Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival launches compilation of festival highlights for 2022 event

Festival organisers have created a compilation album of festival highlights, with 19 artists contributing a song to the CD.

It is the fourth time the festival has released an album with 50 limited edition boxsets also available.

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Festival director Colin Thompson said it was a nice keepsake.

"We definitely wanted one for this year. There are 150 copies available, so I wouldn't wait until the last day to get one," he said.

"We have done four volumes in all and have a limited number of 50 for sale of the four pack as well as the copies we have left of the other three.

"They are made-up of song contributed by musicians from the festival. Artists are happy to donate a track because then it's on a CD supporting us, which in turn is supporting them.

"It's a very affordable way of taking home a bit of the festival with good cross section of musicians in there."

Pete Cornelius who played at the very first BBRMF has included a track for this year's compilation, as have festival favourites Hailey Calvert, Grim Fawkner, Alanna and Alicia, Geoffrey Williams, The Tuck Shop Ladies and Heathcote's Mariah McCarthy.

Bendigo blues-rock out The Flannos, Tasha Zappala, Harry Coulson, Charlie Bedford, The Rattlers and The Erica Hawkey band also contributed work, along with That Gold Street Sound, Ben J Carter, Mandy Connell David Spry and Rory Phillips also feature on the compilation.

McCarthy is returning to the BBRMF for the eighth time with her track Seeking Refuge part of the piece of blues memorabilia.

"It's a great keepsake. My track Seeking Refuge has been on it before. I wrote it a while ago and it was on my Counting Sheep EP," she said.

"It's about putting myself in someone's shoes, who has escaped a war torn country and been through all these horrific events and finally gets to Australia and is stuck on some kind of refugee camps and just can't catch a break."

This year McCarthy will perform at GPO on Friday night, Yard Bird on Saturday afternoon and the Chinese Gardens on Sunday.

"I've played every Bendigo blues festival since 2013. I missed the first two," she said.

"It's always such a big community feel, I guess and you get to see friends who you've kind of grown up together playing the festival.

"Being the last one and the first one in a few years, I think it's gonna be a big, big deal."

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