Singin’ the
blues
Festival • A
variety of blues and rock acts played
at the 26th annual Long Beach Blues Festival,
a fundraiser for radio station 88.1 KKJZ-FM,
Saturday and Sunday at the Cal State
Long Beach Athletic Field. Clockwise
from upper left: Chris Robinson of the
Black Crowes; the Black Crowes; fans;
Willie G (performing with Los Lobos);
members of Los Lobos [next two photos];
Etta James. Photos of Chris Robinson
and the Black Crowes by Austin Lewis
/ Daily Forty-Niner; all other photos
by Tracey Roman / Daily Forty-Niner
Black
Crowes provide ‘Remedy’ for
L.B. blues
By
Austin Lewis
Daily Forty-Niner
Managing Editor
Southern rockers the Black Crowes and blues legend Etta James headlined the
26th annual KKJZ Long Beach Blues Festival at the Cal State Long Beach Athletic
Field Saturday and Sunday.
Ten bands played throughout the weekend, each sharing their own take on the
blues with a crowd that numbered in the thousands.
Having just wrapped up a reunion tour opening for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers,
the Black Crowes came to the festival for, in the words of lead singer Chris
Robinson, “something we call ‘Sunday service.’”
The band then ripped into “Stare It Cold.” Drummer Steve Gorman
laid down a pounding beat that provided a backing for a fierce slide solo from
guitarist Marc Ford. “Soul Singing,” played early in the set, transitioned
into a dreamy breakdown including more slide guitar from Ford.
The song gained momentum again with a keyboard solo from Eddie Harsch and a
bass solo from Sven Pipien during the ending chorus.
Robinson introduced “My Morning Song” by saying he wrote it about
simply “trying to find some light in some darkness.” Inspirational
lyrics such as “If your rhythm ever falls out of time / You can bring
it to me and I will make it all right” and “If your heart is beating
free / For the very first time it’ll be all right” were the focus
of the song, in addition to the lengthy jam at the end where the band traded
solos.
The Black Crowes’ set ended with two of their biggest hits, a cover of
Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle” and “Remedy.” Ford
played some of his best solos of the night during these songs, but what really
made them work was the tight rhythm section of Gorman, Pipien and guitarist
Rich Robinson.
The band came back with another cover — Elmore James’ “Shake
Your Money Maker” — for an encore. Harsch soloed first and played
his best keyboard solo of the night. Rich Robinson took a slide guitar solo
next, which was followed by a solo from Ford. As if that weren’t enough,
they each took another solo before the song came to an end.
At Saturday’s show, Etta James took the stage after a two-song introduction
by the horn-heavy, and very tight, Roots Band. An early crowd favorite was
her cover of Johnny Guitar Watson’s “I Want to Ta-Ta You Baby.” James
showed the crowd her voice is still strong, and, as a returning performer to
the Long Beach Blues Festival, she upheld her status as a blues legend.
Sticking with tradition, the first band to take the stage Saturday was a local
act. Cafe R&B started things out with a set of mostly mid-tempo blues songs.
Cafe R&B’s female lead singer, who goes by the name Roach, was by
far the best member of the group.
Her
soulful vocals stood out most during
a vocal improvisation about halfway through
the band’s set, where she sang
about walking down Bellflower Boulevard
and through Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Cafe R&B closed their set with a
cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing
Floor.”
Roach delivered more outstanding vocals here, but it was the backing music,
including a keyboard solo and interesting drum work spread throughout, that
made the song stand out.
Also on the bill Saturday were Bobby Rush and Howard Tate. Rush seemed more
like a storyteller than a blues musician at times, but the crowd enjoyed the
elements of funk in his music and enjoyed his harmonica solos. Tate’s
band stood out thanks to help from a small horn section. Highlights from his
set include his covers of Elvis Costello’s “Either Side of the
Same Town” and Randy Newman’s “Louisiana.”
The best act of the day was Los Lobos, who probably should have been opening
for the Black Crowes Sunday instead of James Saturday. The band and its guitar-heavy
sound seemed out of place on a day dominated by blues singers.
Los Lobos’ set opened with “Done Gone Blue,” featuring guitar
and saxophone solos and “Don’t Worry Baby,” which included
another very strong saxophone solo. Another high point of the set was “Charmed,” which
began with a crunching guitar riff that was a nice contrast to the song’s
solos.
The second day of the festival started with singer Otis Clay. The crowd was
into his performance from the start; his opening set was better than Cafe R&B’s
set Saturday. Clay’s band included a horn section that played over rolling
bass lines provided by Maurice Robinson. The band’s set included hits
such as “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” and “Love and Happiness.”
Guitar Shorty was next up. While most bands were able to play about 10 songs
during their hour-long sets, this band only made it through about four songs
in the hour. Guitar Shorty played a mix of fast and slow blues numbers, all
of them with lengthy solos. At one point he even walked through the crowd while
playing a solo, stopping to shake hands with fans and to pose for pictures.
Rounding out the show Sunday were Johnny Rawls and Bobby Bland. Rawls’ performance
included soulful vocals from his daughter on a few songs, but the highlight
of his set was when he told the crowd to “get up, kick your shoes off,
and shake your booty” before his last song. Bland’s horn section
was most impressive during his set, but the tempo of his set killed the energy
that Guitar Shorty and Rawls had built up earlier in the afternoon.
Each year the Long Beach Blues Festival serves as a fundraiser for 88.1 KKJZ-FM,
a jazz and blues radio station that broadcasts from the CSULB campus, but this
year’s festival also raised funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina through
the American Red Cross.
Performers and KKJZ disc jockeys encouraged fans to donate throughout the weekend,
stressing the importance of New Orleans and other Southern cities to jazz,
blues and American music in general. About $35,000 had been raised for hurricane
relief by the end of the festival. |
