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Well. the Blues Fest is over for this year.. my sunburn from Saturday is fading..and my shoes have dried out from Friday. I'm hoping Mike and Mary have at least partially recovered as well. I don't think they slowed down once in the last two weeks. They put on one heck of a show though. Even though this was the tenth annual festival, in many ways it was the first as well, due to the new location, a new bunch of sponsors to round up, a new bunch of fans and volunteers, and all that goes along with coordinating an event like this! I heard nothing but compliments from everyone involved..even the local constabulary had no complaints (and, from what I hear..didn't get any called in either..even when Saturday ran long). There was plenty of great food and drink available, the music was stellar (see Mike's reviews below..and thanks Mike. ) the crowd was well behaved..no serious medical issues..no altercations that I heard about..no parking problems..just 4 days of Blues..outside in Minnesota in July, with Baron von Raschke, Ophelia Flame, and of course the Wheel of Meat. (not to mention Mike and the pink motor scooter) What a great time. I'm very happy to inform you..if you haven't already heard..that they will be back next year..the date is a bit earlier to avoid conflicts with other festivals, etc. June 23-June 25 with maybe a Sunday as well. Mark it on your calendars. I know you don't want to miss it!
Hollywood
Blues Fest Reviews:
by Mike Webber
Okay. Day one of the Boundary Waters Blues Fest has come and gone. If you didn't make it, you will want to get out to the fairgrounds this weekend to hear some great music.
Ross William Perry
Yesterday's opening performer/band was Ross William Perry. I had the
privilege of seeing him perform twelve years ago when he was at the ripe
old age of eighteen and was pretty impressed with him. After seeing him
perform yesterday, I can only say that he has polished his performance
to a highly professional level. His guitar playing was flawless, and far
far better than the last time I saw him play. If you did get to see him
perform, you'll know what I'm talking about. As luck would have it, his
band also played at the Moose Club for the after party, where he also
had a few guests sit in with the band (including yours truly). Not only
a great musician. But, an all around likeable guy.
Rob Blaine
The next artists to play were Rob Blaine and his band. I don't know if
this is going to get posted on this website by this afternoon
(oh ye of little faith..ed). But, if
you want to hear some no holds barred, down and dirty Chicago style
blues, you gotta see this band play, or at the very least pick up a copy
of his latest CD. Rob Blaine slices and dices on the guitar and adds
great vocals to boot. Unfortunately my memory is a bit hazy about
remembering the names of the other band members. But, they are all
excellent musicians.
This was just day one of the Blues Fest. If this is any indication of
what's coming the rest of the weekend, we are in for a huge treat. Kudos
to Mike and Mary (hosts of the festival). They sure know how to throw a
party.
Boundary Waters Blues Fest, day 2.
Don't let a little rain bring you down.
What a day of music. When I got there, the sun was shining. People were milling in. Everybody was happy. The show got going on time (almost). Of course, this is not unusual with outdoor concerts, if things don't exactly start on time. But, who cares? We came to hear good music. It was worth the wait.
Perry Weber & The Devilles
The first band to grace the stage was Perry Weber and the Devilles. Very
good band from Milwaukee. Perry Weber has a natural voice and feel on
the guitar for the blues. Along with Weber, Benny Rickun on harmonica
(and some guitar) entertained the crowd. Unfortunately, the performance
was hampered by problems with the sound mix. At times, Weber's vocals
and/or guitar playing would suddenly diminish to a barely audible level,
while Rickun's harmonica would sound a bit distorted. But, between that
and the first rainfall of the day, they managed to pull off a pretty
good show. I'd really like to have another chance to see these guys when
the mix is right.
Next up, once the "adjustments" were made to the sound mix, was Rob
Blaine. I was really impressed by this band the day before. But, after
hearing them a second time, there is no question that I am a fan of this
band. Simply put, the music is down and dirty, in your face Chicago
style blues. Every one of the band members are excellent musicians. I
only wish that I had been able to go to the party afterwards at the
Moose. Wow!! And, oh yeah, a little more rain.
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Lil' Slim
Moving right along to the next band, it was hard to imagine that things
could get any better musically. But, we were treated to a show by Lil'
Slim and his band, including Jimmi "Primetime" Smith on guitar. This is
another Chicago style blues band that will just amaze you. The huge
difference between this band and Rob Blaine's that I noticed is that
these guys don't use as much distortion for their instruments. No need
to though. Their skills speak for themselves. I was hoping this show
would continue. Unfortunately, mother nature seemed to think otherwise.
At this point, the show was discontinued due to threatening weather. I
was feeling pretty much like a drowned rat after all of the rain and
headed back to my humble abode to dry out. Incidentally, congratulations
to Kim Keating on winning the autographed guitar from Lil' Slim.
Looking forward to day three, and hopefully some drier weather.
Well, the 10th annual Boundary Waters Blues Fest (to be renamed next year) is now a piece of history. But, a very memorable piece of history.
Virgil Caine
Day 3 started with Virgil Caine, an excellent band from Duluth. The front man for this band, Mark Howley, excelled at everything he did. Great vocals and highly skilled harmonica playing. A lot of the material that this group performed was written by either Mark or by lead guitarist Tom Wortruba. Fun, boogie and blues music. You could tell that these guys were just plain having fun while they were playing. That always translates to fun for the audience. What a great way to start this day of music.
Big Walter Smith
Next up was Big Walter Smith & the Groove Merchants. As always,
these guys were a treat to listen to. They are in the process of
releasing a new CD,(ed note:
it's titled Royal Blue Cadillac, and if you are a Big Walter fan you
owe it to yourself to grab a copy.) which they performed most of the music to.
Walter recently turned 80. You wouldn't know it listening to him
though. He sounds as great as ever. But, honorable mention should go
to every one of the band members that back him up. Scott Graves on
guitar. Tim Wick on keyboards. Don Vidal on saxophone. Pat Hulme on
drums. Dan Eikmeier on trumpet. Steve Anderson on bass guitar. Every
one of these guys is an accomplished musician in their own rights.
When you have a band like this backing up Big Walter, you know
you're going to hear some quality music. Incidentally, during his
performance, Big Walter said that having this Blues Fest in Grand
Rapids is long overdue. I couldn't agree more.
Funky Mojo Daddy
The next band to perform was Funky Mojo Daddy from Chicago. As the name states, they brought the funk and definitely knew how to rock. Very tight knit band. The front man, Nick Byrd has a good solid voice. Again, all very good musicians. The only drawback for me was that they tended to drag some of the songs out a bit, to the point of being lethargic. But, overall they were a huge crowd pleaser.
Eddie Turner
The next group up was the Eddie Turner band from Denver. As
described in the program notes written by Mike Jankovec (festival
organizer and perennial host), this band has an "otherworldly"
ethereal style of music. The rhythmic influences in his music are
best described as Afro-Cuban. I really enjoyed listening to his
style of guitar playing, as well as the lyrics of the music. But, it
is safe to say that Eddie Turner ventures "out of the box" with his
style of music. Nevertheless, it was a fun band to listen to.
Bernard Allison
Okay, the one we were all waiting for was up next. Believe me, it
was worth the wait. Bernard Allison and his band finally took the
stage after a bit of technical mayhem. Joining Bernard Allison was a
special guest, Eric Gales who is every bit the virtuoso on the
guitar as Bernard Allison is. Between the two of them, along with
the rest of the band, this band lit up the stage with some premier
ass-kicking instrumental and vocal performances. I had the good
fortune to speak with BA (as he calls himself) the next day, and
remarked to him that it was pretty apparent that he and Eric Gales
enjoyed performing together on stage. He got a big smile on his face
and said that he hadn't felt like that since performing with his
father. That's gotta be pretty special.
(continued next column)
(continued from previous column)
Sunday arrived. It felt like the last day of summer camp.
Unfortunately the crowd was nowhere near the size it had been the night before. But, for those who skipped out on Sunday, you missed some great music. The showcase for the day were three solo acts that were top shelf.
Aurora Baer
First up was Aurora Baer from Aitkin, MN. Aurora has been making her presence know around these parts for the last year and a half. I had heard a lot of good things about her and welcomed the opportunity to finally hear her. The rumors that I heard did not do her justice. She was far better than I expected with a unique style of singing, whether she was covering songs of other artists or performing her own material, along with a winning stage presence. Speaking with her after the show, I mentioned that I heard a bit of a spiritual, rootsy essence to her music. It is unrealistic to say that she would be the next Janis Joplin or the next Bonnie Raitt. She IS Aurora, and I expect that she will go a long way in this business and it is my hope that we will be hearing a lot more from her in the future.
Tony Brown
The second act of the day was Tony Brown. Ya know, it is so much fun
to listen to a gifted veteran musician who isn't afraid to not only
get up on stage and sing songs the way he wants to sing them, but to
watch him have fun doing it. Tony Brown is that type of individual.
You can tell that the man simply loves performing. He throws himself
into the music with a passion, as if he's playing it for the first
time, even though it's obvious he has played it many times before. I
was mesmerized by some of the songs he was playing. Even though the
crowd was considerably smaller, they made it pretty apparent that
they appreciated his talent as well.
Kevin Burt
Last, to perform for us, but definitely not least, was Kevin Burt. What an absolutely great entertainer this guy is. He is an excellent guitarist and harmonica player. He has a great solid voice, with an amazing range (I'm thinking four octaves). His voice reminded me almost immediately of Bill Withers. To top it off he has an exceptional stage presence and a demeanor about him that can't help but make you like the guy. I don't mean to take anything away from any of the other musicians I saw this weekend. But, his passion for playing and singing were something I have not witnessed for quite some time. I felt pretty privileged to have seen him perform.
Mike & Mary
All in all, I would like to say that the Blues Festival was a huge
success. I would love for that success not only to continue, but to
grow as well. If you were one of the fortunate people to attend,
tell your friends to join you next year. If you were not able to
make it, mark your calendars to attend next year's festival, which I
understand will be moved up to the last weekend in June. Once again,
hats off to Mike and Mary for doing such a great job organizing this
festival. You two sure know how to throw a party.
(stay tuned for more comments soon)
(pictures courtesy of the Boundary Waters Blues Festival)
2005, Hollywood & Norm Inc.