Rain On Me

Slideshow from our MySpace page.

Saturday started with local blues band
The Delinquents’ straightforward set, which segued nicely into the
over-the-top antics of Rochester-born blues guitarist and vocalist
Chris Beard. Son of Joe Beard, who performed on the main stage with
studio organist Bruce Katz on Sunday, the formidable frontman fed on an
early afternoon downpour of rain, playing wild and free.

The highlight of Beard’s mischief came during “It’s Over,” a song released in multiple parts on his latest album, Live Wire
(Northern Blues). Perhaps as a nod to the English blues-rock of Kim
Simmonds (frontman of Savoy Brown), Beard then went into an on-fire
version of “House of the Rising Sun,” first made popular by Bob Dylan
on his 1962 eponymous, debut album, but later made doubly known by
1960s English rockers The Animals. 

Beard also sympathized with the loyal
but soaked audience that remained seated during his set by walking into
the crowd, mid-solo, with a wireless transmitter. That antic,
reminiscent of Buddy Guy, sent the audience into waves of giddy
excitement.

By the time the Fabulous Ripcords tore
into an energetic romp through Van Morrison’s “Jambalaya” and Robben
Ford and the Blue Line’s “Prison of Love,” the rain had become a
deluge, forcing the band to cut its set short. That was all the more
unfortunate given that the Ripcords are one of the best examples of the
musicianship that can be found in the Salt City.

Large and in charge, Popa Chubby then
picked up the slack once the weather subsided, proclaiming to the crowd
that he knew the rain would stop for him: “I’m evil and I have
connections!” Nevertheless, Chubby {born Ted Horowitz} acknowledged his
mortality by gently touching the microphone to check for an electric
shock, apparently hoping to not relive the near-electrocution of the
Grateful Dead during the 1969 Woodstock festival.

After opening with the fast-paced
“Palace of the King” and the funky “Anything You Want Me to Do,” both
recorded on his 1995 disc Booty and the Beast (Sony), Chubby
then assumed his rocker role during “It’s Over,” defending live music
in the process. “Someone recently said to me that the days of live
music are over,” Chubby commented. “That the days when people go out,
listen to live music, get high and have fucking fun are over. Well, I
told him the only thing that’s over are your lies and your bullshit!” 

That intro served as a steel-toed kick
that burst open the door to a sweeping series of chaotically melodic
licks, banking heavily on the style of Jimi Hendrix tinged with a
heaping dose of chicken pickin’ (a rapid, country guitar style). In
fact, Chubby paid homage to the master of psychedelia during covers of
“Hey Joe” and “Little Wing.” Chubby didn’t stop the classic rock
references there, either, tying riffs from Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta
Love” into some solos, and covering the Rolling Stones’ “It’s Only
Rock’n’Roll (But I Like It).” 

Rory Block, a traditionalist and protege of Ed “Son” House since the release of her latest album, Blues Walkin’ Like a Man: A Tribute to Son House
(Stony Plain Music), then presented a set of songs that stuck more
firmly to the core of blues. Her set showed a lot of integrity,
considering Block was rudely heckled by some drunks in the crowd for
lacking the energy and drive of the electric bands that had preceded
her.

Along with discussing an eclectic, blues
version of music theory that she learned from House, Block shared her
fresh perspective on the “Crossroads” myth: that the great players of
blues lore sold their souls to the devil in order to garnish their
skills. Block countered that claim, instead explaining that she
believes blues music is a reflection of God, a philosophical
perspective she tied with “Heaven of My Own.”

 

Blues clues: John Hammond (top), Alexis P. Suter (above) and Chris Bergson (below) were among the principles at this year’s Blues Fest.

Block continued to merge the grungy
style of acoustic slide blues with religious intimations, later playing
a song she based on the story of Job. Block called her religious
commentary “blues preaching,” which arguably was a bit mismatched for a
beer-drinking, downtown festival, but intriguing in its unabashed
commitment to blues history. 

Vibes sent to the uppercase G
transitioned nicely into a raucously soulful set from Alexis P. Suter,
who floored the crowd with her gospel-influenced material. Suter’s
larger-than-life voice also graced last year’s Blues Fest. 

Masterful Hammond B-3 player Bruce Katz
took his place on the boards (regrettably, Katz brought along a Nord
imitation of the instrument rather than his true ax) while Vicki Bell
and Ray Grappone, the wedded masterminds behind Suter’s band and the
owners of her label, Hipbone Records, assumed their roles of backup
vocalist and drummer, respectively. Although Suter’s deep, booming
voice is large enough to shake down a crowd, the band can stop a show
as well.

Suter nailed the better tracks from her debut album, Shuga Fix
(Hipbone), which included “Ride, Ride,” a tune that Suter explained was
written for “fluffy” people like herself who are forced to pay a fine
in New York City for taking up two seats on the subway. The powerfully
emotional vocalist then let her pipes rip and her eyes well up during a
moving version of Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” Suter dedicated
the tune to famed blues vocalist Koko Taylor, who passed away in June,
and was casually known as the “Queen of the Blues.”

Blues Brothers actor Dan Aykroyd
(aka Elwood Blues), emcee for Saturday’s festivities, was glimpsed
popping out of the Crystal Head Vodka trailer parked backstage to
glad-hand members of the Syracuse Police force. (Aykroyd had supposedly
agreed to the cameos for a chance to hawk the vodka to local
distributors and liquor vendors at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que earlier that
day.) He introduced Suter as the “New Queen of the Blues,” then toward
the set’s finale brought the emotional mood of the set back to a boil
by chipping in vocals and harmonica during “Got My Mojo Working,” while
gleefully keeping his backfield in motion with some snazzy dance moves.
Blues Fest organizer Bernie Clarke was also invited on stage to share
in the party. 

The funky Jay Collins Band kept the
crowd warmed up in anticipation of Savoy Brown’s finale, although tunes
like “If You Don’t Stand for Something” were more jazz than blues, a
fact that saxophonist and vocalist Collins notes on his Web page,
www.jaycollinsband.com. Given that Collins has performed with Gregg
Allman, however, you can easily imagine that he is skilled. Still, the
group’s energy level simply didn’t cut it here.

Noting the lightning strikes that
ominously hovered above, Kim Simmonds, guitarist-vocalist for
headlining act Savoy Brown, commented, “I thought we were going to
bring the thunder and the rain!” That statement came shortly after
Aykroyd, making his second appearance on stage, claimed that Savoy
Brown “re-educated America about the blues” during its 1960s and 1970s
heyday in the then-burgeoning London blues scene.

Simmonds explained that bassist Gerry
Sorrentino was ill, and would be sitting down for the gig. In fact,
Simmonds revealed that had Sorrentino been unable to make it through
the show, he would have brought local bassist Pat DeSalvo on stage.
Simmonds is friendly with the local scene, considering he now resides
in Fulton.

The guitarist, whom former band mates
have described as a bit cantankerous (although he seemed quite pleasant
on stage), has changed the band lineup countless times since the group
formed in 1966. He led them through “Monday Morning Blues,” which
Simmonds explained would be released on a forthcoming compilation CD
that will feature material written just in the past 15 years. Calling
the work a “record,” Simmonds poked fun at himself, “I say ‘record,’
but don’t laugh: I know it’s all CDs now!”

Simmonds then called out for requests,
which led to a run through “Needle and Spoon,” a song that sings the
bluesy woes of drug abuse. He explained that not many people have
listened to the song’s final verse since it was released, as it’s
sometimes interpreted as a drug anthem rather than a pharmaceutical
warning.

Simmonds later switched to what he
called his “blues guitar.” Said Simmonds, “The thing that makes it a
blues guitar is it’s held together with tape and string!” That ax was
used to relive “Poor Girl,” from the 1970 album Looking In
(Deram), as well as to evoke a more traditional blues guitar style
during some well-played solos. Just as Simmonds got into “Boogie,” a
second major deluge forced concert goers to seek shelter. 

Sunday’s constant sunshine and steady
breeze helped blow away the rain and bring in perfect weather for the
second afternoon of the Blues Fest. The resultant upbeat atmosphere
echoed in the first set of the day, Tas Cru and the Slow Happy Boys.
Augmented by searing guitar work from sideman Jeremy Walz and soulful
backup vocals by the Stackdeck Singers, Cru led his band through a
number of raunchy, up-tempo songs such as “Tulsa Tornado,” which
featured strong slide guitar from Walz.

The last song of the set saw the
introduction of WAER-FM 88.3 (Jazz 88) deejay and blues harmonica
player Tom Townsley to the stage for a version of Elmore James’ “Shake
Your Moneymaker,” which got all the early afternoon festival-goers
bobbing their heads.

The ping-pong setup of stages had people
bouncing back and forth in Clinton Square, and shortly after 1 p.m. the
first main stage set of the day took off with the Chris Bergson Band. A
driving rhythm section underlined Bergson’s Freddie King-like guitar
sound and gritty voice, while Blues Fest all-star Bruce Katz controlled
the keyboards in his first of three Sunday appearances. The band’s
second song, Ray Charles’ “Drown In My Own Tears,” produced some
powerful vocals and saxophone leads by Jay Collins, whose recapitulated
presence added significantly to the band’s sound.

Bergson’s original songs tended toward
the blues-rock and country-rock varieties, but it was his covers, such
as the standard “Dust My Broom” and Howlin’ Wolf’s “Meet Me In The
Bottom” that allowed the band to step out and shine. Katz was equally
at home controlling the swells of his organ and hammering the keys of
his piano, while the interplay between Collins’ sax and Bergson’s
guitar showcased the band at its best.

Dan Bliss’ solo acoustic act was a
departure, but his adventurous flat-picking was fascinating to watch. A
brilliant self-accompanist, his fingerstyle approach to the guitar
included walking bass lines and funky lead parts simultaneously under
his wistful vocals. The jazzy guitar lines of “Sunny Side of the
Street” were reminiscent of Randy Newman as he climbed up and down the
fret board.

“Kansas City Blues” was an homage to the
city where he spent the last 20 years, as Bliss, originally from
Marcellus, urged the crowd to sing along with him. At one point he
invited Clarke back to the stage, adding a new dimension to Bliss’
impressive stage presence.

An afternoon tribute to the late Roosevelt Dean followed and formed the climax of the festival. The New Times has
compiled a special expanded review of that portion. See our Web site,
www.syracusenewtimes.com, for additional photos and content.

But if one man could be said to have
stolen the Sunday show, it was Katz. Returning to the main stage for
his own band’s set with Joe Beard, Katz again produced a sizzling and
jaw-dropping display. With Beard standing front and center and
effortlessly laying down his rhythm guitar and smooth vocals, the band
tore through some rocking blues classics such as “Sweet Home Chicago,”
complete with Katz hammering the keys and guitarist Chris Vitarello
adding lead and slide sections.

John Mooney and Bluesiana were brave
enough to take the main stage without Katz, but it proved to be a
seamless decision. Accompanied by Brian Williams on upright bass and
Bob Cooper on keyboards, Mooney’s trio was tight and laid back. The set
brought more of a marching blues, with a thick low end held down by
Williams’ percussive bass style and Mooney’s thoughtful slide guitar.
The lack of a drummer kept the songs focused on the foot-stomping
rhythms produced by all three members, forming a cohesive unit that
benefited greatly from their format.

As the sun began to sink behind the
stage, Mooney led the band through his track “I Ain’t Gonna Be Your
Dirty Rat,” slipping effortlessly between slide and fingerstyle guitar
as the keys pushed the song onward. Learning to play at the foot of
legendary slide guitarist Son House himself, Mooney’s slide style can
be traced all the way back to Robert Johnson, a connection he
referenced with the Johnson song “Kindhearted Woman Blues,” which also
produced some of the best solo work of the set from him and Cooper.
Closing with an a capella version of “Grinnin’ In Your Face,” Mooney’s
Bluesiana received a standing ovation.

Headliner John Hammond was the last to
take the main stage, and he walked out with an electric guitar and
harmonica around his neck. While Hammond’s mere presence oozed the
history and stories that can only come from almost 50 years in the
business, his set started a bit sloppy and uncaptivating. However, with
the steady Katz on keys, the set calmed a bit when Hammond traded his
electric for an acoustic guitar and sat down, delivering a version of
“Move On Up The Line” that exuded Delta blues.

The real magic occurred every time
Hammond picked up his steel guitar and slide. Starting the solo “You
Know It’s Cold” with his slide, he got the crowd going again even
before the band joined in. Putting down the guitars, he sang “Eyes
Behind Your Head,” a showcase piece for Katz’s incredible piano work.
And while Hammond’s forays into the electric guitar were vaguely
underwhelming, when he picked up his steel guitar and slide again for
Muddy Waters’ “I Can’t Be Satisfied,” he thrilled the crowd with his
vocals and technique.              

Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd made a few cameos on Saturday.