MARK GIBBONS, vocalist and harmonica player for local blues quartet NATURAL BALL, chats to MORGAN JOHNSON about this week’s looming Fortitude Valley Blues Festival.

Forming five years ago, Natural Ball play the blues with an affection for legends Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters and T-Bone Walker. Taking cues from the golden era of the blues, they play on Saturday alongside Mud Morgangield, Mojo Webb, Mick Hadley & The Atomic Boogie Band and many, many more.

MORGAN JOHNSON: Natural Ball will be performing with Blind Dog Donnie at the Brisbane Blues Fest – do you see this being a fruitful union?

MARK GIBBONS: We held down a residency with Doggie for about 18 months, so we know each other pretty well. We played together at the Australian National Blues Festival in Goulburn, and won the 2007 South East Queensland Blues performers of the year award, so it’s been fairly beneficial so far. Plus it’s just so much fun playing with Doggie. You learn something from him every time. He really is one of the true legends of Australian blues.

MJ: Mud Morganfield, and the re-formed Lil’ Fi & The Delta Rhythm Kings are playing the festival – what are you most looking forward to about the day?

MG: To see Mud Morganfield for the first time and the rare opportunity to witness the DRK’s together again are obviously at the top of the list. But there’s also J.B. Lewis, Blind Lemon, Mojo Webb… It’s just a massive bill, top to bottom.

MJ: Lil’ Fi noted last week the impact of the internet in aiding the blues & roots explosion in the current musical climate. As relative adolescents on the Brisbane blues & roots scene, how do you view this thought?

MG: The internet has an influence on everything these days. It’s capability to reach everyone on the planet from your own desk means musicians, of any style, have to use it to their advantage. Bands like The Igor Prado Band from Brazil and Bharath & His Rhythm Four from Canada, are a perfect example. These guys are great players, but probably wouldn’t have built worldwide reputations among blues devotees if not for YouTube.

MJ: You played as part of Mark D’s harmonica Blow Out back in April – for those unfamiliar with the appeal of the free reed wind instrument – how does this sound imbue Natural Ball and many other blues musician’s sound?

MG: The harmonica has a unique ability to imitate the human voice. It’s part saxophone and part piano, yet sounds like no other instrument. Harp has got to be as much, if not more so, ingrained in the sound of the blues, than any other instrument. For me, nothing says blues like the harmonica.

MJ: After Triple J’s recent Hottest 100 of all time raised ire with a lack of female artists - how did you view the absence of blues artists in the list?

MG: You kind of get used to blues being overlooked by more mainstream radio. I’m sure there wasn’t much mention of country, jazz, classical, Latin etc. either, so I’m not sure about its status as an ‘of all time’ list. But blues fans know what they like, and don’t get too concerned about that sort of thing.

The Valley Festival Of Blues takes over The Jubilee Hotel on Saturday Jul 25, featuring NATURAL BALL, Mud Morgangfield, Mojo Webb, Lil Fi & The Delta Rhythm Kings, Asa Broomhall and many more. www.myspace.com/naturalball

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