Australian blues guitarist Nathan Cavaleri is returning to the Echuca-Moama Winter Blues Festival, where he will perform solo with his signature blend of blues rock.

“When you strip out all the production and all of the flavours, you get back to the roots of what is underneath all the songs,” Nathan said.

“I would say my set is probably even more bluesy than what the studio recordings are, because the production and all the different sounds take it somewhere else.”

Playing solo, Nathan is using his stomp, guitar and a sampler for simple beats

“I’ll solo more, I whip out the slide, but I also like to tell stories in between my songs as well,” he said.

“I think there is one song where I probably solo for a good 10 minutes.

“So, for the guitar lovers out there, you’ll still be, I hope you are still happy, there is still those moments throughout the set, but it is very much song driven as well.”

His latest studio album, Miracles, showcases his evolution as an artist, incorporating various musical styles beyond traditional blues.

“Miracles is all my years of development, and all of my influences put into one,” he said.

“I think the biggest key difference between what I release now and what I was releasing as a kid is that everything was expressed through the guitar, because that was all I knew how to do.

“Now, I can use all those different skills to communicate a point and hopefully inspire some feelings that people don’t normally permit themselves to feel.”

Nathan recalls BB King telling the media he was “the future of blues”, which initially made him nervous about releasing music that ventured beyond the genre.

“BB King was always an advocate for being authentic. He used to say, you just gotta be yourself, like be you,” he said.

His recent release Live at the Wheaty, recorded at Adelaide's Wheatsheaf Hotel, marks his first live album.

The recording was mixed by legendary engineer Andrew Scheps, known for his work with artists such as Michael Jackson, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Lana Del Rey.

“The blues is where it all started for me”, Nathan said, who learned to play guitar from his father.

His emotional playing style, particularly notable in his early years, was shaped by his experience fighting leukaemia.

“I had learned enough skills to be able to express myself emotionally through my guitar,” Nathan said.

A wish granted by the Starlight Foundation led to a meeting with Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits, catalysing media exposure, which resulted in appearances on Hey Hey It's Saturday, and eventually led to a signing with Michael Jackson’s label.

As a child, he went on to tour with BB King and other musical icons.

After taking time away in his 20s to explore production and writing, Nathan experienced what he describes as “a big walk through the dark woods for about three or four years.”

“You’ve got to put yourself out there in the most authentic way and you will attract people who align with that,” Nathan said, who has now released three albums as an adult.

Nathan Cavaleri plays Winter Blues:

Saturday, July 26 at Radcliffe’s at 7.15pm

Sunday, July 27 at the Hopwood Gardens at 1.30pm.

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Friday, 28th July 2023

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