The Hawaiian Shirt Day 2012 (properly called the 10th Aloha! Pro Blues & Roots Show) is this year’s incarnation of an annual event that raises money for charity. This year the event raised over $A3,000 for the Cancer Support Group.

(I’m diverting from posting on my visit to New York last year for this post on an event here in Canberra from last weekend).

I didn’t get to see the Backbeat Drivers or Little Mac and the Monster Men and the first band I have to show you is the Roger Bone Band, who generated a lot of energy and got many people up on their feet, dancing.  (The Roger Bone Band are relatively newly formed and don’t appear to have a presence on the web).

Next up was UROK (the Ukulele Republic of Canberra) who mainly play “old time music”, not necessarily Blues.

Chris Mawer is always worth taking time out to see, whether playing solo or with a band.  A national-level Blues musician, he was playing here unrehearsed with two local musicians but that didn’t seem to make any difference.  One of the musicians for the next band was held up arriving from a different gig so we got to hear a few extra tracks from Chris.  A good band to hear extra from.  (Music on MySpace).

Alison Penney was on next.  Although a national-level Blues musician, she is well known to us in Canberra and lived here briefly last year.  Though she plays here with Canberra musicians, she has her own band Alison Penney and the Moneymakers and has also played with many rhythm and blues bands around the country.  (Music on MySpace).

(In this image as for some of the others, one of the leis we were all awarded at the door is fluorescing under the LED lights).

Fiona Boyes provided the climax of the night, accompanied by local musicians and Alison Penny.   Although Fiona lives in Canberra, she is an international Blues musician and has played with many eminent Blues musicians in the States including Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Bob Margolin and Marcia Ball.  (Web site; music on MySpace).

There are 23 images in this post.  If you want to see more from this event, click on this link for a JAlbum slideshow with 58 images.