Festivalgoers are just the type of people Marty Marquis from Blitzen Trapper likes to hang out with.
Although he prefers the intimate environments of sideshows – Marquis says the atmosphere at festivals is always fun-filled and unique.
“Folks at those gatherings really appreciate guitar heroics and classic songwriting structures, so I reckon it’s a good set for us,” he said.
The event he’s referring to is the Byron Bay BluesFest, which Blitzen Trapper will be playing at in April alongside the likes of Cold Chisel, John Butler Trio, John Foggerty, Ziggy Marley and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
They’ll also do sideshows in small venues in the lead-up to their appearance at BluesFest – with stops in Melbourne and Sydney.
Marquis said he thoroughly enjoyed the cultural vibes in various cities throughout Australia when the band have toured here in the past.
“I recall it being pretty fantastic, they were like multicultural melting pots and reminded me of places like San Francisco and Southern California,” he said.
“The people were friendly and the venues were professional and well-staffed.
“Last time we just flew between all the cities, so we’re excited that we get to hang out a little more this time and see more of the country.”
Along with past hits and various covers, punters who catch Blitzen Trapper in April can expect plenty of material from their new record American Goldwing.
Marquis said the band are really enjoying performing their new material live as it is a lot easier to play than some of their complex older material.
“The sets we’ve been playing in Northern America I think we do 10 out of the 11 songs off the record on any given night,” he said.
“We do favourites off the early records too, but it’s really fun to play this record live and the crowds have been responding really well to it.”
“The songs are simpler to play, we don’t have to try as much and it’s more about a feeling and not so much about the technical stuff.”
Blitzen Tripper play at the West Coast Blues Fest in Perth on April 1 and East Coast BluesFest in Byron Bay on April 7 and 9. They also do their own sideshows in Melbourne and Sydney. For more information on the shows click here.
