Live Review

Memorial Day Weekend ­ A busy time for the blues! All around the country blues fans had their choice of festivals this holiday weekend and California, both north and south, were no exceptions. Santa Cruz in the north, Simi Valley in the south ­ the Simi festival, known as the Cajun & Blues Music Festival, is in its 22nd year. It started out as the Cajun Creole Festival, but three years ago a blues stage was added. This year and last Randy Chortkoff and the Delta Blues Team booked and produced the blues stage. He uses the festival to showcase many of his Delta Groove performers, but he also books acts not associated with Delta Groove. This festival reminds me of the T.A.M.I. shows of the 60's, or the Stax festivals of the 70's: more than a festival, it's an all-star review. It's 18 hours of non-stop music with short set changes, a highly efficient stage crew, excellent sound and sight lines which made this very enjoyable. The music ran the gamut from young up-and-comers like The 44s, Mikey Jr. and Stone Cold Blues, and Cadillac Zack, to veterans Arthur Adams, Finis Tasby, and the star power of Elvin Bishop, Kid Ramos, Tracy Nelson, and the Mannish Boys. The Cajun Festival is special as the Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise provides over 300 volunteers to work all aspects of the festival, and the profits go to various charitable causes; so far over $1.3 million has been raised. This is a family affair with a kid's area with lots to do and keep them busy. Kids under 5 can enter free, those ages 5-12 pay $15.00; 13 and older are $18.00, and Simi Valley residents get a $3.00 discount. The kids have their own mini-festival with games, slides and jumping castles, even a kid's stage with kid entertainers.

This festival illustrates the point that bigger isn't always better. No Golden Circle for people with the extra bucks so they can get close ­ if you come early you can get the prime spots. You can bring food and drinks but most people take advantage of the Cajun treats. For the weekend you may think you are in New Orleans as the food is all about New Orleans cuisine. Patterned after the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival there are so many food vendors it's hard to make a decision about what Louisiana food to eat. Plus, the many craft booths also have a Louisiana theme ­ it's as if you were transported to New Orleans, if only for the day.

Both stages have a shaded wooden dance floor, with plenty of tables and chairs to sit, eat, drink, and relax. On the Cajun side the dance floor must be 30x100' and it seems it's always filled with dancers. Around 18,000 people attend the festival over the two days, but it never feels crowded as it is held in a large city park, and things are spaced in such a way that there is plenty of room for everyone.

Since Blues Blast is a blues magazine I'm not going to report in any detail on the Cajun side of things except to say that Buckwheat Zydeco (Stanley Dural, Jr.) was the headliner both Saturday and Sunday, and he's no stranger to blues fans. With Lil? Buck Sinegal on guitar he put on his usual solid performance on accordion and B3.

The Cajun side of things was a major surprise for the fans. Budweiser is a major sponsor, so they brought the famous Clydesdales to pull the beer wagon through the crowd and over near the blues side on both days.

The 44s are a perfect example of local up-and-comers ­ these guys do straight ahead blues, classic material with some originals, workmen like music with harp, guitar, bass, and drums. This was a perfect way to set the tone for the 18 hours of blues this weekend. Randy's a harp player and understandably tends to favor groups with harp players. This group was no exception: near the end of their set they called up Kid Ramos to sit in. Now Kid is a local guy but has played worldwide with James Harman, the T-birds, and his own group Los Fabulocos. As I said, The 44s set the tone for this festival, calling up players to sit in and treat the crowd to some improvised blues.

What do you get when you mix blues/norteña/roots and rock? Los Fabulocos of course. OK, we know some guys from east LA (Los Lobos) may have done this before, but this is no copycat band. Their music jumps from pure blues to norteña to cumbias, from electric to acoustic in a seamless fashion. Button accordion, bass, drums, guitars, and percussion drive this generation of musicians with a Mexican flavor. This is all American music ­ sometimes a bit country, at other times hard driving blues. This group was magical in English or Spanish!

All the way from New Jersey, and rumor has it they paid their own way, Mikey Jr. and Stone Cold Blues were a prime example of giving newer performers a chance to show the southern California crowd what they can bring to the party, and maybe try and convince Randy to give them a slot on his label. If you like your blues guitar shredded not sliced, this 4 piece group is for you. Bass, drums, guitar, harp: a bit more rock than blues with lots of high energy.

Here we go again ­ another local guy, Kirk Fletcher, with a special band. Kirk has played with and on too many groups and sides to list ­ let's say he's world class. On keys, Benny Yee (and I thought he was retired!), long time player with Coco Montoya, Janiva Magness and others. If that was not enough, bring up Alex Schultz, part time southern California resident now living in Germany. Throw in Scott Dirks for a few harp tunes and you have a super tasty set! It seems when there are two guitar players it brings out the best in each. These two were on top of their game, but not over the top, each trading licks, each listening to the other ­ no ego trip, just sublime playing, and a delight for all to hear.

As you can see, various people were playing with one another, mostly unplanned. The sound crew and the stage manager Cholo constantly had to scramble to supply mics and amps that were up to the task. Bands were taken care of and the sound was excellent. Helping hold this all together was ringmaster/master of ceremonies Bubba Jackson.

Ana Popovic was just one of the women highlighted this weekend. Tracy Nelson, Maria Muldaur and two backup singers for the Mannish Boys and the Hell Raisin' Review were a welcome relief from all the guys. Ana is a true guitar slinger. She plays a high energy rock tinged set. Her band (bass, drums, keys) were an animated group that adds to the visual appeal. If you close your eyes, you wouldn't believe a slim young mom was tearing up the stage pumping her wahwah pedal in high heels. We all know it is about the music but sometimes the performer gives us a bit more to enjoy!

The Mannish Boys revue could have been a festival all on its own. This is Delta Grooves revue/showcase which is just too big for a 90 minute set ­ it just doesn't let this group show off all its talent. Here's a list of who played on this set. Jimmy Bott (drums); Willie J (bass); Kirk Fletcher (guitar); Randy Chortkoff (harp); Rob Rio (keys) ­ they were The core band. Then ADD Tracy Nelson, The King Brothers, Rusty Zinn, Peter Dammann, Bob Corritore, John Nemeth, Terry Hanck, Paris Slim, Finis Tasby, John Marx, and Sugar Ray Raful. To top it off, Kenny Neal was hanging backstage, and he came up and did a few songs. This was 90 minutes of music that could have gone on for 3-4 hours. Terry Hanck, Tracy Nelson, John Nemeth and Bob Corritore have or are about to have solo CD projects.

After the last showcase I was feeling sorry for the closing act John Nemeth. My concerns were misplaced. From the first note to the last, John was on fire. Early in his career John was tapped to replace Sam Myers in Anson Funderburgh's Band. But John was destined to lead his own band. About halfway through his set he called up Kirk Fletcher and Terry Hanck. Just when you thought things couldn't get any better they turned it up a notch. John's band is perfect letting John highlight his vocals and harp playing. John's voice is truly an instrument with control through the full tonal ange plus unique phrasing. The set ran a bit long as Terry, Kirk and John just kept trading riffs, each enjoying what the other was playing. It seemed that no one wanted the set to end ­ this was one of the tastiest of the day. I was drained, the crowd was drained ­ and this was only Day One.

Sunday, 11:00 a.m. seems too early for the blues. On stage was Cadillac Zack, another local, with some special guests. The core band consisted of two guitars, bass, and drums, playing classic blues. Guest vocalist Mississippi Bo and bass vocalist Chris Jones, plus another harp player covered many standard blues tunes. This group hosts jams and plays the LA area. This mix of young and old was a good way to kick off Day Two.

Mitch Kashman has been around for 25+ years. I first saw him some years ago fronting a group called "The Pontiacs" backing William Clarke at the Hollywood Blues Festival in 1988. He's a harp player/vocalist that personifies the West coast style. Mitch was doing mostly originals, with help from John Marx. This was a solid set with a hint of what was to come.

Arthur Adams, at 67 years old is a throwback to the generation of musicians who believed you were there to put on a show, not just play music. It took him about 10 minutes into his set and he was off the stage and into the crowd. His band made up of veteran players (key, sax, bass, drums) and his powerful guitar leads were a driving mix of R&B, soul, and blues. They could do it all and do it well. After his second dash into the crowd the crowd went wild - one of the highlights for this photographer ­ I couldn't get enough and neither could the audience.

The next set was a tribute to Lester Butler, a legendary harp player on the southern California blues scene. Lester died way too young, a classic case of a star burning too bright to last. Big Pete, a harp player from Holland, is carrying the torch for Lester so that his music lives on. Helping Pete was Alex Schultz, one of Lester's last guitar players, plus Jimmy Bott and Willie J on bass. An all-star band was created for this tribute, and if that wasn't enough, Al Blake, southern California harp player extraordinaire sat in for some of the tunes. It was a fine tribute to Lester who left us too early.

For you guitar guys and gals, Shawn Pittman should have sent you over the moon. For the gals, this good looking guitar slinger was just what the doctor ordered: smoldering good looks combined with a vocal and guitar style to match. For the guys, pure in-your-face guitar licks. A rare trio ­ no harp, no keys, just vocals and guitar backed up by who else? Jimmy Bott and Willie J. It was 60 minutes of guitar slinging at its best.

The Elvin Bishop "Hell Raisin' Review" could have been/should have been a festival by itself. I mean, how much talent can a crowd stand? The core band was made up of keys/accordion/drums/bass/guitar/sax/trombone and two female back-up singers plus Ed Earley on trombone, Terry Hanck on sax, both doing extra duty at singing lead vocals. Elvin carried the heavy load on vocals and guitar but he had help from Finis Tasby. I've seen Elvin many times but this show was so full, so solid that I can say without hesitation if they come to your town, don't miss it! How to close out 18 hours of music? Who can carry that load? It was up to a woman, and not any woman but a true trooper who has been around the folk, blues and jazz scene for many years. Maria Muldaur has the chops and experience to keep her cool and focus on the task at hand. Her stripped down unit of keys, drums, guitar, and her vocals seem too light to compete with the "Hell Raisin' Review," but Maria and her band were more than up to the challenge. Her set was a blend of old and new ­ Maria had the crowd at her beck and call. It was a perfect way to close the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival.

This festival is what festivals started out to be, a fun, inexpensive way to see and hear your favorite artist, and to be exposed to the up-and-coming artists. No special admission fees, music for the working folks by working musicians. This festival is unique in many ways ­ no photo pit, no special seating, with a hang factor where many Southern California players just listen and watch. Rusty Zinn hung out all weekend but only played one song. There was lots of food, beer, crafts, covered dance floors and plenty of shade, without long lines. Family friendly, so bring the kids! More music than you can stand, free parking with shuttle service, and all staffed by over 300 friendly, knowledgeable volunteers.

If you live in southern California or you're a looking for a destination festival, mark your calendar for the 2012 Cajun & Blues Festival in Simi Valley. Find out more at http://simicajun.org/2011. You will see some of the same acts that appear at some of the "BIG" shows, plus you are doing your part to support various charities. Don't miss it! .