Damn right they got the blues
JB’s Blues Breakers have been a fixture on the Northern Rivers circuit for over two years, they have several local residencies, and over what might become an annual ‘Blues Over Byron’ Easter weekend, they played to full rooms at The Northern, The Rails and Lennox Hotel. They capped the weekend with a guest appearance from Australian, international guitar prodigy Taj Farrant at Lennox.
JB’s Blues Breakers, fronted by Lennox local Josh Blau (he’s the JB in JB’s) have cemented themselves as one of the fun shows to see if you’re looking for music. Side-by-side with Blau is drummer Grant Gerathy (John Butler Trio, Pete Murray, Angus Stone), bassist Nic Lemits (Marshall & the Fro, Lisa Hunt), and lead guitarist Geoff Wright (JJ Cale, Robben Ford, Tina Turner, Procol Harum), who like Blau are all Northern Rivers locals, but they bring serious national pedigree to every show.
Blau, who started playing piano when he was nine got a guitar when he was about 12. ‘It was the same old story – you can’t travel with a piano. I’d always been very into Elvis and BB King, all that sort of rootsy blues and rock and roll. And when I moved up here I hadn’t really played music for a while, and I met a couple of old guys down at the [Lennox Surf Club] kiosk who play every Saturday. They’re just the loveliest group of older gentlemen and I ran up and said, ‘Hey, you guys need a bass player?’ And they said, ‘Sure!’ I ran home and got the bass and had a play. I realised I really missed it.
‘I found the Lennox Hotel jam every Thursday which just has a pool of incredible musicians,’ says Blau.
‘I realised that other than the Blues Club on Sundays in Ballina, there wasn’t really any way you could go to see blues and rock and roll bands, so I just decided to start one.’
The rest as they say…
Since then JB’s Blues Breakers have been a constant reminder to Northern Rivers folk that you can’t stop the blues – they pop up everywhere – you’ll find them keeping it fresh and real every weekend somewhere on the circuit with monthly residencies at The Rails, Coolangatta Hotel, The Northern, Lennox Hotel, Club Lennox, and Feddy’s Alstonville.
‘The band’s setlist is dedicated to the blues, but not limited to it with country, ‘50s rock and roll and soul featuring in our shows,’ says Blau. ‘We have a huge repertoire that means every show can be different and a unique experience for the audience.’
It’s what keeps the venues full and the people coming back week after week.
Blau’s musical knowledge of blues and ‘50s to ‘60s performers is massive. Before a song he’ll often give a lot of background information and history on famous artists such as B.B. King, Ray Charles, Freddie King as well as the Beatles, Bobby Darin and Tony Joe White.
This May, they return to the Gold Coast for Blues on Broadbeach – back for the third time since 2023. They also have a headline slot at Riverhead Rocks Festival, Fraser Coast, 17 to 19 to July. Other festival appearances include Cooly Rocks On, Blues on the Bayou, Love Lennox Festival, Winter Solstice, and Mullum Roots.
The most exciting news is a second album in the works, following a debut vinyl produced by Jordan Power (Xavier Rudd, Ash Grunwald, Kasey Chambers) at Brooklet Studios.
JB’s Blues Breakers are constantly moving onwards and upwards.
You can find them on Facebook and Instagram @jbsbluesbreakers
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