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Bearcat Archives
The powerful voice of David Clayton-Thomas fronting Blood, Sweat & Tears can be heard in two shows at the Skagit Valley Casino on Sunday, June 6th. Reserve your tickets for the 4 or 7pm show at 1-877-275-2448. Their version of God Bless The Child is almost as well known as the Billie Holiday's original classic.
Depending on where you live and how your schedule is, you've got two opportunities to see Lloyd Jones on the weekend on June 11-12. Friday night he appears at the Rockfish Bar & Grill and Saturday he moves north to Bellingham's Wild Buffalo House of Music. The Buffalo show costs three bucks more but includes an opening act.
Big John Hodgkins, winner of the 2003 WBS Best Male Vocalist Award, appears at the Rockfish Bar & Grill (320 Commercial, Anacortes) on Sat., June 12th. This singer, saxman and harpist has it covered from every angle, you've got to catch him live to believe it! (360-588-1720)
Polly O'Keary's keepin' mighty busy finishing up her new CD, playing some bass for Kathi McDonald (who returns to the Wild Buffalo in early July), running Karaoke at Mardini's on Wednesdays, hosting Mardini's Open Mike on Sundays and fronting her own band, Rhythm Method. You can hear her band at Taildraggers in Arlington June 18-19, and at The Blue Dolphin in Oak Harbor on Fri., June 25th.
The Motown Crusers have a date at the Wild Buffalo in Downtown Bellingham on Friday, June 18th. This is a show band that favors the vocal focus of the Motown Era (like you had to have that explained to you?) as well as rhythm 'n blues and funk. They've got one of the best mailing lists in these parts and if you want a want a place to sit you'd better show up early! (360-752-0848)
Blues Therapy was one of the more popular bands at the old Cookin' Musician. If you haven't heard them in awhile, you'll find the cure at The Stump in Arlington on Friday, June 25th when they give a show which hopefully still includes that amazing harp player.
Your intrepid reporter wore out several pairs of paws catching lots of the blues and folk acts appearing at the Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle on Memorial Weekend. The political signature gatherers were unbelievably agressive (I was surprised to be approached by them several times while I was in an audience) and loud drummers of all sorts (good, bad, skin and steel) were out in force. On more than several occaisons the amplified music onstage would be drowned out by acoustic drum groups playing for tips. The Fisher Green stage was especially vulnerable to this problem because the sound could invade from every direction. Once upon a time, there were acoustic folk musicians every 10 feet or so performing at Folklife. The drums sound travels so far that the frequency of busking musical performers has dramatically decreased. Don't really have a solution for this, just complaining about the nature of the famous folk festival changing.
But back to the folk music that was actually scheduled at the Northwest Folklife Festival...Eric "Two Scoops" Moore was a real stand out performer in the Exhibition Hall where an ocean of bodies were dancing to the live music all weekend. I arrived early for another show and caught solo songwriter J.R. in the Liquid Lounge, she was truly incredible, wish I'd caught her entire set. The Phantoms of Soul and Eric Madis played strong blues shows back to back in a room packed beyond standing room only on Saturday night...I swear there really wasn't even room to shift on your feet and you could've heard a pin drop if it had the space to fall to the floor, which it didn't!
The audience began squeezing in early for Baby Gramps performance on Fisher Green. The grass we sat on was damp, the sky clouded over and the wind began to blow, but no one left before his show was over and the entire audience was smiling throughout. Rick Ruskin gave an impressive guitar performance that included some Rev. Gary Davis and a little bit of everything else in his program description. Ruskin has a wonderful dry wit, and had the entire audience hanging on his every word. I hoped to catch guitar-slinger/songwriter Linda Waterfall in MaCaw Hall also, but a shoulder injury forced her cancellation. Waterfall's performances with The Skyboys at the old Hacienda in Bellingham were the stuff legends are made of.
Along the way I caught several times Bellinghamster from Seattle, Daddy Treetops, playing the stand-up bass for Bayou Cadillac... Bellingham's Tom Hodges having one of his originals performed by Rebecca Cohen & Caryn Kutferman...Bellingham songwriter Marcia Guderian working all weekend emceeing stages... Bellingham's Laurette Langille in the solo blues artists show... Bellingham's Barbed Wire Cutters doin' their bluegrass thing and the queen of Bellingham folk music, Flip Breskin.
It wasn't all blues, but it was all fun...except those drummers, growl, but don't get me started on that again!
Mow, row, ba-gow.
