Guitarist Simon Kinny-Lewis has vague, but positive recollections of his previous visit to the Kiama Jazz and Blues Festival.
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“I played there a long, long time ago; I’m talking like 15 years ago when I was just kind of picking up guitar in a blues band,” he said.
“I remember being on an outdoor stage, and it was quite a few people there. It was a nice festival.
“I haven’t played it with my own band though.”
Therefore, the axeman plans to make plenty of fresh memories when he performs at this year’s event.
Kinny-Lewis is a world-renowned guitarist/vocalist from Sydney.
He has performed at events such as Woodford Folk Festival, Thredbo Blues Festival, Tamworth Country Music Festival and Manly Jazz Festival.
“I love the festivals mainly because it’s a chance for everybody to get together, including the artists,” he said.
“It’s really great… When we’re always working, we never get to see each other play because most of the time we’re working on Saturday nights or Friday nights and always travelling.
“The festivals are one spot where you can finally catch up with friends and fellow musicians.”
Kinny-Lewis will perform both as a solo act and as part of his four-piece band at the Kiama festival.
His band features Rick Melick (Joe Bonamassa Band) on keys, Tony Boyd (drums) and Rob Ewan (bass).
The veteran guitarist said the outfit played more “rock-blues, with some jazz-infused elements”.
He lists Richie Kotzen, Doug Seven, Gary Moore, Scott Henderson, Robben Ford, Frank Gambale and Greg Howe among his guitar-playing influences.
“We’re a mixture of jazz, blues and rock really,” Kinny-Lewis said.
“We’re essentially a blues band, but I guess a modern blues band in the Robben Ford/Chris Cain kind of genre.”
Kinny-Lewis’s latest album Street Blues was released last September.
Although the guitarist said avenues such as social media were a valuable tool for helping him sell records, the old-fashioned method of performing for the masses remained effective.
“Where festivals come in is that you can really project yourself in a live atmosphere, and then you can sell physical CDs at the time,” he said.
“That’s basically how I make most of my money.
“It’s from a love of playing music and wanting to share it to an audience, but also it’s a way of making a living as well.”
The Kiama Jazz and Blues Festival celebrates its 30th year in 2017.
This year’s festival will take place from March 10-12.
The free festival will feature more than 75 gigs across 30 venues.
