The Rockland Report Part II - Artist Sampler

One of the reasons I started doing "Blues With A Feeling" last year on WQRI was to continue building an audience for an authentic musical genre that always seems to be teetering on the brink. It makes you wonder which blues artists are strong and versatile enough to pull in new listeners while still paying homage to the tradition. Here's a look at some of the crowd pleasers at The North Atlantic Bluesfest in Maine July 12 and 13, and their individual styles of music:


Wayne Baker Brooks is crafting a new approach to the blues, blending elements of soul,
rthymn and blues, hip hop and rock into a dynamic mix that had the crowd on its feet during his set. He has solid credentials , being the son of bluesman Lonnie Brooks , which prompted me to break into a few bars of "Too Old To Get Married " when I shook Wayne's hand backstage, a rocking duet between Lonnie and Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater on Clearwater's 2008 Alligator CD "West Side Strut." My personal favorite during Brooks' live set was his version of the Muddy Waters classic "Long Distance Call", but I didn't really start to appreciate his music until I started listening to his "Mystery" CD, available on Brooks' own label, Blue Island Records. The title tune is a soulful approach to the blues that picks up in intensity, delving into those endless guitar solos reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, while "Baby Stop", the second cut, is uptempo funk that reminded me of Sly & The Family Stone. "Exiled" evokes the vocal styles of Otis Redding and/or Solomon Burke, a soul-drenched love song that gradually builds to a crescendo. Baker Brooks points toward the future in "Nu Kinda Blues", a blues rap tune that puts together harp on steroids with a dance beat, churning out a solid rhythmic base with playful vocals bridging the gap between old and new. "She's Dangerous", "It Don't Work Like That" and "Your Turn (To Talk To The Blues)" also caught my ear. As Wayne explains : "Some people say I'm rock but I say I'm blues rock with a contemporary feel. I also add a little hip-hop to the equation." Check out http://www.waynebakerbrooks.com/


You can hear elements of Blues Traveler, Paul Butterfield and especially Stevie Wonder's wizardry on the chromatic harmonica when you listen to Sugar Blue , who says it all in "Bluesman", one of the standout tracks on his CD "Code Blue" ( Find it at Sugar-Blue.com), - "I'm a bluesman/That's what I am/ And if you don't like it/I don't give a damn" (Whiting-Lantieri). Blue, whose real name is James Whiting, was raised in Harlem by a mother who performed at the Apollo in the 1930s and 1940s, so he grew up around legendary performers like Billie Holiday and Big Maybelle. He plays homage to the originators with tunes like "Bad Boys Heaven", a tongue-in-cheek ballad combining barrel house piano with mouth harp, and "Chicago Blues", a brief history of the blues punctuated by Sugar's harmonica mimicking a saxophone and an accordion between the blistering runs up and down the scales. Blue - slash - Whiting really excels on "Krystalline", which describes a love affair with the "White Lady", the lyric perfectly capturing the insidious addiction. Sugar's talent has earned him the nomination for the 2008 Blues Music Award for Instrumentalist-Harmonica by the Blues Foundation.

Melvia "Chick" Rodgers doesn't waste any time in letting you know where she's coming from on her CD "Essentially Yours" (Spellbound Records) - she pays homage to both Muddy Waters, in Koko Taylor's twist on "Mannish Boy" - "I'm A Woman" - and segues into BB King's anthem "The Thrill is Gone" as part of her version of Albert King's "I'll Play The Blues For You". Her R & B credentials are firmly established in "Let's Make A Deal" , as well as Rodgers' handling of the Aretha Franklin standards "Baby I Love You" and "Ain't No Way". Chick's voice soars on her interpretations of "Over The Rainbow" and "Summertime" , breathing powerful new life into both classics. Rodgers' debut on Spellbound is due to her friendship with Koko Taylor, who asked Chick to play at her wedding in 1999. As Taylor says in the CD notes: "Chick Rodgers always respected me as a person and for my legacy. I've always called her my 'Little Chicken' ."

Some of the other artists who were new to me that took over the stage included Andrew Jr. Boy Jones, Lurrie Bell, Ruthie Foster and Lil Dave Thompson. As far as festivals are concerned, this is one of the best for variety and overall organization. I'll definitely make it next year.

The Rockland Report - North Atlantic Bluesfest 2008

I tend to think that I'm living in a vacuum when it comes to propagating the blues. When I started this blog over a year ago, as well as doing "Blues With A Feeling" on WQRI 88.3 FM, I felt it was my duty to preserve the music, to make sure that the audience not only survives but expands. I was surprised to find out that people actually listened to the show; I figured I was sitting there playing the tunes for myself. Fortunately, last weekend in Rockland, Maine, I discovered not only the North Atlantic Bluesfest but also the fact that the blues are definitely alive and well.


The event has been staged for the past 15 years in and around Rockland's Harbor Park, a setting that provides a picture perfect snapshot of "the way life should be"- sails swelling with the wind as boats criscross the harbor, framed by the azure sweep of summer sky and shifting shades of blue green ocean, a far cry from the cramped clubs and modest venues that first exposed me to the likes of Paul Butterfield, BB King and Muddy Waters. It seemed incongruous at first, blending a uniquely American form of music that is typically associated with pain and sufferring into a New England postcard setting, but I was happy to see the blues getting the respect it deserves as well as an audience that cut across all ages and lifestyles.


As I sat through eight different acts over two days, I started thinking about the music industry in general, the fact that it is getting harder and harder for performers to earn a living, not to mention the liability issues that seem to sink most large outdoor events. In a world of ringtones, downloads and cookie-cutter pop "stars", authenticity and musical integrity are outmoded concepts. The blues survive because of their hardcore following, as well as those who realize the unique place the music occupies in American history. Festivals like the North Atlantic Bluesfest give the audience a chance to get up close and personal with the legends as well as the up and coming players, since each performer would hang around right after their segment to sign their CDs and meet the fans.


The best known "name" at the event was veteran guitatrist Elvin Bishop, who closed out the show on Sunday, but the lineup featured some lesser known acts that I'll be profiling here over the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, blues aficionadoes should start planning now for North Atlantic Bluesfest 2009 - you won't be disappointed.