Biscuit Miller
Last Saturday’s Blues N’ Brews Festival at Nashoba Valley Ski Area found blues fans and beer fans braving an unexpected 40 minute rain fall before resuming the festivities. It takes more than a little rain to keep people away from good blues and good beer. Saturday, being the first day of a two day BluesNBrews Fest, had something special for each person. WZLX’s Carter Allan was a perfect host for the day. His knowledge of blues and his gentile personality went over well with the demanding blues crowd that patiently awaited each act.
I arrived in time to hearing Diane Blues finishing up a spiffy set of originals and standards. Her voice rang out clear and purposeful, like a tolling bell atop a huge church. I missed the opening set by Steve Morgan And The Kingfish but people were still raving about them when I arrived so they must have played a tremendous set. Morgan and the Kingfish also have an in depth feature article in this zine.
Biscuit Miller And The Mix played a fun mix of Motown tunes like “Get Ready” by Smokey Robinson and “My Girl” by The Temptations before switching the vibe to some deep down and dirty blues material. Biscuit Miller’s charisma and strong personality at the microphone made him shine when he sang out “I’ve Got A Woman.” He displayed a rich, character voice on “Sleeping In The Doghouse” as his lead guitarist showcased a really cool melodic phrase. “Belly Up Some Blues” soared across the festival grounds with a crisper, more brittle guitar phrase while The Mix’s palpable rhythm section pushed it home with a slappy groove. Miller and his Mix closed out their set with their sleeper hit “Let’s Go Fishing,” a breezy tale of one of America’s favorite past times.
Gretchen Bostrom, Silvertone Steve
Side stage artists Gretchen Bostrom and Silvertone Steve served up several tasty dishes of acoustic blues and other Americana roots material between sets. Bostrom’s voice has grown and expanded into a belty force of nature over the years. It’s hard to believe she was just an amateur only a few years ago when she started out singing at jams and open mics. Last Saturday afternoon, she wailed like a banshee on fire when it was needed while also offering a sultry, whispery hush when called for on other tunes. Silvertone Steve knows his favorite material inside out and played plenty of fine bluesy, rootsie material on his delicate acoustic guitar. “Would You Lie To Me?” was one of the many, many blues-roots numbers this pair set on fire when they ripped through it with tireless energy.
Next up on the main stage was Laurence Jones, a brilliant lad from jolly old England who played a mean guitar. Jones pressed out a wild blues guitar phrase on “Live It Up.” His take on the Jimi Hendrix version of “All Along The Watchtower” found him offering plenty of resonance in his tones, especially when he slowed it down to showcase some feisty licks and chops. Jone’s epic “Thunder In The Sky” was a startling mix of monster blues guitar and a dreaded sense of Something Wicked This Comes. His prolonged flight of fancy guitar phrase was larger than life as he made his guitar cry out the tortured soul of his song. Jones also rocked right out on his number “I Will.”
Headliner Joe Louis Walker opened his well received set with a furious guitar phrase. His flurry of notes came out of nowhere as he coated each one with a special greasy sound. He and his band played “Don’t Let Go” with a rollicking sense of fun, the mid tempo cruiser being a highlight of the festival. Walker picked up the pace a bit with his “In The Morning,” a steady tune with Walker’s gem of a voice giving it all a shining glow. His organist laid down most of the melody line, a good feeling organ groove that kept music fans swaying to its irresistible vibe. Walker talked a bit about
Joe Louis Walker
his affection for Earl Hooker, the nephew of John Lee Hooker, before going into one of Earl Hooker’s compositions. Walker got quite the sound out of his guitar, making his axe sound like it was whistling out the melody line Walker’s organist chimed in with a heaping soulful of beauteous sound, part church, part soul, but all blues at the same time. Yet, it wasn’t long before Walker resumed control with his wiry, greasy, phrasing. Walker went into his “Ain’t That Cold” with a determined phrase before launching into his rollicking, good time hit “Too Drunk To Drive,” a number marked by fun harmony vocals and a driving, edgy guitar phrase that cut through the humor with its determined energy. For his encore, Walker played his cleverly unwieldy “747,” a tune that allowed for plenty of organ gruel as well as guitar riffing.
BluesNBrews Festival presented some cool vendors at the Nashoba Valley Ski Area last Saturday afternoon. WickedIrish.com were selling plenty of tee shirts and other tops to fans of the rolling green country. Whole Foods Market was on hand with incredibly good cheeses and a brie to knock your socks off. Harpoon offered a great beer called Hoppy Adventuress while Long Trail Brewing featured its new Cranberry Gose.
Nothing beats the combination of blues and beer. It’s difficult for many of us to separate both treats at one event. So, you know this two day event was something to hear, see, and taste. BluesNBrews Festival in Westford, Massachusetts will hopefully be around for at least the rest of my lifetime.
http://www.bluesandbrewsrotary.org/
