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Two days on the Maine coast filled with sunshine, lobster and live blues. What could be a better way to spend the weekend?
Visitors can do just that when the North Atlantic Blues Festival kicks off its 13th year on Saturday, July 14, in Harbor Park in Rockland. There are a few cool new elements this year, as well as a lot more of what festival-goers have come to expect over the years: killer blues from some of the genre’s best artists.
“We definitely try to appeal to as many different audiences as possible,” said organizer Paul Benjamin. “A lot of female players, a lot of guitar and piano. We try to bring in a wide variety of blues.”
Headliners this year include Bernard Allison, who also will appear at this year’s American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront and who is the son of blues legend Luther Allison; Coco Montoya, a former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and a student of Albert Collins; and Walter Trout, also a former Bluesbreaker and former guitarist for the rock band Canned Heat.
Two new elements this year are the Piano Blowout and the Blues Caravan.
“We’ve got a Chicago piano player, a boogie-woogie player and a New Orleans player, and they’re all going to be onstage together swapping licks,” said Benjamin. “Then we’ve got Blues Caravan, which this year is three female guitarists onstage together. There’s a lot of collaborating this year.”
As in years past, the post-festival club crawl through the bars, restaurants and coffee shops of Rockland is set for Friday and Saturday nights. It will feature many of the festival performers, as well as local artists such as Blind Albert, Eric Green, Pam Baker and Mark “Guitar” Miller.
“Everyone I know that goes says they have a phenomenal time,” said Benjamin. “The people who can’t afford the ticket can still see bands for free. There are thousands of people on the street. The city is really supportive of it.”
For all the fun, however, Benjamin and his partner in the festival, Jamie Isaacson, don’t actually get to see much of the music they’ve worked so hard to bring to town.
“I’ve never been to the club crawl. We’re so busy all day I don’t see any of the fest, really,” he said. “But my reward is getting to see the bands and the audience have a great time, and everyone enjoy themselves. I’m a blues fan first, so if other people enjoy it, that’s the high for us.”
The North Atlantic Blues Festival starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 14, and Sunday, July 15. A weekend pass is $60, and single-day tickets are $30. For more information, visit www.northatlanticbluesfestival.com.
The North Atlantic Blues Festival
Saturday
11 a.m. – Detroit Women
12:25 p.m. – Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King
1:50 p.m. – Piano Blowout, featuring Henry Butler, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne and Barrelhouse Chuck
3:45 p.m. – Blues Guitar Women, featuring Sue Foley, Deborah Coleman and Roxanne Potvin
5:15 p.m. – Bernard Allison
Sunday
11 a.m. – Patricia Wilder
12 p.m. – Billy Gibson
1:15 p.m. – Lucky Peterson
2:30 p.m. – Diunna Greenleaf
3:45 p.m. – Coco Montoya
5:05 p.m. – Walter Trout
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