Date: February 19, 20th 2017
Venue: Clearwater, Florida / Coachman Park
Each and every February of the year you must without fail mark your calendar to attend what is known as the premier Blues Festival of all in the beautiful state of Florida down in Clearwater, known as the Seafood Blues Festival!
The organizers of this great venue bring their "A game" with superior food, drink, venders and of course the entertainment speaks for itself.
Two days of blues music filled the air as both local and national acts took to the stage. Saturday in particular featured Tampa's own Souliz . . .bringing their ear pleasing, toe tapping funky blues to the forefront. As the first act of the day, Souliz brought the crowd to life with their non- stop energy. They covered a couple Ko Ko Taylor tunes and were spot on! They also laid down some great original material which was well received. Good things ahead for this band.
Local Songstress Betty Fox is undeniably one of the best kept secrets in the blues and I am so glad many of us Floridians have had the privilege of seeing her evolve and mature musically, and the amazing thing about Betty is that she hasn't even reached her full potential! The Betty Fox Band is on a mission when they play a Festival and that mission is to entertain the audience and deliver the "Wow" factor. . .that they did!
Betty's vocals are so good & powerful, they raise the hair on your neck. Enough said. Front and center stage of this festival She covered material on the latest release: Slow Burn, then teased with songs from a new album; Living Room Sessions. Make no doubt about it, The Betty Fox Band moves the needle. . . wherever and whenever they play. Stellar set at this Festival!
Selwyn Birchwood followed Ms Fox and is a crowd favorite. An Orlando native that has done well on the national blues scene, Selwyn and Band brought the heat to the stage and had the appreciative audience wrapped around his finger and begging for more. Don't Call No Ambulance was the highlight of his well performed set. Go see this gifted man when you have an opportunity.
Mike Zito followed and I really enjoyed the Texas three piece lineup he brought to the festival stage. This particular band sounded very tight and extenuated Mike Z's explosive guitar work and splendid vocals as they took turns in the spotlight. Songs from the new recording: Make Blues Not War rained through his set as well as a bevy of staples from his extensive catalog of tunes. Very entertaining set.
The much anticipated heavyweight blues performer of the night; Sonny Landreth took the spotlight with a three piece acoustic set initially followed by an electric set. Sonny is a master slide guitar technician and is jaw dropping every time I have seen him. The Louisiana native is a wonder to behold with his style of picking, fretwork and hamonics, not to mention the superior slide work. Well into his 60's after hearing Sonny you know what a journeyman guitarist brings to the table.
I was fortunate enough to be awarded a photo media pass, so was able to capture a few frames of the wonderful talent in front of my eyes with my trusty Nikon. Hope you enjoy.
Venue: Clearwater, Florida / Coachman Park
The organizers of this great venue bring their "A game" with superior food, drink, venders and of course the entertainment speaks for itself.
Two days of blues music filled the air as both local and national acts took to the stage. Saturday in particular featured Tampa's own Souliz . . .bringing their ear pleasing, toe tapping funky blues to the forefront. As the first act of the day, Souliz brought the crowd to life with their non- stop energy. They covered a couple Ko Ko Taylor tunes and were spot on! They also laid down some great original material which was well received. Good things ahead for this band.
Local Songstress Betty Fox is undeniably one of the best kept secrets in the blues and I am so glad many of us Floridians have had the privilege of seeing her evolve and mature musically, and the amazing thing about Betty is that she hasn't even reached her full potential! The Betty Fox Band is on a mission when they play a Festival and that mission is to entertain the audience and deliver the "Wow" factor. . .that they did!
Betty's vocals are so good & powerful, they raise the hair on your neck. Enough said. Front and center stage of this festival She covered material on the latest release: Slow Burn, then teased with songs from a new album; Living Room Sessions. Make no doubt about it, The Betty Fox Band moves the needle. . . wherever and whenever they play. Stellar set at this Festival!
Selwyn Birchwood followed Ms Fox and is a crowd favorite. An Orlando native that has done well on the national blues scene, Selwyn and Band brought the heat to the stage and had the appreciative audience wrapped around his finger and begging for more. Don't Call No Ambulance was the highlight of his well performed set. Go see this gifted man when you have an opportunity.
Mike Zito followed and I really enjoyed the Texas three piece lineup he brought to the festival stage. This particular band sounded very tight and extenuated Mike Z's explosive guitar work and splendid vocals as they took turns in the spotlight. Songs from the new recording: Make Blues Not War rained through his set as well as a bevy of staples from his extensive catalog of tunes. Very entertaining set.
The much anticipated heavyweight blues performer of the night; Sonny Landreth took the spotlight with a three piece acoustic set initially followed by an electric set. Sonny is a master slide guitar technician and is jaw dropping every time I have seen him. The Louisiana native is a wonder to behold with his style of picking, fretwork and hamonics, not to mention the superior slide work. Well into his 60's after hearing Sonny you know what a journeyman guitarist brings to the table.
I was fortunate enough to be awarded a photo media pass, so was able to capture a few frames of the wonderful talent in front of my eyes with my trusty Nikon. Hope you enjoy.
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