chuckography

A Hairy Day In Columbia

The headliner at the 19th annual Columbia Blues Festival this Saturday was Sonny Landreth.

He's described as a Louisiana-based slide guitar wizard.

New to me, he is praised for showing "a style of his own" that keeps his right hand very busy.

I liked what I heard but had to read a few reviews to realize he was "fretting the strings behind the slide" to produce his distinctive sound.

The Blues Festival is presented each year by Word of Mouth Productions. They stamp your hand at the free shows with WOMP.

This is my third year attending and I like what they do and how it's done.

It's family-friendly with great sound but this year, there were some problems with the stage lighting which is disappointing if you're trying to take pictures.

The acts are exciting - and varied - so there's something
for everybody.

One of the early performers Saturday was Andrew Scotchie and The River Rats, from Asheville.

Nice tight group with a rousing sound.

And LOTS of hair.

That was evident all day as people with long hair played on stage and danced in the crowd.

Hair in motion was almost a sub-theme for the festival.

A player I like is Shane Pruitt and his groomed pony-tail was complemented by a beard I had not seen before.

He's part of the Mill Billy Band from Spartanburg but I was not aware of the storied background.

Here's a link to an article that tells about Shane, Brendon Turner and Freddie Vanderford and a bit of history of the textile mill towns that created bands like this one.



There was an active trio of young people dancing in the crowd in front of the stage.

One I would call the Rainbow Lady with her bright and colorful outfit and energetic dancing ability.

Later, when it got dark, I noticed she added tiny sparkling lights to her tutu.

Both of the men would leap into the air, twisting and writhing and be almost constantly in motion.

One had long hair, down to the middle of his back, and I caught one EXPLOSION of hair as he bounced up and down.

I have never seen hair do that before. Massive.

It didn't just sway from side to side as he danced. It did more than just fall over his face.

It had a life of its own. Yikes.

I understand Sonny Landreth has appeared at the WOMP Festival before.

Glad I got to see him and all the other talented acts.

Plan to come next year for the 20th annual event at Five Points in MLK Memorial Park.

(Click on the photos for more details.)

Today is the Marine Corps 238th birthday.

Back when I was a Marine, my hair was cut very, very short.

It never really "came alive" as I saw this weekend.

Gives a new meaning to "longhair music."

Labels: 19th annual Columbia Blues Festival, Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Brendon Turner., Freddie Vanderford, Mill Billy Band, Shane Pruitt, Sonny Landreth, Tommy Malone, WOMP

posted by chuckography @ 12:49 AM