[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

[Review] Bowl Full of Blues - April 12th, 2008 (Part One)

Take note city planners. The secret to a successful outdoor festival seems obvious in hindsight. But the City of Plano has created the example for all to follow. The formula is simple. All it takes is:

1. A first class venue.
2. A family friendly environment.
3. Great weather.
4. A liberal and inviting attitude.
5. Aggressive advertising (Show fliers in Plano resident water bills).
   
6. The best bands in town.

According to the promoter, the City of Plano reports that “300 to 400 people were turned away because they were at full capacity.” Jim Weir also said that “the approx. total count of paid attendees and those sitting outside for free could have easily approached 1,600 to 1,700 people.” At $12 per ticket, well, you do the math.

If you read my earlier post on the Bowl Full of Blues, I was a bit surprised when I learned that the City of Plano was hosting a blues festival. But I did my part to help promote the show and secretly wished for the best. Privately, I worried that there would be another empty venue with a few hardcore blues fans and another missed opportunity. I soon learned my fears were unfounded.

The night began for my family with many questions. Our plans were to meet with some friends in Plano and head over to the amphitheater together. But my wife was sick and headed to the doctor in the morning. Based on the diagnosis, I felt there was little chance. But by the afternoon, the drugs seemed to be working and she seemed noticeably better. A few phone calls and the plan was back on. My wife made a run to Whole Foods and got snacks and dinner. I made a run to the beer store and loaded up the cooler with beer and wine. I heard that it might cool off later that night, so we packed some jackets and extra blankets. Then we were off to pickup the rest of our party.

Once we had our group together, we headed for the amphitheater in two cars. We arrived first and I went down to the box office to purchase our tickets. The line was modest. But I could already tell that attendance would be high. I was eager to get my hands on some tickets. When I reached the front of the line, I purchased tickets for my family and the man said, “ok, that’s it, I’m out.” I was about to walk away but stopped immediately. “You’re out”, I asked. Yep. He was completely out of tickets. I knew the other family we invited to the show would be arriving soon. But I couldn’t risk it. I asked the other ticket agents if they had any tickets. Only one lady had any left. I bought four more and went to find our group. If we had gotten there fifteen minutes later, we would not have gotten tickets. And the show hadn’t started yet.

We made our way down to the right side of the stage. The Oak Point Amphitheater is a gorgeous outdoor venue with a large professional stage and row after row of grassy seating areas. It is very clean and well maintained. And there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. We laid out our blankets and began to unpack the supplies and set up our little picnic.

People, when it comes to living the stereotype, we went all the way at this event. As my wife begins pulling food out of the bags and handing stuff out, I quickly realize this is not going to be your normal blues show. We’ve got two different types of fancy salsa and chips, a cheese tray, an assortment of fresh fruit, bread, fancy chicken salad, three bottles of wine and some beer for me. The challenge was getting the chicken salad on these tiny slices of foo foo bread. But hey, I had a cold beer in my hand and the show was about to start. I look over at my wife and smile. This is going to be a good night.

While we waited for the show to begin, I had a chance to take in the whole experience. As I’m sitting there eating my chicken salad and drinking a cold Land Shark Lager, our kids are playing down in the grassy area by the stage. We are surrounded by other families doing similar things. The sky is blue and the air was cool. It really was a great family experience.

This was also a prime people watching opportunity. I had already noticed several people I knew. I headed down to the side of the stage where I found many of the bands getting ready to go. There I saw the promoter, Bob Fisk, Blue Lisa, Rob Donavan, Sherman Allen, Jimmy Mac, Darrin Denney, Melinda Haggerty and David White. They all looked jazzed up and ready to go. I was so jealous, but happy at the same time that these guys and gals were going to get to play to this great crowd. There were more notables out in the crowd. I saw Roger Crisler of Crisler’s Guitar Repair, Scott Lepage and many many others. It was great to see all my friends out supporting the blues. I was in seventh heaven.

In Part II of the review, I will dive into the music and share my thoughts on the performances. I’m also collecting some great photos from shutterbug friends who were there. I’ll be sure and share those with you as well. So check back soon for Part II.
Michael

(photos courtesy of Rick Moore)

Welcome To Strat's Corner

Howdy friend,

Welcome to my little corner of Al Gore's cyberspace. I'm really excited to announce that I'm starting up Strat's Corner again. I gave this a shot a while back on Blogger and wasn't too excited with the results. But this time it's going to be different. And here's why.

I'm proud to announce that I am partnering with Pegasus News to provide content to the Music section of their webzine. That means ... well ... I need to provide quality content on a regular basis. Oh the pressure! But, the good news is that this will provide the necessary kick in the pants to do something I've wanted to do for a long time. Ever since I started NorthTexasBlues.org, I wanted to help document the fantastic music that happens in our town night after night. Finally, I've found the right vehicle to communicate this information. And hopefully, with the help of the good folk over at Pegasus News, I'll be able to reach a larger audience.

If you'd like to learn more about me, simply click the About link at the top of the page. That's where I'll share my background, affiliations and aspirations in music.

So pull up a chair and kick off your shoes. Stay a while and we'll explore the DFW music scene together.