Chavez

The festival will also offer what could well be one of George Clinton's last ever live performances in Australia.

The American artist and frontman of Parliament Funkadelic collective has announced his retirement for May 2019.

Kasey Chambers performing at the Jambalaya stage on Sunday night at Bluesfest. Photo Doug Eaton / The Northern Star — Kasey Chambers will perform her debut album The Captain in full at Bluesfest 2019. Doug Eaton

Bluesfest favourite Kasey Chambers will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of her album The Captain, with a very special first-time performance of her debut album alongside a celebration of songs from the Kasey Chambers' greatest hits songbook.

Chambers heads up the Australian contingent in this announcement, including Colin Hay, Tommy Emmanuel, Russell Morris, Richard Clapton, plus local Tex Perkins and The Black Sorrows.

Vintage Trouble performs at the Crossroads at the stage on Saturday at Bluesfest 2017 in Byron Bay. — Vintage Trouble performs at the Crossroads at Bluesfest 2017. Marc Stapelberg

Other bands in this announcement are Keb' Mo', Vintage Trouble, Snarky Puppy, Elephant Sessions, Irish Mythen, The California Honeydrops, Nahko and Medicine For The People and Trevor Hall.

And after a five-year hiatus, Rockwiz Live is back to Bluesfest in 2019.

The rock'n'roll quiz with Brian Nankervis, Julia Zemiro and the Rockwiz Orkestra returns to the Jambalaya stage on Easter Saturday and Sunday.

- At Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay, over the Easter long weekend, Thursday April 18 to Monday, April 22, 2019.

Bluesfest 2019 First Lineup Announcement

Jack Johnson (Exclusive)

Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals (Exclusive)

Ray LaMontagne

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic (Exclusive)

Snarky Puppy

Kasey Chambers

St Paul & The Broken Bones (Exclusive)

Nahko And Medicine For The People