The Cincy Blues Fest is one of the longest running Blues festivals in the country, this year celebrating its 25th anniversary. This Friday and Saturday, the Cincy Blues Society’s popular event continues doing what has made it so successful and enduring, showcasing more than 30 diverse national and local Blues artists on three stages along the riverfront at the scenic Sawyer Point Park.
Artists playing the main stage (located at the park’s large bandshell) this year at this weekend’s Cincy Blues Fest include rootsy Grammy nominee Ruthie Foster, whose latest album, Joy Comes Back, features her expressive interpretations of songs by Mississippi John, Chris Stapleton and Black Sabbath (see her swaying, swampy version of “War Pigs” below), frequent Blues chart-buster Albert Cummings, legacy Ronnie Baker Brooks (click here for a preview) and Minnesota’s Davina and the Vagabonds, whose dynamic, entertaining live presentation and equally compelling Americana-in-a-blender sound (which draws from avowed influences like the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Fats Domino, Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits) has landed the ensemble on festival stages all over the world and even a coveted slot on iconic U.K. TV program Later with Jools Holland.
As always, the Blues Fest offers a great sampling of the Greater Cincinnati Blues scene, featuring artists Friday and Saturday on a local stage across from the park’s tennis courts. Much of the local/regional lineup comes from the acts that participated in the annual all-day Cincy Blues Challenge. The two winners of that event also represent the Cincy Blues Society at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis early next year and are offered a prime Blues Fest slot. Dayton, Ohio’s Doug Hart Band (a regular on the Cincy-area club circuit) was the Band winner and plays the main stage at 11 p.m. on Saturday; Richmond, Ind. acoustic singer/songwriter Brian Keith Wallen was the Cincy Blues Challenge winner in the Solo/Duo category, but is not performing this weekend. Also on the main stage is local duo Strum N’ Honey.
Members of the local chapter of the Guitars 4 Vets organization (which offers lessons and music therapy for military veterans) dubbed Six-Strings for Solace open the main stage on Friday at 5:15 p.m. Read CityBeat’s feature on the organization here.
Singer/guitarist Stacy Mitchhart cut his teeth in the Cincinnati Blues scene before moving to Nashville in the mid-’90s, where he has enjoyed a very successful career. He’s still a big draw whenever he returns for the festival (read more about him here).
Saturday, one of the Cincy Blues Fest’s most notable features, the celebration of Boogie Woogie Blues piano specialists dubbed the Arches Boogie Piano Stage (located in the shadow of the Purple People Bridge), puts area favorites like Cincy legend Ricky Nye, former Ohioans Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues and Dayton’s Jimmy D. Rogers on a lineup that features some of the biggest players in the world, including veteran New Orleans-raised Boogie hero Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, young Austrian festival favorite Katharina Alber and Detroit master Bob Seeley.
Cincy Blues Fest often features other unique “themed” stages; this year, it’s the “Youth Showcase Stage” on Friday. The stage will have Dayton, Ohio’s Joe Tellman Band and Kellen Williams Trio, Chattanooga, Tenn.’s 6th Street Blues, Glastonbury, Conn.’s Jake Kulak and the LowDown and the Blues in the Schools Band, featuring participants from the Cincy Blues Society’s Blues in the Schools educational programs (find details here and also look for the BITS booth at the fest; the BITS band also plays the main stage Saturday at 4:50 p.m.). The Youth stage will close out with an 11 p.m. jam session. http://cincyblues.org/blues-in-the-schools/
See the complete lineup below.
The gates open at 5 p.m. Friday and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Advanced tickets are $25 per day or $45 for a weekend pass; click here for ticket options (you can also donate tickets to veterans through the link) and here for full info (including links to all of the performers’ sites).
FRIDAY, AUG. 11
Budweiser Main Stage
5:10 p.m. Guitar 4 Vets Cincinnati
6 P.M. Strum N’ Honey
7:15 P.M. Dixie Peach Band
8:30 P.M. Davina And The Vagabonds
10:15 P.M. Albert Cummings
Youth Showcase Stage (Support From Artswave)
5:30 P.M. Kellen Williams Trio
6:35 P.M. Jake Kulak And The Lowdown
7:40 P.M. The Aaron Carney Band
8:45 P.M. The Joe Tellmann Band
9:50 P.M. The BITS Band
11:05 P.M. Jam
Backline Super Stars/C & D Audio Production & Design Local Stage
5:45 P.M. Rhythm Jones
7 P.M. Tempted Souls Band
8:15 P.M. The Beaumonts
9:30 P.M. Johnny Fink And The Intrusion
11 P.M. Everett And Delta Storm
SATURDAY, AUG. 12
Budweiser Main Stage
4:50 P.M. The BITS Band
6 P.M. Stacy Mitchhart
7:20 P.M. Ruthie Foster
9:10 P.M. Ronnie Baker Brooks
11 P.M. Doug Hart Band
Arches Boogie Piano Stage
4:45 P.M. Jimmy D Rogers
5:20 P.M. Craig Brenner
5:55 P.M. Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues
6:30 P.M. Ricky Nye
7:05 P.M. Josh Paxton
7:40 P.M. Bob Malone
8:15 P.M. Rob Rio
8:50 P.M. Cynthia Girtley
9:25 P.M. Mitch Woods
10 P.M. Katharina Alber
10:35 P.M. Bob Seeley
11:10 P.M. Kenny “”Blues Boss” Wayne
11:45 P.M. Grand Finale
Backline Super Stars/C & D Audio Production & Design Local Stage
4:45 P.M. Dick & The Roadmasters
6 P.M. Leroy Ellington Band
7:15 P.M. Jay Jesse Johnson Band
8:30 P.M. The SoulFixers
9:45 P.M. Chuck Brisbin & The Tuna Project
11 P.M. Brownstreet Breakdown
This article appears in Aug 9-16, 2017.
