The Grass Roots Music Festival, to be held in the scenic bandstand in Mount Coot-tha's spectacular Botanical Gardens, will be held from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm on Sunday, 20 November.

8Ball Aitken - Organiser of the Festival

Featuring a selection of Queensland's finest original alt.country and roots music, the free event will include the best in local acoustic sounds, spanning influences including contemporary country, roots, blues, folk, reggae, and acoustic rock. With an environmental theme, the event will allow many opportunities for grass-roots networking and community-building throughout the day.

“What’s not to like about South East Queensland’s best roots tunes live in its best park?” exclaims festival organiser 8 Ball Aitken, the former Mareeba banana picker who has just returned from a performance tour of Japan with the support of Austrade and the Queensland Premier's Department.

“We have world-class talent here in our region, and we are proud of it. From the teen and youth demographics, all the way to Generation X and the Baby Boomers, people are jumping up and saying, ‘Give us something raw and original to sink our teeth into.’ My definition of roots music is anything played on real instruments in real time by real people. Roots fans don’t discriminate against styles. It’s all roots if the roots feeling is there.”

Performers featured on the day include local roots music stars 8 Ball Aitken, country performers Shelley Evans and The Wason Boys, as well as FAQ, Soldiers Of The Sun, Luca, Nathanael Hubbard, Bird Of The Phoenix Movement, Rachael Brady, and African refugee Davsland Amazou.

“It’s exciting to have our Brisbane City Council supporting fresh original music,” says 8 Ball Aitken. “It is visionary on their part to be helping the future of Australian culture and music happen in our top-notch park.”

The Grass Roots Music Festival is an all-ages, drug and alcohol-free event, which is suitable for humans of all ages. Best of all, it's FREE... so grab a picnic blanket, come and enjoy the gardens, and groove along to the sweetest sounds Brisbane has to offer.

For more information on the Grass Roots Music Festival, ring 0408 075 959, or visit www.grassrootsmusicfestival.com.au