Sunday March 28th is shaping up to be one amazing day in Fremantle Park and we are pleased as a packed picnic lunch to add some passionate and talented artists to the existing line up. Joining the likes of Crowded House, John Butler Trio, Buddy Guy and Jeff Beck at the stunning new venue are a plethora of artists including Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Ozomatli and Matisyahu.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are a 10 piece free loving ensemble formed by frontman Alex Ebert. And here’s something most people don’t know – there is no Edward Sharpe. The character was invented by Ebert after breaking up with girlfriend and joining AA. Ebert describes Edward as a figure who “was sent down to earth to kinda heal mankind but kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love”. ‘We’ve definitely fallen in love with their single “Home” which reached number 15 in Triple J’s Hottest 100. This performance should not be missed.

Speaking of love and passion, Ozomatli have been the voice of LA for over 14 years. The group have had a solid six members as the basis of their ever changing line up, which now sits at eight. Ozomatli are said to bring their audience on an aural tour of LA fusing Latin, hip hop, salsa and jazz into their entertaining show. On the other side of the country, New York City’s Matisyahu got the attention of the Big Apple and the rest of the world with his passionate reggae songs about his devotion the Jewish faith. His latest release, “Light” is a 14 track mesh of styles including ska, pop-rock and soul.

More from the US of A with Jon Cleary: Piano, Bass and Drums coming to Freo fresh from New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz and soul. West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots punters will be one of the first audiences outside of his home city to see his acoustic trio of piano, upright bass and drums.

And then there’s Mary Gauthier - one of the most challenging artists to rise up from the underground in a long, long time. These past few years, people have started catching on, from grad students clustered into Boston cafes to crowds cheering before the main stages at festivals and venues beyond our fair shores.

On the home front, Triple J darling and Bran Nue Day film star, Dan Sultan delivers a captivating, powerful live show with a potent onstage charisma rarely seen. His big band with a horn section, keys and blazing guitars have built up a solid reputation for their knock out live performances.

Speaking of knock out performances, this is a walk in the park for Wagons whose show treads a line between a Vegas 70s showroom extravaganza and a bunch of undertakers letting loose at a rock festival headlined by Canned Heat. Wagons are a band of characters unmatched in contemporary Australian music. Keep an ear out for their unexpected but purely amazing hip hop tune.


Sharing the love are Tijuana Cartel who deliver a perfect marriage of lustful rhythms and upfront electronica. They are inspired by everything the musical world has to offer, from Funk to Hip Hop to Reggae to the Middle Eastern flavours of the Sub Continent to the dance venues of London.

Melbourne’s Jordie Lane is becoming recognised nation-wide as one of our great song-writing talents. After releasing his highly acclaimed debut album Sleeping Patterns in June 09, Jordie has gone on to sell out album launches across the country.

Local talent is well represented with the likes of The Joe Kings; two lads who met in a Perth record store and discovered a mutual love of blues and soul. Andrew Winton will be sure to wow the crowd with his amazing slide guitar skills and Red Shoes Boy will be keen to perform tracks they recently recorded at Freo’s Norfolk Basement after a 5 week residency. The CBC Jazz Orchestra round out the local scene as soul singer with a voice to be reckoned with Lee Sappho, joins the secondary students.

And here’s a bit of information on the new venue for you. Fremantle Park is significantly more spacious than the previous location and offers a seated Theatre stage, a beer and wine tent and a seated and shaded international food court. Yum!
A special area will be designated for patrons who wish to bring picnics, blankets and chairs to settle in and call Fremantle Park home for the day. 

The line up scheduled for March 28 2010 is once again proving why West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots truly is a music lover’s festival.