DENPASAR, Bali (BPN) – Bali’s biggest Blues Festival will be held again in 2018 on Peninsula Island, Nusa Dua on May, 11 to 12. The fourth Bali Blues Festival will collaborates Blues music with other musical genres.
According to Agung Bagus Mantra as the founder of Bali Blues Festival, in addition to the collaboration with various musicians from different musical genres, the development and promotion of Bali Blues Festival even also have reached blues lovers in countries around the world and one of them is Australia.
Recently, the continued promotional efforts was also been brought to Byron Bay Blues Festival, Australia. At the festival categorized as one of the world’s biggest blues festival, also performed on stage Bali Blues Brother as the ambassador of Bali.
“At first we were there for Bali Blues exhibition, but it turns out we can send a music ambassador from Bali, Bali Blues Brother, after receiving information from the curation committee,” said Agung Bagus Mantra in Sanur on Sunday.
Bali Blues Brother consists of representatives of several bands in Bali, they are Sandi Lazuardi on saxophone & violin from Joni Agung & Double T, Krisna Dharmawan (Guitarist) from Sound of Mine, Gde Kurniawan (Bassist) from The Bodhi & Ake Buleleng, Bobi Dinar (Vocalist) from the Bodhi, Gus Basistha (Guitarist) from Crazy Horse, and Bagus Mantra as promotional team leader as well as drummer.
As the result, they received a remarkable welcome from about 80,000 audience after performing twice, by bringing some original compositions combined with Balinese rhythmic melody.
“After 29 years of Byron Bay Blues Festival, we were finally able to fly the red and white flag of Indonesia at this festival. Some of the famous musicians who performed at Byron Bay Blues Fest saw the Bali Blues Brother were very impressive,” Bagus Mantra said.
Bali Blues Festival has now becomes a very well-known music festival in Asia. Every year, more and more blues musicians send their request to perform in this festival.
“We have received requests from all over the world but we will still doing the curation because we do not want to just have foreign musicians just to pursue an international event title,” said Bagus Mantra.
The Bali Blues Festival 2018 will features many local Blues musicians and presents Blues compositions with various collaborative compositions to prove that Blues is the root of music, one example is Bali’s famous Reggae band Joni Agung who will collaborate to mix reggae and blues.
