Bluesmasters Opus

How much down home bluesin’ can you fit in one day? When was the last time you spent all day at a blues festival and it felt more like a backyard barbeque and local jam? This past April 30th the Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee hosted the Bluesmasters Blues Festival and two days of a typical Florida blues festival was held in one 13 hour long event! No fluff or filler here, every act from beginning to end is a headliner in their own right and this proved to be one of the highest quality events of its kind in Central Florida history.

The roots of the Bluesmasters festival began in 2007 when guitarist/producer/music publisher Tim Tucker and pianist Sean Benjamin formed the Bluesmasters. Mickey Thomas (of Elvin Bishop and Jefferson Starship fame) was brought on as lead vocalist in 2009 and the band produced a cd released in 2010. A tour was initiated last year but Tucker had bigger ambitions and served as organizer for what would turn into the Bluesmasters Blues Festival.

Look at this line-up: blues rocker Eric Gales; Chicago stalwarts Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang; our resident local hero, Pat Travers; the premier blues-beltin’ queen, Shemekia Copeland; Louisiana’s favorite son Kenny Neal; Austin’s soul blues phenom Ruthie Foster; the funnest Okie on the planet, Elvin Bishop; the blues legend John Mayall; not to mention The Bluesmasters, featuring Mickey Thomas. Whew!

The stage was set but it wasn’t in the arena at the Osceola Heritage Park, the festival was placed on the north side of the building in an area that was designed to fit a few thousand fans and their lawn chairs. With 8 sets of the big JBL’s hanging on either side of the stage and another 14 sets sitting on the ground below the stage, the house was set for a big crowd. There were plenty of food and beer vendors and not only did the beer flow freely, but so did the sunscreen as the temps neared 90 with nary a cloud in the sky. The artists who performed early in the day and after sunset fared well, but the heat and the sun was on the late afternoon bands. Things would get hot in more ways than one!

The vendors weren’t the only nice folks in attendance, the Orange Blossom Blues Society tent was there to help preserve, promote and present the blues with smiles and a friendly handshake from OBBS President Herb Ransburg and our resident Lady of the Blues, Jann Childers. Our local blues radio station, Smokestack Lightnin’, was ably represented by their webmaster, Larry Anderson, (who quite by surprise, told me he designed the t-shirt I was wearing to the show). Even more conspicuous at the show was the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise mobile-home with the leading blues-cruiser, Roger Naber, at the helm. Rounding out the blues celebrity scene was Paul Benjamin, former Chairman of the Board for the Blues Foundation, who served as MC for the festival.

First up to kick the tires and light the fires is the Eric Gales Band. Eric is the younger brother of renowned guitarists Eugene and Manual. Manual was better known by his stage name, Little Jimmy King. Touring with Eric this year is Hubert ‘H-Bomb’ Crawford, who along with Eric and Eugene, were signed to Elektra Records in 1990, releasing their first cd, The Eric Gales Band. The band is currently touring behind Eric’s 2010 release, Relentless. New to the tour and performing at only his second gig with the band was bassist David Pastorius, nephew of another famous bassist Jaco Pastorius.

Eric’s set began promptly at 11:00ish and was a rousing and spirited start to an exhilarating day of every kind of blues. Featured were extended jams of five of the tracks from Relentless: Make It There, The Change In Me, Block The Sun, On The Wings Of Rock And Roll, and The Liar. All of these featured Eric’s blend of blues rock with the occasional blues-funk-soul infection; The Liar being a highlight with a thunderous finish reminiscent of the closing of Humble Pie’s I Don’t Need No Doctor. Throughout, he took the time to chit-chat with the sparse crowd and after saying that the real purpose for him to play at this show was to just hang-out in our town and shake-hands, kiss babies, and autograph boobs, the band broke into Voodoo Chile which was a vehicle for everyone on stage to take a solo and bring the set to a rocking end.

After each set, all of the artists on the bill took the time to sit down in a tent stage left and work a meet and greet session and sign autographs. Eric in particular, didn’t let his handshaking stop there and all day, hung out towards the one side of the stage and walked around and talked to people. His affable nature and high spirits just didn’t catch the crowd’s attention, he was called to the stage to play with other bands and shared performances with both Kenny Neal and The Bluesmasters.

For all you gear-heads and Gales fan-boys, Eric played a custom St. Louis Blues guitar which was outfitted by Seymour Duncan. Eric said the guitar is rigged in the same manner as Jimi Hendrix had his famous Strat set-up. Also, while Eric plays what appears to be left-handed, he plays like that because that’s the way his brother played and taught him. The guitar’s just upside-down with the E string on the bottom and Eric is actually right-handed.

While Eric is from the generation that is taking blues to a new level, the next act on the stage is straight up O.G. Mississippi born and Chicago bred, Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang. At the age of 20 at a gig in Mississippi, Muddy Waters asked Eddie to join his band and he moved to Chicago where he played and toured with all the greats. One of Eddie’s more famous accomplishments was arranging tracks for the London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions (which featured Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, and Ringo Starr, among others).

The Wolf Gang, which featured Sambo on drums, Melvin Smith on bass, and Eddie’s son, Eddie Vaan Shaw on a three-neck guitar, opened the set with a couple of instrumentals before the big man on tenor saxophone hit the stage. What followed was a line-up of southside of Chicago classics; Big Boss Man, Little Red Rooster, I Drink Alone, 300 Pounds of Heavenly Joy, Built For Comfort, Hoochie Coochie Man, the Eddie Shaw penned Greedy Man, and a finish that could only be Sweet Home Chicago.

The man’s got the chops, he’s got the stories, and as of April 27, 2011, Eddie Shaw has a Mississippi Blues Trail Marker. After serving as Howlin’ Wolf’s bandleader for many years, in the wake of Wolf’s death, Shaw began an impressive touring schedule. His record label says “he and his band have probably traveled more miles and played more nights than any other Chicago blues band of the past 35 years.” As recently as 2006 and again in 2007 Shaw’s horn work won him Instrumentalist of the Year at the Blues Music Awards and he turned 70 in 2007!

The crowd recognized the man as they should when during the closer, Sweet Home Chicago, the crowd spontaneously began clapping along and when Eddie sang, gave him some impromptu call and response. He had only come on stage about 12:15 and there weren’t that many of us there, but those that were stood up and gave him a standing ovation as he waved to the crowd as he stepped down. Recognizing the love from the crowd, Eddie hung out in the meet and greet area well past the next act coming on and even seemed to be enjoying the show sitting down with us in the cheap seats. Truly one of the greats and a real pleasure to see perform.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t get back around to talking about that three-headed red dragon that Vaan was wrasslin’. He said he took the specs he wanted for it to a guitar builder by the name of Jim O’Donley. (I may not have recorded Jim’s last name correctly. Sorry!) The current set-up is 12 – 7 – 6 but the next generation will probably be a more conventional 12 – 6 – 6 arrangement. Him and O’Donley have taken it and presented it to Gibson, where some minor changes were recommended.  There’s videos on the internet dating back to 2006 of Vaan working this 42 lb. behemoth and he was optimistic that the next version will be the finished model.

Of note, while Vaan’s father was playing saxophone in the Chicago blues scene and operated a night club there, Vaan had the basics of blues guitar taught to him by Magic Sam and Hubert Sumlin. A recording and touring artist in his own right, Vaan frequently switches up between the various necks on his custom rig during the same song. While his famous father supplies that sweet Chicago sound, Vaan wields the power and the bite.

And speaking of the power, who turned the amp to 11?! Just like his famous introduction remarked 30 years ago, “From the streets of Toronto, to the streets of London, now here to kick your ass! Pat Travers!” This band came on with the trademark PT thunder and stinging licks and the sound blew back the hair of us sitting down front!

The current PT Band features Kirk McKim on second guitar, Rodney O’Quinn on bass, and Sammy Gennaro (sp?) on the kit. I counted at least four times Pat remarked, “We’re not your typical blues band,” and despite playing a couple of blues chestnuts like Statesboro Blues, Red House and the signature Boom, Boom (Out Go The Lights); this was a rock show.

There were a few PT classics in there, Crash n’ Burn, Stevie, and Snortin’ Whiskey and Drinkin’ Cocaine; but the highlights were some newer songs from his latest release, Fidelis. As a real surprise for the crowd, PT said he recently recorded what he referred to as a summer single and indeed, it was a catchy tune with a sweet hook for a love song called Never Let You Go. He said he didn’t have an idea when it would end up on a cd but planned to put it on his website as a free download. Who knew PT could be such a romantic?

“This isn’t your typical blues song but it’s my favorite Dylan song done in the Johnny Winter style.” With that, Pat broke into Highway 61 and along with that driving groove, got into some down and dirty slide work. This song picked up the tempo and for the rest of the show, the band didn’t let go. As much as the crowd was into the classic Chicago sound with the previous band, PT whipped the crowd into a frenzy and by the time he needed some call and response for Boom, Boom, the crowd was right there! It was going on 2:30 and the sun wasn’t the only thing bringing the heat, PT was shining.

Talking to Pat after the show, I had to ask him about his set-up and turns out it was a PRS Custom 22. Quite by coincidence, I had taken the cd booklet from his 2006 release, Power Trio 2, to be autographed. He remarked to me that the last time he used the guitar he played today was during the recording of that cd! It caught his eye because he’s on the cover holding that very guitar.

It’s only 3:00 in the afternoon and here comes the petit powder keg with one of the biggest voices in blues, Shemekia Copeland! This young lady has been touring for a while and many of you may recall seeing her this past winter when she played one of the WMMO shows and opened for John Mayall. Her band includes Kevin Jenkins on 5-string bass, Willy Scanlon on guitar, Mo Roberts on drums, and her side-man of 13 years, Arthur Nielson on guitar.

The band is tight and even in the hot sun of the afternoon, with just a nod or a wink, they can get it on. Shemekia seemed to be enjoying herself and took a few opportunities to talk to the crowd and share some stories of her family and her famous father, Johnny Clyde Copeland. While she’s got that blues pedigree, Shemekia’s song list also includes several songs that are right out of the soul funk groove and it was hard to not tap your toes or just get up and dance while this blues shouter went through her set list.

I’ve always admired Shemekia for her songs of female empowerment and strength, a refreshing change from the boy’s club atmosphere of most blues shows. Songs like I’m Giving You Up, Salt In My Wounds, and When a Woman’s Had Enough had the ladies cheering. The set even included what I thought was a straight up rock and roll number, as well as the gospel inspired Stand Up And Testify.

The crowd got into it too when during the last song, Ghetto Child, Shemekia stepped out from behind the microphone and came to the front of the stage and showing the power of her voice, sang the song a capella. But that wasn’t enough, since the crowd was so into the show, Shemekia came down off the stage and walked all over through the crowd continuing to sing her heart out. The crowd got the message and when she was finished, Shemekia got a standing ovation. It was no surprise she drew the biggest crowd after her set for the meet and greet. That woman was blessed with that voice and she’s got the power!

“There’s smoke coming from behind the stage.” The guy next to me whispered that to me during this show and you couldn’t see what was going on back there but it stopped after a couple of minutes. It had to be the heat and there wasn’t a shade tree in sight!

Next up was a bona fide blues renaissance man, Kenny Neal. Son of the famous harmonica player Raful Neal and raised in a musical house, Kenny would grow up and learn to play harmonica, guitar, bass, trumpet and piano and was playing in his father’s band by the time he was 13. Not only has he played with all the greats, most notably touring with Buddy Guy as his bassist for a few years, Kenny has even starred in a musical on Broadway and after moving to the west coast, hosted a television show!

Kenny has consistently performed and recorded his brand of Louisiana swamp blues for many years but after a bout of health problems and personal tragedy, (his father, a sister and brother all passed in the same year while he was very sick), Kenny came out with the landmark blues album Let Life Flow. After all of the accolades that album received, Kenny has returned to touring this year following his latest release, Hooked On Your Love.

The Orlando area has been fortunate, this is Kenny’s second appearance in the area in just the last few months. Kenny’s band had Michael Robinson on keyboards, Brian Morris on drums, and Neal brothers Frederick on keys and Darnell on 5-string bass. The band started with Any Fool Will Do and used it as an excuse to warm up with everyone getting an extended solo. Things That I Used To Do was next and Kenny took center stage for both a workout on his road weary Fender Telecaster and his Mississippi saxophone. That song segued into Since I Met You Baby and it didn’t take much for the crowd to respond and sing along with Kenny.

Before beginning the next song, Kenny acknowledged his central Florida roots by giving a salute to Kingsnake Records, telling the crowd he recorded his first album in Sanford, Florida in 1986. As if that didn’t wake up the audience, Kenny called up Eric Gales and the two of them tore into Outside Looking In. After a prerequisite guitar duel, Kenny sat down and broke out the lap guitar to finish the song with some impressive slide work. Wow! I looked at my watch and realized that with just three opening numbers, 30 minutes had gone by.

Kenny knew how to work the crowd though and brought the house back down a little with Hurt Before You Heal, followed by his ever hopeful Let Life Flow. It’s seemingly the end of the show and the band left the stage but Paul Benjamin stepped up to the microphone and asked the crowd, “You want more of Kenny Neal, don’t you? You know what to do!” With that, the crowd stood up and cheered and clapped until Kenny and the band returned.

It was time to return to the bayou and we got a lively version of Don’t Mess With My Toot Toot that segued into When the Saints Go Marching In that had the crowd singing along. In the middle of the performance, Kenny’s Telecaster gave out and without missing a beat, he put it down and picked up his harmonica again to finish. He said he had another song in mind to finish the encore but instead, picked a slow blues that featured a blistering harmonica solo. Kenny and his beloved Telecaster had given their all.

But that was just on stage, Kenny had showed up at the festival while Eddie Shaw was still playing. Like Eric, he hung around a while and even walked among the audience during the breaks to talk to folks and shake hands and share some stories. By the time he made it to the meet and greet area after his set, he had already spent quite a bit of time talking to everyone. While everyone in the music industry recognizes this guy is a big talent, the people out in the audience know this guy has an even bigger heart.

Who else could exhibit as much heart and soul as Kenny, why it’s Austin’s own Ruthie Foster! Ruthie strapped on some purple cowboy boots and a Gibson acoustic and was fronting an all female band. On stage with Ruthie was Samantha Banks on drums and vocals, Stephanie Blue on keys and the Hammond B3, and Tanya Richardson on both the violin and bass. I had not seen Ruthie Foster live before and I was about to fall in love all over again.

I had heard a couple of songs by this woman previously, but those were acoustic blues numbers that did not prepare me for the power of her voice. She talked a bit about being raised in a family that was firmly grounded in the church and her whole set was deeply influenced by gospel music, even featuring a couple of songs penned by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Lucinda Williams. These songs were real showcases for her vocal work and it was clear right from the beginning that Ruthie can really wail with the best of them.

As if to prove the point, Ruthie calls up Shemekia Copeland and two of the biggest voices in blues tear into the modern spiritual by Sister Rosetta called All Over This World (I Hear Music In The Air). Stephanie provided the B3 solo and the ladies finish with a vocal back and forth that had the audience cheering. Can I get a witness?!

Ruthie and the other ladies came back with a couple of more bluesy songs which revealed Ruthie is also influenced by crooners like Sam Cooke and the rootsy soul of Otis Redding. Later there was even a reggae influenced love song that was just beautiful called Do You Have A Real Love? The funky groove of that one recalled Master Blaster by Stevie Wonder. The song that left a permanent marker on my heart though was People Grinnin’ In Your Face. The band took a short break while Ruthie sang a capella and won over the audience with her powerfully expressive voice. The crowd even spontaneously began to clap along while she sang. Mesmerizing!

It’s 7:30 and as Danny Ray used to say when he introduced James Brown, it’s star time! That thought kept coming back to me all day as the star power in the assemblage of musicians and bands in the line-up for this festival came up one at a time. This time, it’s the actual hosts for the event, The Bluesmasters.

Since Ruthie Foster played a much more low-key set utilizing acoustic guitar, accompanying violin on a couple tracks and even just vocal arrangements, the sound when the Bluesmasters hit the stage was like an orchestra took over. There was Tim Tucker and Tony Mastrantonio on guitars, Doug Lynn on harmonica, Danny Miranda on bass, Ric Ulsky on keyboards, Stephanie Calvert on backing vocals and a drummer (whose name I failed to get). With everyone plugged in, they broke into a version of Look At Yonder’s Wall and followed that with Walkin’ Blues. There was a wall of sound and then…

While I was initially surprised to hear Mickey Thomas was fronting a blues band, I had to get it out of my head because I was so familiar with him dating back to the 1980’s in Jefferson Starship. It was hard not to think about that but when Mickey had a chance to talk to the audience and explain how he came out of Georgia in a touring gospel group, it all started to come together. He was introduced to Elvin Bishop at a performance in California and ended up recording and touring with Elvin for a few years, resulting in that 1976 smash hit, Fooled Around And Fell In Love. Not long after that hit, Mickey left to join the Starship and rock arenas beckoned.  If you were a real Mickey Thomas and Starship fan, you’d know that just earlier this month, Mickey performed with Starship at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival. There’s even information on line that indicates Mickey and the Starship will release another cd later this year.

We have a little time to chat at this point because I’m going to remind you of that smoking behind the stage that occurred earlier. Well, something blew out while the band was doing Walkin’ Blues and the whole stage lost power. The drummer kept going for another minute or so, but he was the only one on stage you could hear. Not to be outdone, someone in the crowd started chanting and soon, a group of people joined in while the sound techs on stage scattered backstage like mice. There was even more smoke than earlier but it cleared shortly and while the band was tinkering with their equipment, the sound came back after only a couple of minutes. Tucker turned to everyone on stage and shouted, “harmonica solo,” and the band picked up Walkin’ Blues for Lynn to showcase his talent while Mickey got back to the stage.

As all the blues world seemed to return to normal, Mickey and the band tore through a line-up of classics and a couple of rave-ups that had the audience back in the groove. Tanqueray, I Can’t Get No Grinding, Cherry Red, Big Boss Man, Rock Me Baby, and Third Degree were all great modern interpretations with crack musicianship and that distinctive voice. As if it wasn’t loud enough at this point, the band calls up Eric Gales for Get Your Business Straight and the song winds up with a three guitar duel.

The lady in the band, Stephanie Calvert comes up front for a lead vocal on I’d Rather Go Blind and Mickey takes five. Her vocal work was crisp and spot on so we won’t just be seeing this young lady as a back-up singer for long. She was worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with Mickey all night. The band comes back to full strength and winds up the show with Little Red Rooster and I’m Sick And Tired (of Fooling with You) before they pause for the closer.

Mickey comes up to give thanks for the one guy who put him in the national spotlight and then calls up Elvin Bishop so the band can do Fooled Around And Fell In Love. As soon as Mickey even said Elvin’s name, everyone in attendance stood up and many folks came down front to see this performance up close. Tucker took the first lead but Elvin came center stage using that trademark hook and soloed to finish the song. Really, you could feel the love in the air as Elvin and the band received the loudest applause of the night.

We’re officially 10 hours into the festival when it’s about to get more fun than is normally allowed, here comes Elvin Bishop! The band features Bob Welsh on Telecaster, Ed Hurley on trombone and vocals, Steve Willis on electric piano, accordian and vocals, Ruth Davies on a stand-up bass, Bobby Cochran on drums and vocals, and Elvin on a big red Gibson. The band got into the fun right away with Stealin’ Watermelons and Elvin stopped to talk to the audience a little bit afterwards. He would do that after every number and had a funny story to tell every time.

To catch up on the excitement of seeing Mickey Thomas again for the first time in a long while, Elvin said he tried to get him to come back and sing a blues number with the band but that Mickey had a better idea. He wanted to get back to his gospel roots so Elvin and the band start up a song called I’ll Be Glad and shortly afterwards, up came Mickey to trade vocals with Bobby Cochran and then take the song to new heights.

The band came back with one of Elvin’s more traditional blues numbers, You Only Have Yourself To Blame and then did Elvin’s take on modern life, What The Hell Is Goin’ On? There was Albert Collins’ I’m Dying of The Flu and then Elvin says, “Let’s party!” and it was the good time feel of Party Till The Cows Come Home. His classic Fishin’, might have had a more appropriate title, I’m going strollin’ because Elvin used this time to walk down off the stage and walk among the crowd while he played that Gibson and mugged for pictures, resting a spell on some lady’s lap a time or two along the way.

Hell, I hope when I’m 69 years old I’m as spry and full of life that Elvin is. As if to address my thoughts of watching this man have a good time, he comes to the front of the stage and while talking about his music says, “This is how we squeeze some fun out of our miserable lives!” Then the band breaks into the show’s closer, Calling All Cows. The song includes an accordion solo before getting down with a dual slide workout between Elvin and young Bob Welsh. It felt more like a rowdy night at some seedy juke joint than it did a blues festival by now and there was one more act to go!

By now, the stage has been cleared of most of the clutter from all the earlier bands and it’s a sparse set-up with just an electric piano center stage when John Mayall is introduced. It’s already after 10:30PM and John doesn’t waste any time and does a solo performance of Another Man Done Gone. A talented multi-instrumentalist, it’s interesting to watch as Mayall plays the piano and the harmonica at the same time, something he would do a few times during the show.

He did a few covers, Otis Rush’s All Your Love, Mose Allison’s Parchman’s Farm, and J.B. Lenoir’s Talk To Your Daughter, but kept mixing in some of his own music from the very early days of the 60’s up until some cd’s that were released in the last few years, with music from Blues From Laurel Canyon and Blues For the Lost Days.

John’s known for his sidemen in the Bluesbreakers and this year is no exception, on guitar is Rocky Athas (who has a few cd’s released on his own). Rocky is known for his searing guitar licks and for a big guy with big hands, has some quick, deft fingers. He was pretty good at trading licks note for note against Mayall who was playing the piano or harmonica, depending on the song. (I couldn’t get over how small that Gibson Les Paul looked in Rocky’s hands.) On drums was Jay Davenport, and on bass, the playful Greg Rzab.

John was kind of business-like up there, wanting to give a perfect rendition of every number, and after Jay Davenport had a bit of a drum solo, Rzab picked up a cowbell and started goofing off a bit. He picked it up again a few times and when Mayall turned around to see what was going on, almost caught him a time or two. There was a big smile on Rzab’s face the whole time and he did a good job keeping the mood light.

For all time that the audience spent sitting out in the hot sun, Rzab’s fooling around behind Mayall’s back seemed like a fun way to end the day. Still, the whole band had plenty of opportunity to solo and show what talented musicians they all were. Rocky’s solo in the middle of Blues For The Lost Days was spectacular and when he was finished those that were still in attendance clapped and cheered.

It’s after 11:30 when Mayall comes to the front of the stage with the microphone to applaud those of us still there, “You are the faithful! Thank you for staying this late but we’ve got a couple more songs to do!” First up was Albert King’s Pretty Woman, and then a rave-up version of Freddie King’s Hideaway that just segued into a real rock and roll style finish. I looked at my watch and it was 11:45PM.

MC Paul Benjamin comes up and asks the crowd, “Do you want to hear one more?” and the crowd, what there was of it by now, clapped and cheered. I turned around to count how many people were left by now and there must have been 30-40 of us standing there. Mayall doesn’t care, comes out to the piano and performs one more song solo for everyone before waving and saying goodnight.

Tickets for this show were $40 in advance and it was one headlining act after another for 13 hours. It’s hard to get a better value for the dollar when it comes to the blues but there were a couple of things that seemed troubling. Not for the precious few of us in attendance, for the promoters of the ‘first annual Kissimmee blues festival.’ The biggest problem seemingly was the lack of promotion for this event. Which accordingly, led to poor attendance.

I was disappointed in the turnout solely because I so thoroughly enjoyed this show and the thought of the promoter skipping out city next year is heartbreaking. Was it the economy? Sitting in the hot 90 degree sun all day? Should the show have tried splitting it up over Saturday and Sunday for 6-7 hour shows each day? Was it the fact that 3 of these acts appeared in the Orlando area within the last 6 months? (Four actually, if you count Mickey and the Starship just last month.) Tough call. All I can do is hope that the central Florida (and beyond) blues scene comes out in full force next year if we’re to see this festival become an annual event.

This event made for a wonderful up close and personal show for those in attendance, with plenty of time to hang-out and share a beer, or better yet in the hot sun, a cold bottle of water, with all of the musicians and performers. We certainly have to recognize their performances and the manner in which they put it all out there, despite the low turnout. Every show counts for them and next year, it’s our turn to show the performers this show counts for us too.