Benz World Blog » New Year

Nahko Bear

Jason Benz — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 13:01:20 +0000

Happy New Year 2025. This is Nahko and Medicine for the People playing on the Jambalaya stage at Bluesfest Byron Bay in 2017. He is wearing a “Make America Native Again” cap. Then, as now, the world is facing uncertainty about the future. One thing is certain, Nahko Bear is returning to Bluesfest in 2025, this time he is billed as just Nahko without his band. This is a trend in music, the industry is putting money behind solo artists over bands. This is something Bluesfest has resisted. You will always find bands at Bluesfest.

I cannot think of anything worse than paying hundreds of dollars for a festival ticket, only to watch someone press play on a laptop. You can pay even more money to watch elaborate costumes and dance routines to hide the fact that there is someone backstage pressing play on a laptop. Bluesfest is committed to supporting musicians making music with instruments rather than computers. It is a live music experience like no other.

Nahko will return to the festival with an unnamed band in 2025, tickets are available via the Bluesfest Website.

UPDATE: In 2026 Bluesfest will be the last in a line of major festivals closed from increasing headwinds. This began before covid, with the previous state government’s legislative “war on festivals“. The new government risks letting this trend continue through inaction. #savebluesfest, international petition on change.org Sign up here.

UPDATE: Due to the success of Bluesfest 2025, its future has been confirmed. Discounted early bird tickets for the 2026 festival are available here.

New Year

Jason Benz — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 13:01:58 +0000

Happy New Year 2024. What I am looking forward to most this year is the return of one of my favourite bands to Australia. This is Tedeschi Trucks Band putting on an awesome performance on the Crossroads stage at the 2016 Byron Bay Bluesfest. Husband and wife team of Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks here with saxophone player Kebbi Williams.

Imagine two smooth blues guitars jamming together, while they evoke the kind of atmospheric sounds Knopfler would be proud of, wrap these harmonies in the soulful depth you can only get from gospel backing singers, fill the backstage with duelling drummers, mix in a Hammond Organ and some New Orleans Horns and the sweet blues sound they make is world-class.

(image download here)

UPDATE: After 8 long years the band will return to the festival in Easter 2024, tickets are available via the Bluesfest Website.

New Year

Jason Benz — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 13:01:58 +0000

Happy New Year 2023. Given recent history, Good Luck is probably a more appropriate greeting. Instead of my standard firework/gig new year post, I have created a homage to Banksy.

No internet available, so original photography was used. The German Leopard tank was outside a military base in Australia. The wall is from Egypt where bricks are so worn, they almost look like sandbags. Finally I photographed a cereal box to get the recycling logo.

New Year

Jason Benz — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 13:01:50 +0000

Happy New Year 2022. I had a Hippy Christmas, listening to music in a native forest with a cell tower to myself. I would normally be chilling up a mountain at this time of year but it has been cool enough to stay in the subtropical lowlands where the internet is fastest. 2021 was a wet year too in Australia, this helped rejuvenate the natural environment after the fires.

As the world discovered in 2022, In the wake of disruption, you don’t get back what you had before. We must face the challenges of this new reality as the world continues to change. I hope this year’s existential threats can create solidarity so we can move forward together, as we did to take action on the hole in the ozone layer.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

New Year

Jason Benz — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 13:01:33 +0000

Happy New Year 2021. This time last year Australia was on fire and its leadership was absent. The world watched the country burn as over 1 billion animals died. After the main event of 2020 this island continent would be viewed as one of the global success stories. Hopefully, next year will achieve such a revolution for all. Best wishes to everyone, especially those in the UK who are currently suffering from their absence of leadership.

The original firework image has been accepted by Adobe Stock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

New Year

Jason Benz — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 13:01:46 +0000

Happy New Year 2020. Like much of Sydney, I have been asking myself whether to do the fireworks this year considering the city is surrounded by bushfires. My solution is this picture, created from the sun light tinted orange from the smoke of the fires reflected in the waters of Leura Falls Creek in the Blue Mountains.

2019 was the most photogenic year so far, producing 200 stock photos. This was done by unintentionally driving across every state and territory in Australia. This year I will reduce my carbon footprint by doing less ambitious distances. I hope to increase the number of photos per mile by shooting more locations along my route.

My 2020 resolution is to embrace the spirit of slow travel.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

New Year

Jason Benz — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 17:25:39 +0000

Happy New Year 2019. May your dreams come true. These are the Sydney new year fireworks. I left my van behind and took the train into the city from my temporary base in the Blue Mountains where I have been enjoying a relaxing Christmas with the Australian branch of my family.

2018 was the most photogenic year so far. It was also the start of my longest journey. In December I revisiting the last 8 months of travel pics to create 2 years worth of stock photography in a few weeks. This brought my total to 700 images at Shutterstock. This averages out to 1 a week from 14 years of photo submissions.

This year I will continue south until the March equinox which should put me somewhere in Tasmania for the first time. I will return to the Blue Mountains in April and resolve to have another 100 stock photos by then.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

New Year

Jason Benz — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:27:29 +0000

Happy New Year 2018 . We are back in the UK this year and celebrated 100 years of Finnish independence with friends in the village. This is the local pub illuminated with festive incendiaries.

New Year

Jason Benz — Sat, 31 Dec 2016 14:01:59 +0000

Happy New Year 2017. This is The Lake Broadwater Conservation Park Campsite. I was photographing the stars when the camp next to us put something combustible on their fire. After 2 weeks on the road exploring the Maranoa region of Australia we arrived back on the Gold Coast yesterday.

New Year

Jason Benz — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 13:01:48 +0000

Happy New Year 2016! Before Christmas we ventured north in our van without any plans for the new year again. This is Ben Beasley playing at the hideaway on Keppel Island. We stayed on the island for an extra week by helping out in the Holiday Village. We return to mainland Australia on the 3rd Jan.