Nimbin: If you ask Byron Bay’s Bobby Alu what his music sounds like he will say he prefers to think about how it makes someone feel.
Alu said his music could be summed up as a dreamy summer’s night.
“Like you have your favourite drink in hand, sipping as the sun sets on a balmy evening that’s laden with the promise of adventure,” he said.
Alu’s quintessential summertime tunes, soaked in juicy ukelele riffs and smooth island melodies, have garnered him almost 800,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and a recent international tour.
And he brings all those good-time vibes to celebrate roots music, peace and love at the annual Nimbin Roots Festival from October 14-15.
Also joining Alu is a stellar line-up of artists including Shane Howard AM of early 1980s band, Goanna, whose famed classic pub-rock anthem “Solid Rock” quickly imprinted itself into the nation’s psyche.
Since the success of three albums with Goanna, Howard has refined his art with 14 solo albums, two books, and a stable of production credits, establishing himself as a significant contributor to Australian folklore.
Other notable acts are Dog Trumpet, known more commonly as brothers Reg Mombassa and Peter O’Doherty from legendary Aussie rock band Mental As Anything, and popular Gippsland artist Harry Hookey AKA Harry Hook is Real.
Kicking of the weekend of peace, freedom, music, love (and marijuana) is Zac Crackalaka who won the festival’s busking competition last year.
And for those who think they have what it takes to join Crackalaka and this legendary crew of chill-out crooners, the busking comp costs $20 to enter which snags you a spot in the village’s main street to sing your heart and soul out to a welcoming audience.
Alu, who spent five years as Xavier Rudd’s percussionist, encouraged his fellow compatriots to “let the music decide where to take you”, both creatively and physically, and to remain effortless within the musical force of the universe.
“It’s playing ukulele with old friends at the local market in exchange for a box of vegetables, because how weird is it to improvise along to people buying bananas at 7am on a Tuesday?” he said.
“It’s going to Ghana with just a hunch and a WhatsApp number to track down the rhythms that light up your heart… (and) it’s learning how to be in service to the vibe of a room, and how to make the jump to being an international performer.
“Always, it’s about being open to discovery. If you choose music, you choose it all.”
Alu brings his soulful fusion of rhythm, effortless harmony and storytelling, that weaves instrumentation and influences from his Polynesian ancestry, to the Nimbin Roots Festival on Sunday, October 15, at 4pm.
The full line-up, including information and tickets, can be found at: https://www.nimbinrootsfestival.com.
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