Main Blues

Picture yourself on the edge of the ocean listening to the surf break against the shore under blue skies. Eagles and pelicans fly above you, and sweet breezes of the fresh ocean air fill your lungs. All of this while listening to top Northwest and national Blues acts in a magical 3 day festival.

Westport, Washington is the home port of the Dock of the Bay Blues Festival. Westport is a wonderful, picturesque fishing village with many nautical treasures to enjoy. The Dock of the Bay Blues Festival opens at the beautiful Westport Inn in the heart of the marina. It is a weekend of great music and memories with the beautiful Pacific Ocean, friendly restaurants, bustling working docks, and quaint shops only a short walk away. It all makes for an exciting weekend of live blues music.

Festival hosts Mark and Desiree Dodson wanted to share their passion for blues music and their love of the quaint coastal community, so they started the Westport Blues Nonprofit which supports the event. Each year the festival has grown, and this year it is expected to be the best celebration of the blues ever.

The festival is held in a huge tent to temper the rays of the sun, or keep you dry, so no matter what the weather you will be comfortable while getting your groove on. Vendors bring unique items to shop for, as well as food and espresso. The Blues Beer Garden will have micro brews to choose from and locally produced wines.

Blues Attitude

The festival brings a wide range of the Blues to Westport. Festivities kick off on Friday night, September 7th with the popular band Blues Attitude known for their jamming blues. The Tim Hall Band takes you into the rest of the evening playing blues that will get your out of our seat and dancing.

Mia Vermillion

Saturday, September 8th brings the Pleasure Hounds to get the party started. Then Mia Vermillion, who has opened for blues legend John Hammond and rocked the main stage at the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, will bring her fresh unique sound to the stage. Mia is “…One of the best vocalists I’ve heard in a while..." according to Graham Clarke with Blues Bytes Magazine. Following Mia, the Billy Shew Band keeps the afternoon rocking with their sound solidly rooted in modern indie groove and spiced with various influences.

Kim Archer

Next, the Kim Archer Band takes the stage to get you up dancing. Kim brings a raw power-house performance with her guitar in hand. She brings her original songs rooted in old school soul, funk, classic rock, sultry blues and ballads along with her interpretation of many classics.

The stage’s final evening performance on Saturday is the great blues man Mr. Spider Murphy. Spider hails from Colorado and is recognized as the best tenor guitar player in the world. You will be captivated by his down, dirty and gritty blues. Opening for Randy Travis and touring throughout the states, Spider is a well known legend in the music world. Spider Murphy is stopping in to the Dock of the Bay Blues Festival during his West Coast tour.
When the stage closes Saturday night, the Blues Jam and Dance starts at the Coho Hall at the Westport Inn. It will be a night of musicians jamming and the party will go until you can’t dance anymore.

Catch of the Day & Andy Koch

Sunday, September 9th, after you have rested up, the festival starts again. The stage brings Andy “Badd Dog” Koch & Catch of the Day. Andy Koch is the founder and leader of the Badd Dogg Blues Society and will get you rocking with his true blue blues and intense harp playing. Joining Andy, Westport’s own Catch of the Day adds their unique harmonic vocal stylings and will show you how the blues are alive and well in Westport!

Little Bill

The festival is honored to have Little Bill and the Blue Notes back again this year. The history of this band mirrors the history of American rock & roll and you’re assured to get shivers down your back. The festival wraps up Sunday afternoon with the Randy Oxford Band burning up the stage. Sexy, funky, cool blues… Randy plays the trombone as a lead instrument, inventing a path through the chord progressions sometimes mimicking the guitars around him taking them with him on one of his wild rides.

Billy Shew Band

A portion of the festival proceeds go to the Westport Blues Nonprofit to support music and arts in Westport, the south beach and Grays Harbor.

The three day festival for all performances and events, including the Blues Jam and Dance, is only $35. One day festival tickets are $18. For ticket and lodging information go to WestportBlues.com or call the Westport Inn at 360-268-0111. A complete schedule can be found HERE

Click on the picture to view the poster

The South Sound Blues Association presents “Back to Beale Street Blues 2011”, a fundraiser, concert and dance to help send the Red Hot Blues Sisters (Band Winner) and Jumpin' Josh and Felicia (Solo/Duo Act) to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, in February, 2012. The fundraiser will be held on Sunday, September 18, 2011, at Louie G’s Pizzeria | 5219 Pacific Hwy East | Fife, WA 98424
Phone: 253.926.9700, 4:00 PM -10:30 PM. Donations are $8 for Blues Society/Association members and $10 for non-members. All Ages Welcome!

Five top regional blues bands and one solo act will be featured. Acts performing in order of appearance are, Jumpin' Josh and Felicia, The Randy Oxford Band,The Chester Dennis Jones Band, Nick Vigarino and Friends,The Wired Band, and The Red Hot Blues Sisters.

Along with live music, the South Sound Blues Association will be hosting a silent auction and raffles.

The Red Hot Blues Sisters (Band Category) and Jumpin' Josh and Felicia (Solo Duo Act Category) won this year's competition, and will be representing the South Sound Blues Association at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, January 31st through February 4th. The International Blues Challenge in Memphis is the largest gathering of blues artists in the world. Groups from around the globe are chosen to represent their states and countries. Last year, over a hundred bands competed on Beale Street. Each contestant performs in front of an international panel of music industry professionals who judge the event.

• 4:00 - 4:30 PM Jumpin' Josh and Felicia
• 4:45 - 5:30 PM The Randy Oxford Band
• 6:00 - 6:45 PM Chester Dennis Jones Band
• 7:15 - 8:00 PM Nick Vigarino and Friends
• 8:30 - 9:15 PM The Wired Band
• 9:45 - 10:30 PM The Red Hot Blues Sisters

The Washington Blues Society (WBS) and the Slaughter House Lounge proudly present: “Somethin’ New; Somethin’ Old; Somethin’ Borrowed; Somethin’ Definitely The Blues” A celebration of some of our Best New Band nominees, a showcase of the extremely talented members of the Washington Blues Society’s Hall of Fame, and a few of our Best Blues Band nominees.

When: August 27, 2011 Noon to 10pm
Where: Monroe River Valley Farm (19829 168th St SE, Monroe, WA 98272)


Opening the show will be Hot Rod’s Blues Revue, a band that has garnered several nominations in the WBS’s most recent Best of Blues Awards for both the band and many of the individual musicians in the band. They will bring a mixture of rockin’ rhythm & blues, gritty Chicago blues and uptown swing tunes that are sure to get this party started off and fill the dance floor right from the start. With a solid backline lead by Steve Sarkowsky on drums and Tommy Wall on bass, tasty guitar licks from Greg Timmons, Hot Rod Holman trickling the keys of the B3, classic harp from Joe “Blue” Giorella and a horn section featuring Ron Hendee and Joey “The Saint” St. John-Ryan this band will not disappoint.

Next up is a new band called the T-Town Aces and recently nominated in the Best New Band category of the BB Awards. If you look closely you will see that this band is fronted by Steve Bailey and Dennis Ellis from the old Crossroads Band, who have both received many nominations in BB Awards over their long careers here in the Northwest. Joining them on guitar is Curtis Smith a new addition to the Northwest music scene, but who has a resume that includes playing with Mark Hummel, Johnny Dyer, Junior Watson and Janiva Magness to name a few. Joining them are David Hudson on drums and Al Cantey on bass, both Northwest veterans who know the Blues and who have been laying down top notch rhythm for more than twenty years each. With outstanding cover choices and clever originals this band will amp the party up just a little higher.

The featured attraction of the day will be a Showcase of all of the Hall of Fame members. With a line-up that includes Dick Powell, Little Bill Engelhart, Buck England, Leslie Milton, Patti Allen, Kathi McDonald, Nick Vigarino, Mark Dufresne, Randy Oxford, Mark Whitman, Alice Stuart, Jack Cook, David Brewer, Paul Green, and Chris Leighton you know you are in for some great music. But throw in their special guests Raven Humphres, John Lee, Howard Hopper, Ron Hendee, Rod Cook, and Tommy Morgan and you’re headed for something spectacular. This kind of talent all together on the same stage only happens once in a lifetime. Every Hall of Famer will be featured in a tightly packed, high energy, blues driven show that will leave you all “Ate up with the Blues”. Like I said the don’t miss event of the summer!

You would think that after all that we would be done, but we have Brian Lee and The Orbiters. This band has received several nominations over the years for both its individual members and the band. Featuring Brian Lee on vocals, guitar, and harp , the distinctive style of Steve Yonck on guitar and a backline consisting of long time pros Russ Kammerer on drums and Hank Yanda on bass, this band has crafted a long list of original tunes that keep dance floors full and clubs at capacity. They will take you on “A Broad Orbit Through The Blues Universe”.

Closing out the day will be the Stacy Jones Band. With multiple nominations over the last three years of BB Awards for both its members and the band they have become one of the favorites of the WBS membership. Fronted by the talented Stacy Jones on keys, guitar, harp and vocals with Jeff Menteer as a sideman on guitar and vocals this band plays a set list of originals that always get the audience’s attention and with “Blind” Tommy Jones on bass and Rick Bowen on drums the backline keeps them dancing.

Not a bad day of music, but there’s more! At the low cost of $25.00 advance purchase/$30.00 day of show this will be a great value. Multiple food venders will supply tasty cuisine, Paula’s “Wine Knot” Tasting Room and Paula’s Pepper Jelly will host a beer garden with select choices of beer and wine, and plenty of parking is available on site for only $5.00. Who could ask for more! But wait there is more and if you’ve read this far you deserve the reward. All Washington Blues Society members with their membership dues current can buy tickets to this event for themselves at the incredibly low price of only $15.00! Another great reason to join the Washington Blues Society!

By Robert Horn
The music and the overall event was so good that a subtitle could have been "Angry Old Man Cured of Anger" if there was an angry old man there. The music was great and much of this will tell all about that. The weather was not typical of Seattle. It was 98 degrees and that is warmer than warm by Seattle standards. One could have thought that someone could have gotten grumpy with that heat.

It was also a Peace Concert as well as a Washington Blues Society (WBS) event. Seattle Peace Concerts and the WBS co-sponsor this event each August. So at an event like this everyone got along, including me.

Now I could have had my personal conversations with a friend interrupted continuously by someone who never says "pardon me," and implies that I am not a human being but some stray dog, and I still would not get mad on a day like this. I would never say "Hey: don't disrespect me like this, and stop being so rude…!" That is not something I would ever say or think of saying on such a day. Peace among everyone there was important to me.

Dean Haitani of Australia then put on a show and I was impressed by many things including his slide guitar work.

I got an interesting photo of her when I was focusing on her from the side of the stage 20 feet from where she was. Some divas act like they hate those with cameras but Duffy has fun with them. She ran over to put her face in the lens of the camera and I got a picture with an amazing artistic perspective that covers a whole page or a whole computer screen with just her mouth, her microphone, and some hair over both of them.

Duffy did three encores and the audience was begging for more as her ride took her away (picture hundreds running behind the vehicle trying to talk her into more encores.)

WHERE: Hard Rock Cafe, Seattle
BENEFIT: Seattle Musician Norm Bellas and Friend Steve Randel
WHEN: Sunday July 11, 2010
TIME: Doors 5:00 PM / Show 6:00-11:30pm

TICKETS: $10.00 Advance / $15.00 Door Click Here to Buy Tickets

RockTheBlues.com & Hard Rock Seattle Present the Rock N’ Blues music community All-Star jam to benefit Seattle musician Norm Bellas and friend Steve Randel Featuring: School of Rock West Coast All Stars, Lynn Sorensen (Paul Rodgers, Bad Company), Steve Fossen (Founding Member and Original Bass HEART), Somar Macek (Vocalist), Jeff Kathan (Paul Rodgers, Spike and The Impalers), Terry James Young, Andy Baldwin, Rick Knotts (RAIL), Tim Turner (Longtime NW Guitarist), Aury Moore (Songwriter / Vocalist, Aury Moore Band, ), Aaron Balsley (Spike and The Impalers), plus a debut live performance of “RTB (RockTheBlues) PROJECT”, and also including several other PNW performers.


For more information please visit: http://www.rocktheblues.com/