Before Josh Teskey ever stepped onto the world stage fronting The Teskey Brothers, he was a kid standing in the crowd at the St Andrews Hotel, watching Ash Grunwald tear through blues sets in the outer reaches of Victoria.
Years later, that same sense of reverence still lingers. Only now, it runs both ways.
Teskey has become one of Australia’s most quietly powerful musical exports: a singer whose raw, gravel-worn voice feels pulled from another era, and whose band has built an international following the old-fashioned way, through relentless touring, analogue recording, and songs that land somewhere between soul, blues, and classic rock. From their Warrandyte roots to sharing stages with icons like Bruce Springsteen, their rise has been steady rather than sudden, grounded in craft, chemistry, and a deep respect for the lineage they come from.
That lineage is exactly what makes this conversation feel less like a standard interview and more like a full-circle moment. Teskey and Grunwald aren’t just peers on the Blues on Broadbeach 2026 lineup — they’re part of the same musical ecosystem, shaped by the same pubs, scenes, and shared history, including a collaborative album. What unfolds between them is part catch-up, part mutual admiration society, and part reflection on what it means to keep blues music alive in Australia right now, both on stage and behind the scenes.
Josh Teskey:
A gig that we should particularly speak about today is one that me and Ash are both playing at, a beautiful festival which is coming up on the 17th of May this year — Blues on Broadbeach. It’s going to be an amazing time, hey, Ash? I’m playing with the Teskey Brothers band and Ash will be down there with his band as well, which is awesome.
Ash Grunwald:
Yeah, it’s the first time to see me in a band context for many years. I’ve been doing the solo thing for probably mainly for the last five years. I’ve done a couple of Bluesfests, maybe, with the band here or there. A few things, but yeah, that’ll be the first time.
Josh Teskey:
They pop in every now and again, don’t they? There’s been a few I see you with, which is great. It’s a special one to see Ash there with the band.
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Ash Grunwald:
It should be cool. It’s the only kind of festival [where] you’re right there on the Goldie, it’s like, literally the surf is over the road. You could literally just come out of the water and jump straight on stage, which I might do.
Josh Teskey:
Beautiful. And a big one for them this year, because they’re celebrating their 25th year of Blues on Broadbeach. One of the biggest blues festivals in Australia — one of the biggest festivals in Australia all around — but 25 years running, which is a beautiful thing. So congrats, Blues on Broadbeach. And we are so honoured to be a part of it for this year. It’s going to be amazing.
Ash Grunwald:
Massive congrats to Blues on Broadbeach. I feel like the Gandalf of Australian music sometimes, but I’ve forgotten how many I’ve done of that. Probably four or five maybe, but I’ve done different incarnations. I know I was playing solo there. I remember one of the first ones, it would’ve been one of the first Blues on Broadbeach that I played and then done huge big bands. And then I remember doing the three-piece band there… It’s like an amphitheatre, but people get accom, and they can be up in their balconies having a few drinks looking down, watching.
Josh Teskey:
I love that vibe. Yeah. It’s a vibe. That’s fantastic, isn’t it? There’s something about that when people get it, when you see those pads everyone booked, that they know that accom that they got and they’re hanging out, having some beers on their balcony, just looking down [at] the stage and you go, “Yeah, you guys did well.”
Ash Grunwald:
Yeah, yeah. Because you’re playing going, “That’s awesome.”
Josh Teskey:
Yeah, seriously. I’ve seen that a few times. Yeah.
Ash Grunwald:
Yeah, it’s cool.
Josh Teskey:
I did a festival in Switzerland… It was a little down the alleyway of the thing, and it’s just the same thing. Everyone’s in their apartments looking down at the stage. So it’s cool to see the setup like that. And I loved how you were telling me before, Ash, as well, how it is set amongst all the venues as well. So it’s not just a festival where it’s just some stages set up. I love that all the venues are involved. So some of the pubs have got some live music in there and you can wander around the town. And I think that is my favourite kind of festival format. I think when it’s in amongst the town and all the local shops and pubs and clubs are all involved in one way or another, so they all get to celebrate. And it’s a real vibe, I think, as you can go pop into this, even the cafes and some of these things that are getting around it, which is beautiful.
Ash Grunwald:
Yeah, that is really cool. And that saying, the rising tide lifts all boats. The music scene since COVID and whatever actually in general has been copping it a fair bit and it’s been hard for venues and some small festivals, or even some large festivals, have had to close down. And so when a festival takes a punt and puts it out there, it’s not just good for the punters, [and] good for the musicians, but then it’s also good for local businesses and everything as well. So it’s good for everybody. I think it’s really cool. And especially those people who organise these things, they should really get some kind of medal because it’s hard and risky and hard work.
Josh Teskey:
It’s always something really important to point out, isn’t it? The involvement and the level of pressure and the work that goes in behind the scenes to back a festival like this, or even just to be involved in it. So I always try to shout them out every festival we play, because when you see everyone together there, and something like this all comes together and all these people are here and we’re playing, it’s just like a big shout out to everyone involved in the festival. Particularly the organisers, who have really had this dream to make this come together and that big thanks of just saying, “They’re bringing us to you, you guys to us, and we are here celebrating music and this is a great coming together.” And just big appreciation to the people behind the scenes making that possible and what that entails.
So big love, Blues on Broadbeach. [We’re] honoured to be doing it. I should mention first time for The Teskey Brothers. You are a Blues on Broadbeach veteran, as you said, Ash, but we’re going to be there for the first time, which is really exciting to get amongst it.
Ash Grunwald:
It’s so good. And yeah, you’ve got to see the Teskey Brothers there. If you are a fan of the Teskey Brothers, you’re in good company because Bruce Springsteen loves the shit out of them. That was so cool to see that you … Didn’t you do a gig with him?
Josh Teskey:
So we were lucky enough to have a show with Bruce in Monza, Italy, just a year back. So that was an absolutely amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing individual. He hung around and watched and said hi to us lads who were sort of starting out and opening for him there. So just a really beautiful person and an absolute honour.
Ash Grunwald:
But how about you? Talk about being anointed, being a gravelly, amazing singer. So when the Boss is a fan, you know you’ve got it down pat, the gravelly vocal.
Josh Teskey:
Ah, what a voice, Bruce Springsteen. Yeah, man. I mean, it’s beautiful that he does that. And I think he takes time to come out and watches a lot of his openers, which is really cool. I was talking to Tash Sultana, who also opened for him, and he did the same thing for Tash, which is really cool as well. I just thought what that means to us to be there as an opener for Bruce — for the Boss, as we say. So there’s something in that just for him to take that time to get down a bit earlier, to check us out. And then he came over and said hi, and yeah. Just honoured, to be honest.
Ash Grunwald:
Yeah. I think when they’re that big, if they hook you up or if they say something nice or they like it, it means a lot. I did the Australian tour with Jack Johnson and he would come out and introduce you.
Josh Teskey:
Oh, beautiful. What is that?
Ash Grunwald:
He’s a legend. He’s a super nice guy, but now, that’s the next level. I don’t do that at my gigs. I don’t go now, come on, everybody — listen to this person because they are amazing. But what a cool thing. I think I vowed I would do that when he did that for me, and then I didn’t do it.
Josh Teskey:
Yeah. Stuff can get in the way and you can be busy, but it is inspiring, isn’t it? Because when you see that, you say [that] when you do have the time and it works out, always try to be there and try to support. We were really lucky even really early on with a lot of people we’ve done tours with and opened with, we’ve had really supportive headline acts that have always given us a lot of love. A big shout out to Busby Marou, one of our first tours we did around Australia was with Busby Marou. Tom Busby and Jeremy Marou, every night they would just spruik our album and just give us some love. It was so beautiful really, it meant a lot to us. It was something I got that I appreciated so much from really early on [and] I’ve always tried to do the same for anyone we’re working with, that camaraderie on the road is a beautiful thing.
Ash Grunwald:
Well, I was just saying it to some other people. I’d said I had to do this interview, and they said, “Oh yeah, we saw The Teskey Brothers at this gig when they were small and then we saw them on the massive stage and blah, blah, blah.” And I said, “You know what? I could tell you behind the scenes, he is the nicest guy and his brother, Sam, they’re the nicest people. They’re the people that you want to see blowing up.” So thank you for being such a good, gracious dude. You present that on stage. You can tell that on stage, but I can tell anyone who’s reading this, it’s true behind the scenes. He doesn’t turn behind the scenes. So thanks for being that guy, man.
Josh Teskey:
Well, right back at you people, I can say the exact same thing about Mr. Ash Grunwald here. I’ve been very lucky to get to work with you. We’ve had some beautiful times together. We always get a lot of time to catch up in and around our gigs. And yeah, Ash and [his wife] Danni are just some of our favourite people. Every time we’re up there in the Northern Rivers it’s always beautiful to pop in and get a hangout. And this year we get to do it. It’s always an exciting thing, isn’t it? When we get to see each other, I’m like, “Yes, we’re going to be at the same festival.” So we’ll be there at Blues on Broadbeach 17th of May.
Ash Grunwald:
Yes, he’s good. He’s good with these dates.
Josh Teskey:
Oh, man. It’s going to be beautiful. It’s going to be so good.
Ash Grunwald:
Well, thanks for the chat and good luck.
Josh Teskey:
We’ll see you up there at the Blues and Broadbeach Festival, 17th of May on their 25th anniversary, people. So come on down and get around it.
