We caught up with Andy Andersen, Executive Director of Phuket International Blues Rock Festival, himself a bit of a rock?n?roll veteran, and got some of his views on the subject:
Q: Andy, what gave you the idea to start a blues rock festival in Phuket?
In August 2005 a couple of people and myself got the idea to organise a positive event around Christmas time to take place along with all the bad memories associated with the tsunami anniversary. We approached the Hilton Arcadia folks for primelocation/facilities, assembled some good local bands and imported some from USA and UK. Four months of hard work later we kicked off in Karon with the first festival the weekend before Christmas

Q: But you got rained out then?
Yes, unfortunately, the weather turned extremely sour that week and drowned our outdoor venue at the Hilton. All the hard work almost literally went down the drain? However, we were able to move the whole production inside to the big ballroom, and the Festival kicked off at the scheduled opening time.

Q: So later you moved the event to February?
For the next show we moved the dates to February 2007 to ensure the best possible chances of great weather. And the weather gods smiled at us ? not a drop of rain interrupted the two nights of great entertainment at the big field inside the gates of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia. Attendance doubled from 2005 to 2007; almost doubled again in 2008 and increased nicely for the Eric Bibb performance in 2009. We anticipate a nice increase this year as well; economic troubles nonetheless, with stars like Charlie Musselwhite and Richard Clapton topping the bill.

Q: Are you satisfied with the results from last year?s show?
Financially, you mean - no. Eric Bibb drew a big crowd Friday night and he delivered an electrifying performance on his acoustic guitar?and Saturday New Orleans style boogie-woogie master Mitch Woods closed the show to an enthusiastic crowd. However a last minute loss of the main sponsor unfortunately left us financially deep in the red.

Q: Let?s hope for a huge crowd then this time with these big names ? tell us about the headliners:
Charlie Musselwhite needs no introduction to those who know the blues. To the rest: One of USA?s top harmonica players and blues legends will stand before you February 27 and I believe you will be impressed. Over his 40+ year career Charlie has played the tiniest blues clubs to the world?s biggest festivals. It is an honour to have him here ? exclusively - for the first time in Thailand!

Richard Clapton has been a household name in Australia since 1975 when his first hit soared on the charts there, and he remains as popular as ever.

Q: And Rich Harper returns again?
By popular demand we have no choice. He is brilliant and very charming, and many say the festival would not be the same without him.? He will play his fiery electric set this time. Lady KNiKi from Australia will also be back, and newcomers include the superb latino blues meister Andy Gonzales and Malaysia?s AkashA World Music Band. We also have four Thai based bands with players of numerous nationalities. This is indeed a truly international fiesta.

Q: How about yourself ? you are a retired airline pilot, we understand, but do you have any background in the music business?
A: I was born and raised in Norway and I played in a fairly successful rock band in the early 1970s. In 1975 I sold my guitars, amps & drums and left for Florida to go to flight school and pursue my dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot. Over the next 29 years I flew everything from tiny Cessna 150s to Boeing 747-400s. I retired from United Airlines in 2004 and came here.

Q: What do you see in the future for the Blues Rock Festival ? any huge stars on the horizon?
A: Some people have asked me about staging big rock concerts in Phuket. Bruce Springsteen has been mentioned on the wish list, and first, I say ?show me the money...? Our festival?s entire budget would not even cover air fare for Bruce and his entourage, let alone his fee and production costs. Second, international superstars require a whole different infrastructure - security, production and otherwise - plus capacity to accommodate the hordes of people that would flock to Phuket for a show like that ? if they could get here. Figure 10-20,000 additional people coming in for a couple of nights. Sufficient airline seats and hotel rooms might not be available, thus the event would likely be doomed to lose money. So unless big purses come forward, the Blues Rock Festival will set its sights on artists of ?affordable? fame. But - who knows what the future holds.