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
Some Capital Blues....
WOMP* did it again..
The 18th annual
Columbia Blues Festival on Saturday at Five Points featured Eddie Shaw & The Wolf Gang as the headliner act.
The star's son - Eddie Vaan Shaw - appeared with his now-familiar 3- neck guitar.
I just noticed the top neck is a 12-string and the others are "regular" 6-string.
He plays all of them great.
His Dad was in fine voice and played the sax and sang with hearty gusto.
*Word Of Mouth Prods has been putting this free concert together since 1994 and announced they plan to create a 19th and a 20th.
At least.
We drove past a lot of bars and eateries coming through Columbia but didn't stop.
We used the sponsor booths for our drinking and eating at the concert site in Martin Luther King Park.
Each year we are reminded the "Free" event is made possible by the generous help from the community and sponsors.
I was proud to help by drinking Yeungling Ambers and having a hot slice of pizza from the Village Idiot for lunch.
Another tent - downwind - was grilling tasty hamburgers with all the fixin's and you can't ignore that aroma too long.
Made a nice late supper. With a homemade brownie for dessert.
Tom Principato, down from Washington, DC performed his 90-minute set just before the closing headliner.
He announced they had CDs at the merchandising tent, along with t-shirts, etc.
"Come buy a CD and I'll sign it for you. We have 17 titles, " Tom said.
Dang, a long-time pro. Some bands don't even know 17 SONGS!
Earlier in the day we watched a Savannah-based trio called
Swamp Cabbage.
Good blues music and great banter from the leader Walter Parks.
He often stepped down from the stage to play atop the row of sturdy speakers.
It was a beautiful day and the sound system was excellent.
I had forgotten my hat and tried to find a shady spot.
As the day went on, the shade was moving away from the edge where I sat.
A fellow nearby offered me some of his 30 SPF sun screen. It was a family-friendly crowd.
One lady spent the day enjoying the music and grooming her HUGE curly-haired dog.
It was about the size of the giant stuffed main prize at a fair's midway booth.
She - and her friendly pet- were a winning couple.
(Click on the photos to see more detail.)
This was my third trip up to the festival.
It's timed each year for the USC football day-off weekend.
Wonder how many players came to listen to the music?
Didn't see anybody in uniform.
Please click
http://photo.meetup.com/687.
Labels: (Speedo) Devito, 3 neck guitar, 30 SPF, Columbia's Blues Festival, Eddie Shaw and The Wolf Gang, Reggie Sullivan, Swamp Cabbage, Tom Principato, Vaan Shaw, Village Idiot pizza, Walter Parks, WOMP, Yeungling
No CHIPOTLE Grill Here. Why not?
It seems like authentic Mexican food to me. If it really is, that's good too.
Chipotle Mexican Grill draws my appetite's attention when I travel away from Charleston.
A very large burrito that takes at least two hands to hold.
Sauce running down your chin and your arm.Dripping from your elbow.
Tasty tortilla filled with rice, beans, salsa, peppers and chicken, etc., etc.
And crispy chips and guacamole. Add a cold cerveza or a tangy 'Rita.
Found just where to go for lunch Saturday when I arrived in Columbia for a free annual
Blues concert.GPS navigation on my Smartphone took me right there, exiting I-77 just past the entrance to Fort Jackson. Hungry soldiers in camo uniforms also knew the way to Chipolte.This army travels on its stomach.
I have found these grills all over the country - but not here in Charleston?
Suggestion: somebody look into opening one (or more) here.
The headliner for the 17th annual Blues Festival was virtuoso
Leo Kottke, a marvelous 12-string acoustic guitar player and songwriter.
The Grammy-winner often was the musical guest on Garrison Keilor's
Prairie Home Companion.
I also have 4 of his 20 CDs in my collection.
Another star of the program was Wanda Johnson, a popular Blues performer who plays around Charleston often.
Miss Wanda also has performed across Europe and China - with Shrimp City Slim.
She just keeps sounding better and better and charmed the crowd with songs from several of her CDs.
As the sun sank lower, her dancing and clapping fans cast their shadows on the front of the stage.
Word of Mouth Productions, producers of the annual free show, announced they have started planning the one for next year.
"We're looking for a nice Fall weekend when there's no football game in town," is how Geoffrey Graves explained the logistical guidelines.
The person in charge of weather this year really nailed it.
It was a beautiful day, cooling in the evening so jackets felt really nice.
An array of delicious food with terrific aromas was all around and smiling beer vendors offered domestic and imported beers at a very reasonable price.
As I bought drink tickets, I tried to let them know how much I appreciated the FREE concert. It takes money and hard-working volunteers to make events like this happen.
We sat back in our folding chairs and listened to a really good sound system.
This was held at Martin Luther King public park near 5-Points and street lights added to the ambiance to end a wonderful day of outdoor music.
(Click on the photos, etc. etc for more details.)The Blues Festival website has sound bites by the performers and more information about the upcoming 18th annual event.
I plan to be there .... after a hearty lunch at Chipotle.
Unless there's finally one opened in Charleston.
Labels: 12-string acoustic guitar, Geoffrey Graves, Leo Kottke, MLK Park, Wanda Johnson, WOMP, Word Of Mouth Productions
The Happy BLUES ....
Last weekend I went to Columbia for a FREE 2-day
Blues Festival.It was the 16th annual Saturday event but this was the first one with a Friday afternoon opening day.
Alexis P. Suter is a big woman with a big versatile voice - and she and her band dazzled the crowd.
Her booming contralto belted out blues rockers, spirituals and soothing ballads.
When you entered each day, your hand was stamped
WOMP, initials for the promoters name
Word
Of
Mouth
Productions. They have a right to be proud!
The festival site is right next to Columbia's Five Points. Local musicians played for their fans and then welcomed regional and national acts to the stage.
Families spread blankets and set up chairs in Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park.
But this was a musical event and dancers popped up, unable to sit still, to move to the music.
The Holmes Brothers were the big act that highlighted the show.
Sherman Holmes plays bass, his brother Wendell on guitar and piano and brother-in-spirit Popsy Dixson on drums.
Their trademark 3-part harmony covered a blend of blues, gospel,soul, R&B, rock 'n roll and country.
The crowd seemed to enjoy the two days so I look forward to the expanded 17th annual show next year.
(Click - twice - on photo for more details. The link will let you hear some of the music.
I'm learning more on how to post these things! Thanks for stopping by.)
Labels: 16th annual Columbia Blues Festival, 39th annual Scottish Games, Alexis P. Suter Band, Columbia, Five Points, MLK Memorial Park, The Holmes Brothers, WOMP, Word Of Mouth Productions
+CROPPED_edited-1.jpg)
That was evident all day as people with long hair played on stage and danced in the crowd.
+copy.jpg)
