"If You Don't Like The Blues, You've Got A Hole In Your Soul"....

This past weekend was the First Annual Tall City Blues Festival. Let me just say that I was soooo skeptical when I heard this Blues Fest was going to happen here. I figured the bands would be amateur, at best. However, I was delightedly wrong.


I've never had the pleasure of seeing so much talent in one place, at one time, in this town. Ever. It was a mere $40.00 for a weekend pass to the festival and there were food trucks in abundance as well as some of the most amazing blues I've ever heard.

The best part was that you could listen to a sample of each band's music online, which made it easier to decide who you wanted to see. Mr. Snoots didn't really want to go, so I made the decision to go it alone on Friday night and I'm so glad I did. I saw a Dallas band called "Smokin' Joe Kubek" with special guest Bnois King and they were rocking HOT!


During the day on Saturday, various musicians offered workshops in guitar, harmonica and the like, which turned to be very successful by what I could tell. Being it's initial landmark year, I'd say the turnout was excellent and will continue to get better as time goes on.


Anyway, they had two stages set up at either end of the court house lawn which allowed them to have constant music and the sound guys were really professionals. I never did hear any feedback, thankfully.

While the attendance Friday night was sparse, as was Saturday during the day, Saturday night was a HUGE jammin' crowd. One of the odd things about where we live is that everyone complains that there is nothing to do here and yet, when someone DOES bring something to town, no one (or at least not enough people) support it, so it always seems to fade away. This, however, is worth supporting, especially in its fledgling year.

On Saturday, Mr. Snoots still wasn't convinced it was worth attending, so I went by myself again. I'm so glad I did! I ran into a couple of old friends so we were able to hang together for the day. I was able to see two of the most amazing blues bands. The first was Jeff Strahan (from New Braunfels, Tx) and the second was Jennifer B & The Blues Kings (from Austin).


Then a band I didn't care for came on so I headed home for a quick refresh, fixed hubby's dinner, and I was off again for Saturday night's festivities. I'd agreed to meet back up with my friends later. Luckily, I made it in time to chow down on a big plate of Crawfish (crawdads in my book) and they were quite tasty. Unfortunately, it was so crowded that I was never able to hook up with my friends again. For dessert I had a scrumptious cheeseburger & fries. Anyhooo, first on the music agenda was James 'Boogaloo' Bolden Blues Band (from Houston). 'Boogaloo' was band director for 15 years for B.B. King. Yes, he was GREAT!

After that, there were 2 more bands but I was ravaged by the day's intense sun and chafing winds, so I headed home for the night. Next year, I'll have to plan a little better in advance.....