Last Monday’s Sharefest & Bar-B-q was a hip, interpersonal event that took place at the headquarters of a Construction company in Newton, New Hampshire. There was no better place to celebrate Labor Day than one that represents people who work hard. Organized and hosted by Sweet Willie D, ShareFest saw several talented local bands take the stage while attendees were treated to the Sho Nuf BBQ offerings. Sho Nuf belongs to Sweet Willie D, making him a BBQ vendor as well as a blues man.
I arrived a bit late to catch the first band, but I was treated to the progressive goth music of the Emma Gallo Band. Featuring an electric violin player and a keytar player behind her, Gallo sang several original songs as well as several covers by her favorite bands, including Paramore. While the musicians filled the air with their other worldly sound. Gallo stunned when she sustained a vocal note forever.
“So Broken,” an original, found the youthful band taking it slow and mellow while displaying a supernatural control over their colors and tones. Another original, “Jump,” found them playing a mean, uptempo number with plenty of spikes in their dark side sound. Closing out with one of their early numbers, “Memories,” the mood-rock quartet unearthed some more of their prog-goth melodies and menacing low end lines.
Next up was an all star blues jam band featuring Parker Wheeler leading on his harmonica and Bobby Ledge leading on guitar. Carol Chaplin kept the beat on drums when the band, with appropriate blues-funk, jumped right into “Tiny Little Bit.’ Soon after, they took things down low and slow for a tasteful version of “Ain’t Nobody’s Business,” which was a delicious slice of blues. Wheeler’s harp lines were drenched in greasy blues notes before Ledger took over with crunchy blues chords that you just don’t find anywhere on any old day. And boy, does Ledger sing it like he was born with a whiskey soaked voice.
“Anyway You Want It” was a sweep of mid-tempo blues. Wheeler’s electric harp phrases brought back pleasant memories of blues from yesteryear before Ledger took over with a grinding blues phrase. His axe offered up some tasty licks before he resumed his lyrical duties with his world weary, whiskey soaked voice.
Suddenly, Amadee Castenell showed up to blow his glorious golden sax lines. He and the others on stage made Willie Dixon’s “Back Door Man” a badass number. Ledge scored with his mean guitar licks and soulful phrasing. The groove, as laid down by drummer Carol Chaplin, kept it afloat and at down river speed. “Bright Lights” was played with a rocking horse groove, seemingly simple but loaded with a depth of feeling.
A singer named Samantha Strassheim went up next to sing to recorded music. Her voice was smooth, full of power, and she could really reach the higher notes. She might have a bright future in this businesses.
Parker Wheeler was back up with Amadee Castenell, bassist Steve Monahan, and a Berklee professor named Kevin on guitar. This line up was also a force to be reckoned with. They opened their set with some jazzy instrumental material, a joy ride, a smooth flow of melodic guitar and sax. Heck, the bass was pretty melodic too, offering a lot of notes from that instrument’s range. Next, “12 Steps To The Blues” was a more raucous number before the band got even grittier on Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” Monahan sang it with a sturdy, earthy vocal as Parker Wheeler blew forth his country fried harp notes.
As the bands was in a country vein, it was time for some Hank Williams. “Move It On Over” was loaded with Kevin buzzing, rhythmic phrase and Castenell’s rich saxophone intervals. Nothing beats a little bit of flute contribution from Castenell, his phrase as light as a feather, breezy, something sweet to wrap around everything else going on at once. The band also went into George Watson’s “Real Mutha For Ya,” a slamming piece of funk with Monahan finessing his vocal duties.
Castenell lead the all star band through his set’s closing number, “Dee,” a piece he composed for his son.
Howard Randall’s thrown together band, which someone dubbed, One Big Soul, combined Randal with bassist Mickey Maguire, guitarist Joe Laite, and Boston’ harmonica man Professor Harp. Harp applied his large smooth vocal to finessing Bill Wither’s “Use Me,” which included a furious harmonica excursion. The good professor’s melodies rose up heavenward once he went into more solid blues material. His electrified harmonica offered a wave of something with deep down blues feeling, a crunchy organ-like sound line that kept “Black Night” sounding full. The dual guitar work of Joe Laite and Howard Randal put plenty of feisty grist into the number. When Professor Harp came back in, he came in solid, with a louder, wider sound, and likely gave some in the audience a taste of authentic blues that don’t just get every day.
After announcing that someone with a gold colored car was blocking someone else in, Sweet Willie D jumped right into the action, belting out “The Rocker.” Sweet Willie D, sounding particularly good with Professor Harp supporting him with some rhythmic twists, got down to some serious business, offering his raw, earthy, soulful vocals. New Hampshire’s sex bomb vocalist Kendal Bush, a.k.a., Mama Love, fronted the band for respectable renditions of “Angel From Montgomery” and “Walkin’ The Dog.”
Others performing for this fun loving crowed were Angel Warner and then Matt Sullivan who had begun the closing numbers with Billy Preston’s “Will It Go Round In Circles.”
Aside from mighty fine barbeque and mighty fine blues, there were some awards given out to recognize the local people who support the blues. Frank Gibbs, who owns the construction company where ShareFest was held, and Sweet Willie D, founder of ShareFest, received the Shirley Lewis Living The Blue Foundation Award for Fans Favorite Summer’s Outdoor Musical Event Of The Year., ShareFest & Bar-B-Q Annual Event.
Despite the furious return of summer weather, yesterday’s ShareFest was a fun, meaningful event.
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