June 2019 Page 5
Many summer festivals
on tap, here & on the road
By Kathy Rankin Continued on Page 7 Get ready to hit the road this sum- mer and hear some blues in a festival perhaps you havent been to yet. There are many places you can go to hear music, or you can stay at home. But chances are, your friends are going and there is camping under the stars at these festivals. So whats not to love about that? Here are my top choices for blues festivals this summer! Of course, this list is not conclusive, just some that are highly recommended.
The weekend before the beloved Wa- terfront Blues Festival is the Stevenson Blues and Brews Festival in Stevenson, Washington. Its not that far from Port- land, Oregon either. The Annual Gorge Blues and Brews Festival is located on the Columbia River Waterfront at the Ska- mania County Fairgrounds in Stevenson, Washington. It is the Premiere Festival in the Gorge which begins with a free concert on Friday, June 21, 2019, from 6 to 10 pm, featuring Big River Blues Band and Johnny Dodds. The main event is on Saturday, June 22. The festival welcomes such talent as Karen Lovely, Johnny Wheels & The Swamp Donkeys, Franco Paletta and the Stingers, Doug Rowells Flying Circus featuring Peter Dammann and Timothy James, Kenny Lee & The Sundowners, Rich Layton & Tough Town, Mark Hurwitz, and Gin Creek, and Big River Band. Food and adult beverages tickets will be sold as well. There is a big choice of local craft brews and fine wines under several tented tops. This is a stellar line up sure to please everyone. After drinking you dont even have to drive home, there is camping. Plus, by attending this event ,you are helping those in need. Proceeds benefit a variety of local organizations including Washing- ton Gorge Action Programs, Stevenson Downtown Association, Skamania County Food Bank, United Way, domestic vio- lence prevention, and homeless housing. This is a 21 and over only event .http:// gorgebluesandbrews.com/
Get your favorite spot on the lawn and watch the fireworks on open- ing day this year of the Waterfront Blues Festival, July 4-7, 2019, at Waterfront Park in Portland, Ore. The main sponsors of the event this year are KOIN TV 6, Oregon Live (The Oregonian), and KGON 92.3 FM. Back by popular demand is the Rob- ert Cray Band, Curtis Salgado and that is just the beginning.Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Shemekia Copeland, Karl Densons Tiny Uni- verse, SugarRay Rayford, and Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble and many more are scheduled! The acts this year are going to be as spectacular as the fireworks. Folks are excited to have St. Paul and The Broken Bones, a lot of people have put this band on their wish list. A welcome return by Lydia Pense & Cold Blood, Cyril Neville, and Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings are in order. This is not one to miss. You gotta catch Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band because it gets everyone danc- ing and sometimes he invites them onstage to dance with the band! Whenever Chubby Carrier is in town, its always a party that never stops. Harp Dog Brown is returning to play here and that is exciting news, as he is coming all the way from Canada! There are so many acts so little time to tell you everything so go visit the website, get your tickets now. And yes, plan on taking a blues cruise on the Spirit before tickets sell out! This event benefits the Sunshine Division, so give generously at the gates and bring your canned food donations to help those in need! Visit the website for more information about all the other artists that are playing, get tick- ets and carefully plan your schedule. Dont miss the Journey to Memphis where local artists compete to go to Memphis. Get your tickets for the af- ter-hours party at the Marriott Grand Ballroom just across the street! The party never ends and memories are always being made, be part of it this year. www.waterfrontbluesfest.com Dont ever be sad when the Water- front Blues Festival ends because the festival season has just really begun. You owe it to yourself to take a road trip to attend the Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival in Winthrop Washi. (Central Washington) to ease your troubled mind. Take a nice long drive out in the country and bring back some CDs from the artists you hear when you attend! Mark your calendars for July 19- 21, 2019. Its a beautiful drive no matter which highway you decide to take. Win- throp, Wash. is located on Highway 20 (North Cascade Highway) in the north- central part of Washington State. No matter which way you enter Winthrop, the scenery is beyond breathtaking. Its difficult to keep your eyes on the road because its so beautiful. Take your time and take breaks along the way for pho- tos. You might want to hike in this area, there are stops where you can do that! There are plenty of things to do in the little Western Town of Winthrop Wash., hiking, rafting, hot air balloon rides, swimming, and watching lots of neigh- borly wildlife! Then you can shop in the quaint artsy shops in town, and there is a shuttle from the festival grounds to town so you dont have to drive back and forth to get where you want to go!
As for talent at the event, wow! This year, you will get to see Los Lobos, Sh- emekia Copeland, Larkin Poe, Los Lobos, Kristone Kingfish Ingram, The Proven Ones, Ural Thomas & The Pain, Too Loose Cajun Band, Too Slim & The Taildraggers, JP Soars Gypsy Blue Review featuring Anne Harris and Jason Ricci and many more! Get tickets now and arrive there on opening night, Friday, July 19, 2019, so you can experience the entire event! There is camping and they provide hot showers. Check the website for more information. www.winthropbluesfestival.com The Festi- val opens with a special evening concert in its Beer Garden. The Festivals producer, the Winthrop Music Association, donates proceeds from the Friday night concert to the local food bank and other non-profits, so bring cash to put in the bucket that they pass around. The Beer Garden music con- tinues Saturday and Sunday nights (after the main stage has closed) with all-star sessions. Your emcees are Lady A, Stan Street and Randy Oxford, who all do a fine job of keeping the audience entertained between sets and passing the bucket around for the food bank! People-watching at this festival is great fun, as is stepping into the on-site water misters keeping you all cooled off! The setting here is perfect for a blues festival, the same people re- turn every year making this a family-style event. You will always feel like you are welcome as a family here.
Okay, just two out of town trips isnt enough for a blues lover! So have you thought about going to the newest one in Sisters, Ore.? There is another wonderful event there called the 2nd Annual Sisters Blues and Brews Festi- val. Some of the sponsors include Ablis CBD Infusions, Crater Lake Spirits and The Belfry to helping them make this festival dream a reality! It is July 26 - 27, 2019. Its a nice drive from Portland, Ore. and what a great time to be had. Set in a small park in Sisters, Ore., the festivals main grounds, and then they have stage #2 just a few blocks away. Bands play both stages on both days so you can stay at one stage all day on one day and then go to the other stage on the second day and catch the bands you didnt see the first day! Its an easy walk between both stages and parking is a breeze there. This year, they are of- fering another great lineup. Larkin Poe, Mr. Sipp, (back by popular demand), The White Buffalo, McDougall, The Eric Gales Band, Sassparila, David Jacob- Strain, (also back by popular demand), Joanne Shaw Taylor, Hillstomp (back by popular demand), and Kristone Kingfish Ingram, who is playing at many festivals this summer. Their motivation and vision are to bring high-quality blues artists to Central Oregon while also supporting the local community. This quaint town of Sis- ters, Ore. and its surrounding mountains are a breath of fresh air. Its a welcome change of pace for sure and a chance to meet the artists. This festival is up close and personal and not crowded. There is camping nearby. If you are going to find a hotel or Airbnb accommodations, do it soon because they fill up fast! Go to: https://sistersrhythmandbrews.com/lodg- ing/; for more information and tickets, go to: https://sistersrhythmandbrews.com/ There will be lots of summer activities going on in Portland and surrounding areas, including free park concerts. Until the end of summer when things start to wind down, there is yet another great event taking the coast by storm on Sept. 13-14, 2019 (only good weather, please). Its now called the Peninsula R&B Festival, picking up in 2017 where Ilwaco Blue and Seafood left off. Ilwaco
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