CHRIS O: ON TOUR // Saturday, 4 June 2022 // 8:30-10:30 pm // Free Event; Reservations Recommended // Venue: Aunty Ed's, Katoomba.

Chris O has jumped on the rollin’ Tassie ferry and hit the highway back to the Blue Mountains. She sings and plays a whole heap of old school roots music… sliding spoonfuls of acoustic blues, adding finger-tripping rags, mixing up with originals that take a wry bluesy view of life in 2022. Watch the lap-slide, uke, and banjo stir up fair ole bit of jellyroll and jinx.

Chris, hailing from Northwest Tasmania, is a singer-songwriter who pens originals and plays vintage music the way it used to be. Her mashup of Blues, Roots and Folk draws on a lifetime of encounters with places, people, and life’s magic; echoing a multitude of global grassroots traditions.
Traveling around carrying her “band” like a pack pony with lap-slide, banjo, uke, as well as a few plain ole guitars, she regularly performs in Australia and Europe. Growing up in the U.K., Chris was exposed to the vibrant music scene of the late 60’s and 70’s, and her music is heavily influenced by acoustic blues, and traditional music.

In 2016 she represented NSW at the International Blues Challenge & National Women in Blues Showcase in Memphis, and her second album, “Wailin’ & Raggin’ the Blues” was a finalist for “Best Self-produced CD with the Blues Foundation, USA. Her third album, “Twisted Roots & Twisted Highways” was a finalist for the Canadian Blues & Roots Radio Album of the Year in 2018. Last year Chris again was on the bill of the National Women in Blues Showcase, albeit an online presence due to the pandemic. She regularly performs at festivals and venues in Australia.

“With a delivery somewhere between Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie, Chris’s own songs stay firmly within the tradition that has so inspired her, with trains, work gangs, and cotton fields the backdrop to the usual tribulations of life, from hard lovin’ to just makin’ ends meet workin’ for the Man. You can hear the passion, the commitment, and that gives her own songs the necessary authenticity, a true master’s apprentice”.
(Michael Smith, Rhythms Magazine)

“Born in England, based out of Australia for decades and — because of her extensive touring schedule — truly a citizen of the world, Chris Okunbor is a multi-instrumentalist musician who possesses a powerful, deep voice... her vocals stand out in the crowd as she accompanies herself on lap steel and other guitars, banjo and ukulele…a songwriter of the first order.”
Marty Gunther, Blues Blast Magazine (USA)

/ 'ON TOUR' @ AUNTY ED'S /
Presented by 'Music in the Mountains', Aunty Ed's 'On Tour' hosts spectacular artists as they're on tour up and down the East Coast. The vibe is casual, the beer is cold, the burgers are tops, and the live music is the perfect backdrop when hanging out with some mates. In this case, there are 2 sets of free live music between 8:30 - 10:30 pm to accompany dinner, so order a drink, and a bite to eat and enjoy. Reservations are essential - head to auntyeds.com.au to book your dinner table now as seats fill fast.

// Proudly presented by MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS //