The Summer of '14, Part 1

This post will be of special interest to Pittsburghers. My apologies to the rest of you.

Westsylvania Jazz and Blues Festival

The summer outdoor concert season will begin for me with the first annual Westsylvania Jazz and Blues Festival, a free day of music held in downtown Indiana, PA on May 24.I've previously written about the headline acts. Here's the time schedule.

10:30      The Dad Band

11:00      Marion Center High School Jazz Band

11:30      Hempfield High School Jazz Band

12:00      Indiana Senior High School Jazz Band

12:30      Westsylvania All-Star High School Jazz  

              Band

1:15        The Old Masters, with Laura Ferguson

2:15        The ChopShop

3:15        The Jukehouse Bombers (with a tribute 

               to Jeff Kelley)

4:15        The Electromotives

5:30        Sonny Landreth

7:30        The Poogie Bell Band, with Sean Jones

9:15        After hours programming:

                   The ChopShop at the Brown Hotel

                   The Jukehouse Bombers (an acoustic set) at Spaghetti Benders

                   Kupkake Jazz at the Coventry Inn

A lot of people have worked hard to make this happen. It deserves your support.

Pittsburgh Blues Festival

The Pittsburgh Blues Festival will be held July 25-27 at Hartwood Acres, Hampton Township, PA—a great outdoor venue slightly north of Pittsburgh. A partial list of acts has been announced, but without times. A few local groups are likely to be added later.

Friday, July 25           Bernard Allison

                                 Norm Nardini and the Pittsburgh All-Stars

Saturday, July 26        Dr. John

                                 Albert Cummings

                                 Wesley Bright and the Hi-Lites

                                 Trampled Under Foot

Sunday, July 27         JJ Grey & Mofro

                                The Spin Doctors

                                The Ben Miller Band

I'll do a longer post when the final schedule is announced. Obviously, booking Dr. John is a major coup for festival organizers. Bernard Allison, while not the singer that his dad (Luther) was—who is?—is one of the world's greatest blues guitarists. On the other hand, scheduling JJ Grey & Mofro, a roots band, as a headlining “blues” act is questionable. Among the non-headliners, you'll want to catch soul singer Wesley Bright and the Hi-Lites, a backup band, not a vocal group. Trampled Under Foot is a young blues-rock group that is hot right now. Their CD, Badlands, is nominated for Best Contemporary Blues album of 2013 at the Blues Music Awards.

You may also be interested in reading:

Westsylvania:  The Lineup