Main Blues

The Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival, 11 years and running, has become a highly anticipated annual event. This year's festival may not have lived up to its expectations but was far from a disappointment. Blues music has always been a way for us to dance and sing away our sorrows. My uncle calls it complaining with a melody. Not surprisingly there was some complaining on Saturday as the blues festival landed on one of the hottest days of the year. The sun viciously beat down on the audience at Deer Lake Park. The park has some areas of shade but is mostly open air and exposed. Attendees hid in the shade and kept cool by visiting the misty tent and many free water stations. Due to factors out of my control, I arrived around 4:45p.m. lucky for me the sun had lost some of its momentum.
Apparently it was also a time that the festival was gaining momentum. I was greeted by the end of a joyful performance by Serena Ryder. The audience seemed to be digging her and the parks energy felt high. My family friends had been saving a spot for me in the shade. After I shuffled in I unloaded my stuff and mixed into the crowd to determine what I had missed. The crowd demographic was mixed in age, lots of families and lots of long grey goatees. Folded chairs, picnics and coolers littered the park grounds.
As I made my way though the crowd I heard enough sorrows to fill a complete blues record. According to many veteran blues festival attendees this years openers were too "folky." Jim Haynes - three year festival veteran - complained that he was bored with the openers that were far more entertaining in past years. I was surprised by that response as I expected the openers to kill it.
Looking at my schedule I saw the earlier performers included: Zaac Pick, who won Shore 104's "Sounds of Summer Song Search" contest and a spot on the festivals bill, Yukon Blonde, Lil Miss Higgins and Lukas Nelson, who later I learned had been wonderful and set the stage for the festival with his high energy performance. Unfortunately I did not see any of this for myself.


After hearing the blues of members of the crowd I wasn't sure about the blues I was about to hear from the next act, bluesman Colin Linden. He came out onto the back garden stage wearing a large fedora and a large grin. The one man band sang the happiest blues I've ever heard. Grinning and grimacing as he bounced in his stance.
Previous disappointments had vanished as people clapped along with Colin. This is the first moment I realized that no one was dancing. The front of the stage was full of people and maybe three were dancing. Huh? This isn't nod your head hip hop people this is get down turn around dirty blues. I was baffled -- and dancing alone.
After two lemonades and a family feast I made my way to the main stage to catch Kenny Wayne Shepherd. This guy is a wizard with the guitar and I believe most were there to see him -- I know I was. He is self taught and began playing when he was seven, proving himself to some of the greatest blues musicians alive before he was 20. He took the stage in that cool guitarist way - extremely dorky - and immediately unleashed his fingers on his guitar. I have never seen anyone play a guitar like that and with ease. Effortlessly he tickled the strings, his fingers moved like mini tasmanian devils. The first guitar solo set the stage on what was to come. Kenny's lead singer was good but unfortunately I caught myself simply waiting for the guitar solos. Ol Kenny could not have lived up to his hype any more and the crowd was in awe.
After two more lemonades (the ones in the plastic cups from the big lemon stand - why do I love these?) I headed back to the main stage to catch Harry Saint Clair Fredricks aka Taj Mahal before he came out. A man with four names like that reeks blues. He has incorporated South Pacific, Caribbean and African influences into his music.
Taj has been playing blues for over 50 years and has done a lot to foster it's growth. I really wanted to see this legend get down. Taj Mahal walks out onto the stage and stops and another man joins him. I wasn't surprised to see Steven Seagal posing for a picture with Taj. Mr Seagal is a blues man himself, with two albums under his black belt. His band, Thunderbox, have sold out shows around the world. This guy is the only Aikido master, deputy, writer, producer and blues guitar player to have films grossing over 900 million dollars. Taj Mahal showed him his respect and moved to the stage.
Taj instantly broke into some stanky guitar chunky blues. Ironically he screamed to the crowd, Are you ready to dance? Well come on baby lets dance. Unfortunately Taj didn't know that of the several thousand of people in attendance a handful would take him up on his offer.
Side rant: Why do we not dance in this city? This is some of the best music to dance to and nearly everyone sits in their stupid chair and nods their head. This reminds me of the jazz festival when I experienced the same thing. Is there something wrong with us in Vancouver?
Anyhow... Taj performed with the old time skill of the past. The kind of musical energy that old people always tell me that us kids today know nothing about. His eyes were as much a part of his performance as his guitar as he emphasized chords by bulging his eyes. He shot out sweet serenading looks to the audience as he belted out, Won't you do me good baby? Taj must have sensed he had to do something to get people to dance so he offered advice to those that were worried about being embarrassed (I am not making this up) Just grab the girl you came with, or just met and are going home with and rock side to side. Taj Mahal was surprsingly able to convince a larger handful to dance. He finished off by breaking out the banjo and offering a little river music.
Before he was finished members of the audience did that thing that I hate. They started to pack up to leave before it was over. How is your ten minute early retreat going to save you any real time? You simply disturb people around you, obsturct views for what, to get a jump on the crowd? It is almost as though we do not know how to relax and enjoy something in Vancouver. Got to keep moving unless the show is on -- then we must sit! Infuriating!
By the time he was actually done I had given up begging people to dance and was lemonaded out. The Blues + Roots festival was a unique experience and I had a blast. I love that so many families have made it into a tradition, coming year after year packing cousins, aunties, picnics and all. Next year I'm bringing my aunties (so I have dancing partners) and I'm going to try to catch it all.
Photos courtesy of Alicia Grunert.