Prairie
Du Chien Blues Festival
by
Gary Miller
August 22, 2001
This week, Contributing Editor Gary Miller (DJGaryBlues) recalls his trip to the:
The Prairie Dog was another Hot one, boys and girls. The temperature huddled right around 90-95 degrees, but then the Blues never stops for the weather. The lineup was just great and so the days went by filled with the best of the Blues. This festival, held in the beautiful and spacious park on St. Feriole Island in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, was full of great local, regional and national talents.
Friday's lineup included Cadillac Joe & The Blind Wolf Blues Band, a rockin' little band out of the area around Madison, Wisconsin. They have a young guitarist, Aaron Williams, who turned some heads with some soulful licks and heartfelt playing. Added to that was the Hammond B3 of Cadillac Joe. It made for a great opener. Microwave Dave & The Nukes, out of Alabama, followed. Dave & the guys are real barnburners, with hot licks galore. They came a long way in a van with no AC to entertain the folks at the Prairie Dog. Thanks, guys. Larry McCray, a blues rocker with a purpose, held the crowd in his hand with his soulful vocals and intense, soaring guitar. He toured with Dickey Betts and won the 2000 Gibson Award for Best Male Blues Guitarist.═ No wonder! Our Knoxville, Tennessee Blues Festival will welcome him this year on Saturday, Sept. 22. I can't wait to hear him again. Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets with Sam Myers headlined the night with one of the greatest sets I have heard them play anywhere. Anson's guitar work is so fine and tasty, it's a real treat to hear this group. After the many gigs I've heard them do, they never fail to turn on the crowd. Sam Myers is still great the Blues For Real! Mama's Worry, a local band, held up the crowd with a rousing set in the Budweiser Tent, which went on at every break from the Main Stage.
Saturday, the Root City Band kicked things off with a great set, led by young guitar slinger Alex Rossi. They are from the Twin Cities and are a serious, energetic bunch. Shawn Pittman, a Texas young gun, tore it up with his punchy guitar and blistering licks. Watch for his new CD with Double Trouble, soon to be released. Grady Champion took over the stage and showed the crowd what a showman can do. He really got them going with his personal touch on the Blues. Big Al & the Heavyweights, that explosive gumbo band from Louisiana, took over and tore it up. They travel everywhere and leave with new fans (Gumbo Heads) ready to hear them again. Sandra Hall, a soulful Gospel-based Blues singer, was a great addition to the night. Her voice is strong and tough, with the stirrings of the great Gospel singers adding to her brand of the Blues.
Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers almost didn't make it for the last act, but the crowd never knew it. Airplanes can screw up the best logistics on the road. When Rod and Miss Honey take the stage, anyone in the crowd who has never heard them are more than a little surprised. How this band can deliver stunning performances every time they play is a mystery to most bands. What a HUGE sound. Their delivery is so tight that the crowd can't stand still. You have to Rock & Roll to this West Coast Stuff! Pick up the new CD, Beyond The Source, on Tone Cool.
In the Tent, Brittnie Lee stunned the crowd with her original Blues. Only 12 years old, this girl is getting ready for the big time! Everyone should keep an eye on her real potential here. Great voice and a heart for the Blues Don't stop, Girl! The Blue Diamonds, featuring Jennifer Deprez, also held court, delivering a hot, churning set. Jennifer can sing and she looks great, too! This is a must see if you're around Madison or Milwaukee.
Sunday produced another Madison group that opened everyone's eyes - Westside Andy & Mel Ford Band. This group seems set to start making it BIG! The right combination of talent and showmanship make them a band to be reckoned with. Pick up their CD, Live On The Westside, on False Dog Records. Kyle Dean Patten occupied the beer tent and he played all kinds of great music. His style is a variety of Sixties and Seventies music and originals, well delivered on acoustic guitar. He traded off with the Joel Johnson Band, who played some rockin' stuff for the tent crowd. Joanna Conner busted loose the early afternoon on Sunday. This gal can really play some guitar. If you haven't heard her, get ready for some of the most scorching slide guitar work on record. It's Blues and it's not, but it sure is interesting. I say again, Get Ready! Following Joanna, Sean Costello, the tear-it-up guitar-vocalist from Atlanta, won the crowd over with some of the finest original work around. Young guitar slingers can be impressive or not, but Sean Gets Down! He has a real future ahead and Atlanta has a STAR! (See T-Bone's interview with Sean Costello in this week's issue of BluesWax).
Sherman Robertson is a hot commodity on the Blues festival circuit. His beautiful, witty vocals and stunning guitar work are garnering him a spotlight at every Blues festival he plays. He was the Sunday night headliner and he really put on a great performance. He works hard at the Blues. He got together with young organist Little Boy Flowers, who played a lot of the set with Sherman. This boy is 11, but his heart and playing are square in the Blues. Sherman was on fire and put down some of the finest Blues I've heard in a long time.
All in all, the Prairie Dog was a Blues scene that can hardly be matched in the area. This is a good one, folks. Put it on the list for next year. Can't wait for next year's lineup.
© 2001, Gary W. Miller
BluesSource.com
All Rights Reserved
(Published by Blueswax 08/22/2001)