Jason Mraz, Manu Chao Lead Latest Bluesfest Announcement

Another week, another Bluesfest line up announcement; well, that's kinda what it feels like these days. We are not complaining though, quite the opposite in fact, and we're more than happy to present this latest batch of names for your enjoyment.

The final acts announced the festival are announcing this year are as follows:

Jason Mraz, Manu Chao La Ventura, Mark Seymour & The Undertow, Chris Smither, Current Swell, Matt Andersen, Go Jane Go (feat. Kieran Kane, David Francey & Lucas Kane), The McMenamins

Check out the first announcement.
Check out the second announcement.
Check out the third announcement.
Check out the fourth announcement.
Check out the fifth announcement.
Check out the sixth announcement.

JASON MRAZ:

The very popular Jason Mraz makes his way back to Bluesfest after very well-received outings back in 2008 and 2009. Of course he has done plenty of exciting stuff since then, notably the release of this year's Love Is a Four Letter Word, his fourth studio album. Mraz has been awarded plenty of praise for his songwriting over the years but he has a really endearing performance style that gives him such wide appeal.

MANU CHAO LA VENTURA:

One of the most celebrated contemporary world music artists around, Manu Chao hasn't given his Australian fanbase all that much to cheers about in the past with not very much live action coming our way from his camp. But he's changing that for the 2013 Bluesfest, showing up to play a very special Friday show at the festival that will no doubt be as dynamic as we are led to believe his performances are. Whether you're into punk, rock, reggae, ska, salsa, French Chanson or Algerian Rai, you'll well and truly be stoked on Chao and his band La Ventura.

MARK SEYMOUR & THE UNDERTOW:

Another Aussie legend makes it onto the Bluesfest 2013 bill, Mark Seymour & The Undertow the latest project from the Hunters & Collectors frontman (and accomplished solo artist in his own right) Seymour and his buddies Cameron McKenzie, John Favaro and Peter Maslen. Last year saw Seymour release his sixth album since H&C finished up and you can bet that you'll be hearing a great selection of material from throughout his career when he hits the Bluesfest stage in 2013.

CHRIS SMITHER:

One of the great finger style blues guitarists and songwriters currently on the circuit, Chris Smither is one of those artists that you probably have had a connection with in the past without knowing it. The artist has been playing music for decades and has written some seriously great tunes; Love Me Like A Man, made famous by fellow Bluesfester Bonnie Raitt one of the more popular. Smither released his first record in 1970, but thanks largely to a bit of a struggle with the bottle it wasn't until 1997 that he started releasing records with any regulatory. His last Bluesfeest performance back in 2007 was memorable and he returns to the event as part of his sixth tour of the country next year.

CURRENT SWELL

The rootsy, coastal rock of Canada's Current Swell is a perfect match for Byron Bay; their sun drenched, cruisy guitar, the laid back melodies and general slick vibe of the music a perfect match to the setting. The kind of polished roots that they play has been such a big part of Bluesfest over the past decade or so and plenty of people will be counting Current Swell as their big discovery of 2013, we reckon.

MATT ANDERSEN

If you've ever had the pleasure of seeing Matt Andersen perform live before, then you know that this guy's take on blues, country, soul, folk and everything in between is absolutely incredible. The performer has such an enormous voice and put his songs across with such immense power that it's enough to scare you. He's still a relative unknown in our country but he won't be for long, Bluesfest will fall in love with his powerful performance style and we can't wait to watch it all unfold.

GO JANE GO

We'll be honest, we don't know much about Go Jane Go, because they haven't really been around all that long. We can tell you that it is the new band for one of Americana's godfathers Kieran Kane and sees him joining forces with his good friend David Francey and his son Lucas Kane. Three-part harmonies and great Americana tunes are sure to ensue; it is mighty exciting to see what else they have to offer on their first Australian tour.

THE MCMENAMINS

It was at BIGSOUND in September that Bluesfest's Peter Noble was blown away by The McMenamins and realised that he would have to get them onboard for the 2013 festival. The brother and sister led group burst seemingly outta nowhere back in 2005 with a killer debut LP and tours alongside a whole heap of well established artists. The past six months has seen them tour the United States twice and there's very little doubt in our minds that you'll be hearing plenty more from this group in the not-too-distant future.

Unfortunately the news is not all good, as British ska-pop legends Madness have been forced to pull out of the festival due to international touring commitments. What a bummer.

Bluesfest happens at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm from Thursday 28 March through to Monday 1 April. Grab your tickets from the festival website.