Kenny Neal
Blitzkrieg
POMEROY — The Pomeroy Blues & Jazz Society’s Big Bend Blues Bash kicks its 12th annual event on Friday evening and continues throughout the day on Saturday.
The bash will kick off on Friday at 6 p.m. with a “Rock Show” theme for the evening.
Local group Blitzkrieg will open the festivities, followed by Eldorado Band at 6:45 p.m. The Steepwater Band will perform at 7:45 p.m., with the Mark May Band at 9:15 p.m.
Day one will wrap with a 10 p.m. performance by Michael Locke and the Repeat Offenders at the Court Street Grill.
Blitzkrieg have been rocking the hills since 1975. The band is heavily influenced by the “classic rock” sound of late 60s and 70s.
The Eldorado Band of Madrid, Spain, is heavily influenced by archetypal rock classics and manages to construct a modern sound. Their songs have been described as primarily visual and at times even cinematographic.
The Steepwater Band was formed in Chicago in 1998. The band’s signature sound is a nod to earlier rock and blues, combined with a raw and gutsy musical approach. Founding band members Jeff Massey (vocals and guitar), Tod Bowers (bass) and Joe Winters (drums) have a synergy that comes from years of playing together. In early 2012, the long-time trio have been joined by Eric Saylors (guitar and backup vocal), from Indianapolis, Ind.
The Mark May Band will play on Friday and Saturday evenings during the 12th annual Big Bend Blues Bash. May is the former front man for Dickie Betts & Great Southern, and is equal parts blues man and southern rocker.
Michael Locke and the Repeat Offenders is lead by blues guitarist Michael Locke. He has performed with or opened for the likes of BB King, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, W.C. Clark, CoCo Montoya, Sonny Rhodes, Walter Trout, Ben E. King, Del Shannon, Little Anthony, Jimmy Johnson, Otis Rush and Chuck Berry.
Saturday’s events will feature the return of the Blues School for Kids, the film fest and seven bands performing on the Pomeroy Parking Lot.
For the fifth year a Blues School for Kids will be held st noon on Saturday at the Court Street Mini-Park. The Blues School is a free songwriting and performing workshop conducted by Ron Sowell, music director for PBS’s Mountain Stage, a performer and songwriter, and Todd Burge, a full-time performing country folk songwriter from West Virginia.
The kids coming to the Blues School will write a blues song and learn to play it on harmonicas. In the afternoon following a luncheon in the park, they will have another practice and then perform on the main stage at the Big Bend Blues Bash at 2 p.m.
The Blues Film Fest will start at noon, featuring the Fat Possum Documentary, You See Me Laughin’ at the Court Street Suite. The film is a personal journey into the lives and music of the last of the hill country blues men who have kept their music alive on the back porches and in the tiny juke joints of the Mississippi backwoods.
Following the performance by Sowell and the Blues School Kids at 2 p.m., the Blue Z Band will take the stage at 3 p.m. The M.F.B will perform at 4:30 p.m., with A Moment of Panic performing at 5:30 p.m.
Ellie Lee & Blues Fury will perform at 6:30 p.m., with the Mark May Band returning to the stage at 7:30 p.m. American Blues Man Kenny Neal will conclude the two day event on the parking lot.
At 10 p.m., the Sean Chambers Band will perform at Court Street Grill.
The Blue Z Band is from the river cities and is fronted by guitarist Sammy Doolittle. The band also features the father and son combo of bassist Milt Call and Drummer Anthony Call.
The M.F.B., which plays funk music, consists of Parry Casto, lead vocals and hype; Shawn Hesson, guitar; Travis Riffle, keys and synth; Jeremy Martin, bass; and Tony Leach, drums.
The New York City based A Moment of Panic features Joe Adami and Tony “T” Tenoglia. The duo tips their hats to both the blues and standards, ad counts musical influences as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bob Dylan, Joe Pass and Pat Metheny.
Ellie Lee & Blues Fury are winners of the Big Bend Blues Competition and other awards. The group is fronted by Lee, a blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.
Kenny Neal is an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His new release, Hooked On Your Love, follows the triumph of his multi-award winning 2008 comeback album, Let Life Flow. An outstanding success, the CD raked in the accolades: three prestigious Album Of The Year awards, two Song of The Year awards for the title track, and Neal garnered two Artist of the Year honors.
The Sean Chambers Band is lead by guitarist Chambers who is considered one of the top 50 blues guitarists of the last century.
Admission to the event is $5 on Friday and $15 on Saturday, with kids 12 and under admitted free. Admission to the 10 p.m. concerts at Court Street Grill is $5.
Lawn chairs are welcome, but pets and coolers are not permitted.
For more information email Jackie at jackie@courtstreetgrill. com or call Meigs County Tourism at 1-877-MEIGS-CO.
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