[Review] Bowl Full Of Blues - April 12th, 2008 (Part Two)

The Bowl Full of Blues Festival has been over now for a couple of weeks. And I've been extremely negligent in my blogging activities (I have my excuses). But I still remember the show like it was just yesterday. And the pictures I was able to gather from friends has also helped keep the event fresh in my memory. Here's how the show went down.

The Bulldogs started off the show with their brand of eclectic Texas blues that they've showcased at The Cottage Lounge for years now. In the photo to the left, you can see David Holcomb on drums, Sherman Allen (left) and Jimmy Mac on vocals. The set featured many funky instrumentals and the crowd seemed to respond quite favorably. We were just warming up for a long night of great music. And these guys played a great set to get us going. Checkout those threads on Sherman. Lookin' good bro.

Next up was Blue Lisa and her Big D Playboys. Blue Lisa is the host on KNON's Thursday morning blues show. I've had the good fortune to be a guest on her show and perform live in the KNON studio. I'm still very grateful to her for that opportunity. And I was so incredibly pleased to see that she got a shot to share her brand of Texas blues with the good people of Plano. It was fantastic. In the photo, you can see her belting out one of her great tunes. Next to her is Kenny "Big Head" Chavez on bass and Bob Fisk on guitar. Way to go guys. You sounded great.

After Blue Lisa finished her set, Hash Brown and the Browntones took to the stage. Hash Brown has been a leading figure in the blues scene here in Dallas for many years since moving here from up east. He's a guy who really tries to keep the spirit and history of the blues alive. So when Hash is playing, you're hearing the real deal. And with the Browntones lineup, Hash demonstrates his love for the blues harp. You can see him in the picture laying it down on the harp while Elliot Sowell plays along on the stratocaster. This was some fine, fine music yall. It doesn't get much better than this.

As the sun went down, the temperature went up as things started heating up on stage. Mike Morgan is one of the finest electric blues players in town. So is Jim Suhler. Put them together and you've got lightning in a bottle. But these guys are both seasoned pros. And that means they know when to step out and when to fade back into the mix. And the trade-off between these two masters was something to watch. The highlights for me were watching Jim masterfully play the slide and listening to Mike tear it down on "Blues for Peg and Al", a minor blues instrumental that really shows off his dynamic style of play. I literally stood there up against the stage and let the sound of the guitar wash over me wave after wave. I love that tune. And hearing it live on that stage at full volume was incredible. I was screaming my frackin' head off. Such greatness.

At this point, I'm literally shaking my head in disbelief at how great this night has been. We've got a packed house of blues fans listening to great music. Several great bands have already played amazing sets. And up next is one of my all time heros, Anson Funderburgh. Anson, in my book, is the godfather of the DFW blues scene. He's an international star. He's played all over the world. He has multiple awards to his name. And he's a Plano resident folks. In the picture to the left you can see classic anson on his '59 stratocaster playing behind world class blues singer, Joe Jonas. Anson is the master at saying more with less. And more than any other, Anson knows how to play a supporting role when it's required and step out front when that's required. He's a complete professional. And if you look really close, you can see the back of my head as I'm at the blues altar, listening to the serman. It's church people. Church. And I stayed as long as I could to take it all in.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was not able to stay for the whole night. Very soon after that photo was taken, I had to leave to get my family warmed up. It was smokin' up next to that stage. But back where everyone else was, they were freezing cold. So I missed the Bugs Henderson set. But I heard it was amazing too.

Again, what a fantastic evening of live music we had in Plano. I can't wait to do it all again next year. I hope to see you there.

Michael