This weekend, a corner of Riverhead will become a blues center, as the Riverhead Blues Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary with two days of music, fireworks and a Blues Journal to capture some of the memories. There have been changes along the way, but one thing remains the same—there’s plenty of music.
This year’s festival is an intimate affair with three stages a stone’s throw apart. The Main Stage is outdoors beside the waterfront near the rear entrance of the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall. Headlining there are Bernard Allision on Saturday night at 9:45 p.m. and Ana Popovic on Sunday night at 7:45 p.m. Fireworks immediately follow her performance to finish the Blues Festival in style.
On both days, music begins on the Main Stage at 11 a.m. and culminates with the headliner concerts. Each group plays for about 40 minutes. The acts are a mix of area talent and national talent. Main Stage acts include the Riverhead Building Supply Choir, Blue Wild Angel of Hampton Bays—a Jimi Hendrix tribute band—the Mojos of Eastport, Bobby Nathan Band of Westhampton, Who Are Those Guys of Riverhead and harmonica wizard Frank Latorre and The King Bees of Mastic.
The Main Stage also features Kane Daily, Toby Walker, the Hackensack Men and The Trenton Horns, Lil’ Brain and The Travelers from Texas and more.
At the same time, music will be jamming from the stages inside the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall and Club 91, located a few steps away. Bands begin at the Vail-Leavitt both days at 11:45 a.m. and go through the evening. Highlights include The Mulligans, Stevie and The Bluescasters and Toby Walker and Pat Wictor on Saturday and Ken “The Rocket” Korb and Dee Harris, Bob Greene, and the Sunnyland Jazz Band on Sunday.
The music at Club 91 launches at 12:10 both days. Highlights include legendary bluesman Sam Taylor on Sunday at 7:10 p.m., The Defibrillators, Doug “Harmonica” McLean, Jack O Diamonds and Blue Roots. The lineup for all stages can be found at www.riverblues.org.
One of the biggest shifts has been the change in management and purpose of the festival. Originally launched and run by Tom Gahan of Riverhead, the festival evolved at one point into a three-day event with a complex of outdoor and indoor stages and after-parties at Riverhead restaurants to round out each evening.
Three years ago, the festival was hurting financially and on the verge of shuttering. The Vail-Leavitt Music Hall board offered to keep the festival going as a fund-raiser for the historic theater. Festivalgoers pay $10 for two-day admission bracelets. Proceeds help underwrite programs at Vail-Leavitt, including the New Voices original music series and plays staged by area troupes.
“We don’t have celebrities or people writing us big checks,” said Chris Bruschi, a Vail-Leavitt board member, festival stage manager, and member of Blue Wild Angel. “We’re a small theater and we’re all volunteers trying to do something good for the community. The Vail-Leavitt is a great historic theater and we want to keep it going so people can continue to see music and shows there.”
These days, the festival aims to present a range of blues and blues roots music, Mr. Bruschi said, including gospel, Dixieland jazz, rockabilly, Delta blues, psychedelic blues and more.
“I think it’s really cool the festival gets started with a gospel choir,” Mr. Bruschi said. “Plus, the Riverhead Building Supply Choir is right here from Riverhead. This what the festival is all about—presenting a range of blues music and giving local musicians the opportunity to play while bringing in top national talent,” like Bernard Allison and Ana Popovic.
The 10th Anniversary Riverhead Blues Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday in downtown Riverhead near the riverfront. Admission is $10 for both days. Bracelets are sold at the door. For information, visit www.riverblues.org.
on Jul 14, 2008