Aria award-winning band Collard Greens & Gravy have been forerunners of the Australian Blues and Roots Scene since their formation in 1995. Since that time the band have clocked up countless kilometres performing their gritty driving blues to thrilled audiences at major festivals across Australia and the United States.
The band name Collard Greens & Gravy refers to a fictitious meal. Vocalist Ian Collard explains, 'When we went to American we discovered that ... everywhere we went people would say, 'You can't put gravy on collard greens. Your name doesn't make any sense.'
In 2018, the current line up featuring Ian Collard on vocals and harmonica, Dave Birtwell on guitar, Dale Lindrea on bass and Jason Liu Soon on drums, released their latest CD 'Luedell' which won the Age Music Victoria Award for Best Blues Album.
'Eerie, haunting blues ... it reminded me of a dark night on the Delta.' – Bruce Iglauer, President of Alligator Records
'Collard has dug deep into some wellspring of blues ... and dug out a sound similar in trance-like rhythms to north Mississippi hill country blues.' – Jeremy Loome, The Edmonton Sun (Canada)
'They do what the Brits did in the 1960s, absorb the work of Delta Blues masters and synthesize those influences into their own sound, while still upholding the tradition.' – Eric Thom, Blues Revue USA
Join Collard Greens & Gravy every Sunday for four residency dates commencing on January 24th. On Sunday February 7th, XANI will be performing mesmerising adventures into the spaces between pop, jazz, electronic and chamber music. Her repertoire is coloured by contrasts between the ferocity of her instrumental output and the unassuming warmth of her voice. Why not make a day—or month—of it?
