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July 2nd-4th
The first day of the Red, White & Blues Festival at Boston’s on the Beach in Delray Beach started out hot and sunny and ended soaked. IKO-IKO started the three day festival off on the main stage and played an hour plus of their finest blues, finishing with their hit Crossroads and covered the famous New Orleans tune IKO IKO. I could listen to these guys all night - from Graham Wood Drout's singing to 'Good Rockin' Johnny Wenzel's lead guitar to Ron Taylor on keyboard to the rhythm section - Mitch Mestel and Daniel East. But that was not to be and while the main stage was dark between acts, one man band Ben Prestage became a crowd favorite at the Tiki Bar.
This was the first time I got a chance to hear Prestage since Merlefest, and since he planned to play three sets that night - the first was all acoustic. The guy can play and with surprisingly deep, raspy vocals - he is a legitimate blues man. Nicole Hart followed on the main stage and was able to get an entire set in before the ominous rain clouds enveloped Delray Beach. She entertained the crowd with her sultry, soulful vocals while performing a few songs from her latest CD, Treasure - which was one of my favorite Blues CDs of 2009. This evening we heard the title track and "Heart Trouble" - great tunes. As her set ended we drifted back to the Tiki Bar anticipating another set by Ben Prestage when the skies opened and the downpour commenced and wouldn't stop - at least for the next hour. That's the chances you take holding a festival during Florida's raining season. Boston's then made an excellent decision to clear tables in the restaurant and move Tinsley Ellis indoors. Yes, it was crowded - but who cares, its Tinsley Ellis - right in front of you.  The guy still has it and his supporting duo rocked; his drummer was awesome. And they played longer than expected - this allowed us to sneak out to hear Prestage's last set which I knew would include his trademark one-man band introduction playing his cigar box electric guitar. Throw in a little gospel and old school country blues - and I decided I couldn't miss his show later in the week at the Norton Museum of Art. We finished the evening listening to more of Tinsley Ellis and thinking that Boston's did a great job compensating for the weather and provided us with some amazing music. Can't wait to see what Day 2 will bring. And more photos are available at the MyJoog Gallery.
The first day of the Red, White & Blues Festival at Boston’s on the Beach started out hot and sunny and ended soaked. The second pretty much started as how the first day ended - with the rain commencing an hour into the first act. And not just any rain - another downpour which failed to subside throughout the remainder of the day. There were brief periods of sprinkles - but basically this was another washout. Thus the music was limiited to the Tiki Bar when the rain was weak and the front indoor stage.
The ShackDaddies started things off in the Tiki Bar in front of a decent number of early devotees. David Shelley sat in with the band and this was a rockn' set until the rain even shut that stage down. We hurrried inside to grab one of the last available tables where Jeff Prine Group was playing one of their last remaining songs. After lunch and a quick swim in the ocean - why not the water was warm and there was no lightening - we ventured back to the bar to hear a combination of Bill Wharton in the front stage and Blues Dragon at the Tike Bar. What a delimna; both were awesome. Just shows how impressive this lineup was. Blues Dragon started in Chicago,while Wharton used his slide guitar to guide us farther south. And during his set Wharton slowly cooked his famous Gumbo onstage - a feat he conducts at almost every show. Basically a live picnic - with his own recipe and famous Liquid Summer hot sauce. At this point the entire restaurant was reconfigured - tables were removed, ropes stretched to control the crowd, and the place was packed waiting for Albert Castiglia, perhaps south Florida's most popular bluesman. We stayed outside for this one considering there was no room for the little boy, but could still hear his powerful guitar. And the crowd was lovin' it. When it got even more crowded for the main event - Elvin Bishop and we couldn't even find a spot at the Tiki Bar - we called it a day. After another quick dip in the ocean, it was time to head home. But once again Boston’s on the Beach pulled it off, compensating for the weather and providing us with some awesome blues.
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