Eric Bibb: Runnin' Around.

Eric Bibb, plays the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival at the Red Devil Park in Byron Bay on Thursday and Friday

Born in New York, Eric Bibb grew up the son of singer Leon Bibb. He is the nephew of jazz pianist of John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet and his godfather was Paul Robeson. With such a distinguished musical pedigree it is hardly surprising that Eric Bibb should immerse himself in music, despite a brief flirtation with psychology and Russian language at Columbia University.

With those Ivy League memories far behind him, Eric Bibb has since been intent on crafting a musical voice well-grounded in the traditions of American roots music but with a special slant all his own. Acoustic guitar in hand, his dark, rich vocals demonstrate his deep empathy for life and love in all its variety.

Eric describes his music: “I kind of mix and match. I think what I think of myself as doing, is carrying on a tradition, a songster tradition that involves related roots music styles combining those styles with my own songwriting passion. We’re talking about mixing older blues stylings with gospel, with my own contemporary sensibilities. I am a little tired of the hard core compartmentalisation because I think it ends up influencing the artist’s expression, makes them do things that will help them sell records because they need to do that.”

Painting Signs was released last year to wide critical acclaim. The album features 13 songs, six written by Bibb himself.

“We’ve gotten more comfortable with the challenge of mixing related styles. I’ve been criticised in the past for being too eclectic, which I think is kind of a funny thing to say to an artist because artists are by definition supposed to be courageous and bold and they’re supposed to be trying out new things. Sometimes they work, sometimes it takes a while to get it right, but to be criticised for being adventurous is like criticising someone for being who they are naturally. It’s not just about producing product, it’s about trying to get somewhere with the whole thing and move it on and perhaps open up a new way of looking at or appreciating the music.”

Painting Signs also sees the teaming up of Eric with Dave Bronze, bassist with Eric Clapton. Not only does Dave play on the album, he also produced it.

Eric explains how that collaboration came about: “As soon as I met Dave, musically I understood this guy was definitely someone who was a real asset because he was just so conversant in the many related styles that moved me so he was, I felt, always true to the genre, never really playing to his ego, never trying to impress me with his chops which were phenomenal. I knew that as a songwriter delving into different styles, that this guy had a vocabulary that would work great with me and it has both on record and on stage as well.”