The Festival takes place at the 4-H Youth Center and it is setup perfectly for this type of event. We did not bring chairs, which was a mistake, but we did have a blanket. The only problem with that is I haven't sat on the ground for any length of time in roughly 42 years. Now sitting on the ground was rough, but the toughest part was gracefully lowering my large carcass down to the ground. A couple of times I looked like a giant sea turtle on its back. Thankfully Aimee was there to roll me onto my side. She is a great friend as she did this with limited laughter. I wish the people around us were as kind.
The festival ran from 12pm to 8pm with 7 bands featured. We arrived at 2pm and stayed until 6pm, catching the middle part of the show. The first performer we saw was Sweet Willie D with Delanie Pickering on slide guitar. This was some old school Blues singing and playing. He sat and belted out some heartfelt vocals which matched up quite nicely with Delanie's guitar. It was an enjoyable set. Sweet Willie D also has a BBQ business which was one of the vendors at the show. Aimee gave his BBQ two messy thumbs up!
The James Montgomery Blues Band was the next band to play. They were supposed to be the closing act, but were switched to the middle of the day due to a scheduling conflict. This didn't work out so well, as the band was late due to severe rain in Massachusetts. Delanie Pickering returned to the stage and did a nice job entertaining the crowd while we waited for James. Eventually the band arrived and took the stage. They are a polished bunch for sure. I don't think I caught them on their best day. They seemed rushed and did as much hawking of merchandise as they did playing. I think everyone in the band had their own cd's for sale which was mentioned many times. The bass player did a couple of his own songs which seemed unnecessary. The highlight of their set was when James named great guitar players and his guitarist, George McCann, would imitate their style with his own excellent guitar playing. I have heard nothing but good things about James Montgomery and would definitely give him a second chance to win me over. I would think that would be important to keep his musical career of 30+ years going.
Next up was Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers. Now before I get started, I have to confess I have what some would call a major "band crush" on these folks. I could easily change this whole blog thing into just the Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers blog and write about them every week, but I feel that might be obsessive. They won the 2012 Boston Music Award for Blues Artist of the Year so I am clearly not the only one that thinks they are great. The whole band is crazy talented. Erin sings and plays guitar and is an appealing blend of sass and sweetness. I have to stop my description there due to her marital status and a very detailed restraining order. Just kidding, a little wholesome Blues humor there. Anyhow, their set was tremendous as expected. They will be at the Strange Brew in Manchester, NH on October 3rd. You should see them now before they become an international sensation!
So here is what you should have learned from all of this nonsense:
1. Go to the Barnful of Blues Festival in 2015 and bring a chair.
2. I did not give James Montgomery a great review, but I might be jealous of all of the famous musicians he has played with.
3. Go see Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers and you will be smitten just like me (bonus pic of me with Erin and my niece Heather when I saw them at the Governor's Inn in Rochester, NH)!
Have not seen James Montgomery for several years. Shared a bill with him some years ago when I was with the Boston Horns. The band was great and he seemed like a good guy. Could definitely do without the onstage self-promotion. Yeah, give him one more chance. Good review!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark! I think they were just rushed because they were late and then had to leave for another show. I would definitely give him another shot. Thanks for comments!!!
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