100 BANDS STEP UP FOR GREAT MUSIC STORIES’ WELLBEING RADIO FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND

100 live sets – An all-female headliner billled by Deborah Bonham, Melissa Etheridge & Verity White – Plus debate led by 20 artists & industry figures

Following the storming success of June’s Spirit of Wildfire2 radio festival, Great Music Stories Radio is set to give music fans a special music festival this weekend: a music event that celebrates the role music has played to help people through lockdown, and also brings everyone together to have the conversation about mental health and wellbeing – aspects of life everyone has experienced in some form during the dark days of home isolation. The event will be broadcast between Friday 7th August – Sunday 9th August on greatmusicstories.com

The event originally aimed to present 60 bands, but the reaction has been so strong that the bill now will showcase 100+ acts from different geographies and sub-genres.

The headliners for the three-day weekend will all be female acts. Event organiser GuyB explains: “My Friday show has always celebrated diversity and equality with musicians. Some of our finest acts today are female artists. I can’t remember the last time I saw female acts take the headline slots for a festival, so I thought it was high time we did something about that. And headliners don’t come much better than Deborah and Melissa.”

Deborah Bonham headlines Friday night – the festival starts this Friday at 5pm – then Melissa leads the Saturday line-up on. Sunday’s headline slot has been earmarked for a rising talent and Verity White was chosen for the way she has created, entertained and championed wellness issues during lockdown.

The bill has attracted some top USA artists including BadFlower, JD Simo, Robert Jon & The Wreck, Sari Schorr and Austin Jenckes; also, some British icons including Toby Jepson, Nick Van Eede and Irwin Sparkes from the Hoosiers.

Three of Great Music Stories’ five bands of the year (since 2015) return to open the festival on Friday, ensuring that the event opens with rock ‘n’ roll fireworks. Current band of the Year Scarlet Rebels will be joined by alumni bands of the year – Massive Wagons and The Virginmarys – to open the weekend in style!

The sets have been recorded especially for the weekend to give festival-starved rock fans the real sense of a festival. Some artists are doing unique sets. Ash Wilson will be playing a 25-minute tribute to Peter Green; Hoss from Thirteen Stars will be doing a second set of fun 80s guilty pleasure covers; and Daxx & Roxanne have recorded a full rock covers set. Over the weekend, a number of bands will also premiere new songs.

Great Music Stories has always been about the fusion of words and music, and during the weekend 20 artists and industry figures will discuss a range of wellbeing and mental health issues. Musicians Toby Jepson, Carrie from HAVR, White Raven Down and Ally from The Virginmarys will be joined by industry figures such as Rob Town and The Rock Fairy.

GuyB adds: “After the NHS fundraiser for the last festival, for this one there’s not a financial element. I’m really conscious that as the economic impact of the pandemic starts to bite, some people are worried about money. This weekend it’s really important that everyone can feel involved, so what we’re doing this way is focusing on awareness: raising of issues and charities, and the bands will lead the debate on the issues we need to research, support and share. Longer-term, changing mindset actually can do much more than raising some money over a weekend.” In case you are looking to earn money hosting film shoots and other content visit this site.

People can listen to the festival on greatmusicstories.com radio from 5pm Friday to 11pm Sunday.

As Guy B says: “It’s a totally non-commercial event that’s all about the music and bringing people together. As we come out of lockdown, it’s a moment in time to celebrate the healing power of live music and I hope the happiness, positivity and togetherness will also help us all re-charge and prepare for the challenging times that may be ahead this autumn.”

Full line-up details below:

A Thousand Horses

Alcantara

Anchor lane

Ash Wilson

As Sirens Fall

Austin Jenckes

Avarus

Autumn Killers

Amongst Liars

At The Sun / Kieron Heavens

Alcantara

Bad Touch

Badflower

Blurred Vision

Black Lakes

Bootyard bandits

Bastette

Beth Blade

Cloverhill

Cormac Neeson

Coma Rossi

Cutting Crew

Calum Ingram

Circus 66

Cry For Mercy

Copperworm

Deaf Mute Society

Dead Shed Jokers

Dust Coda

Deborah Bonham

Dead Man’s Whiskey

Devilfire

DeadBlondeStars

Daxx & Roxane

Deadfire

Dig Lazarus

Elles Bailey

Ebb

Empyre

Fugitive

Fyresky

Gallows Circus

Geoff Tyson

HAVR

Hells Addiction

Hollin Kings

Hoosiers / Irwin Sparkes

JD Simo

Johhny Hammond

Jack J Hutchinson

The Jokers

Jason Sweeney

JoanovArc

Kyros

Little Red Kings

Last Alibi

Lynne Jackaman

Luke Appleton

Massive Wagons

Melissa Etherdige

Miss Kitty

Mike Ross

Mercury Rising

North Atlas

OhNova

Pure Black

Promethium

The Quireboys

Robert Jon & The Wreck

Ravenbreed

Ryders Creed

Rebecca Downes

Sari Schorr

Scarlet Rebels

Safire

She Burns Red

Sertraline

Sky Hunter

Stevie Craven

Sons of Liberty

Salt River Shakedown

Swamp Born Assassins

Troy Refern

Theia

Thirteen Stars

TakeAway Thieves

Thundermother

These Wicked Rivers

Twisted Illusion

Toby Jepson

Verity White

Virginmarys

Wille & The Bandits

White Raven Down

Wildhorse

White Tail Falls

Rbb Town

Rock Fairy

Samarkind

Gasoline Outlaws

The Texas Flood

Fireroad

Mason Hill

Little Brother Eli

Website archive: www.greatmusicstories.com

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/greatmusicstories

 

About Louise Swift

I first went to a gig in 1981, Gillan at Leeds University. I've been a regular gig goer ever since. I haven't kept count of how many gigs I've been to over the intervening years, but it's a lot! My favourite bands are AC/DC then, in no particular order, Anti-Nowhere League, Slaughter and the Dogs, Towers of London and Dirt Box Disco. I tend to like Glam/Punk and rude offensive lyrics, not sure what that says about me but as Animal would say 'So What!' The question was recently put to me - did I write for any online publications? My reply - No, but I'd like to! Planetmosh was suggested and I found myself offering to review Aces High Festival. Easy peasy I thought! Well not quite, if a jobs worth doing it's worth doing well! I had sixteen bands to research. I found I actually enjoyed that and it kept me too busy to be making lunatic comments on Facebook! ;) Then I felt a bit inadequately qualified. I mean, who am I to comment on others, when my musical expertise extends to being able to play a mean Greensleeves on the recorder and a passable Annie's song on the flute! Haven't picked up either instrument for years! What I do have, however, is over 30 years of experience as a gig goer, so I can comment on what I like and what I don't! It's only my opinion and, if I don't like a band it doesn't mean they are bad, just not to my own liking. I admire anyone who has the guts to get up on that stage and have a go!