(Day one by Ray Stiles)
Photo © by Ray Stiles

This was the second year at the newly designed Bayfront Festival Park with its gentle sloping grass covered audience area and separate vendors walkway. Excellent layout and what's great about this new park for those of you who have been to the fest in years past is that there is no mud after a rain. No more trucks hauling in wood chips and slopping through the muck. Now, even if it does rain as it did Saturday morning, the grounds were relatively dry when the gates opened and any water quickly dried up. This is such a pretty setting with the water off to one side along with the lift bridge and all the boats (both pleasure craft and large ore boats) and the hills of Duluth on the other side. The format for the festival is always a plus. There are two stages (the larger main stage on the water and the smaller stage up near the entrance to the park. What's nice about his arrangement is they alternate acts with just 10 to 15 minutes between sets so there is very little down time and just about enough time to pick up and walk to the other end of the park or, as many did who were sitting somewhere in the middle of the grounds, simply stand up and turn the lawn chair around. With 8 acts per day and 7 on Sunday we get to hear a lot of music over the 3-day period.

Photo © by Tom Asp
The expected traditions where all there: The lift bridge going up and down throughout the weekend letting the ships pass through; the Duluth skyline up the hill with all the antennas; the deep fat fried foods (potatoes, onions, cheese curds, hot dogs, etc.); the interesting chair markers (see link to special feature on this); Big Walter Smith; and all the other familiar faces that I see at this and other area festivals and clubs. On the negative side, the sound on the smaller stage was distorted for many fans sitting out in the middle of the park. Hopefully this can be fixed next year. I also thought it would be nice to have one of those Jumbo Tron TVs on either side of the main stage.

There was no rain on Friday and the festival began, as it traditionally does, with a local Twin Ports band, the Black Eyed Snakes. Last year they were a trio, and this year they had an extra percussionist emphasizing the heavy rhythms. This was a very raw, rocked-up Mississippi hill country blues, slightly on the punk side. The lead singer used a harp mic that gave him a distorted vocal sound that fit in nicely with their music. Their song, "Cheerios on the Floor" was a favorite. My 16 year old daughter who was with me this weekend gave positive thumbs up on this band's performance.

Photo © by Tom Asp
Regional stalwarts, The Lamont Cranston Blues Band seemed pretty enthused about performing to the fairly large audience (just after noon on a Friday). The Cranston's always deliver a high energy performance led by perennial favorite band leader Pat Hayes. Highlights for me were the performance of the songs "Hold On" and the closing numbers "Upper Mississippi Shakedown" and E Jam." Plus the guitar duos between Pat and lead guitarist Ted Larson. And when Pat switches from guitar to harmonica, watch out, because there are few who can touch him when he is "on." The wind was picking up and I watched the overhead lights swaying in time to Ted's guitar solo on Shakedown. The finale, E Jam, featured Pat's soulful solo harp introduction with Ted's guitar joining in soon after, followed by the rest of the band. Jim Greenwell's haunting sax solo seemed to answer itself and there was a sweet piano solo followed by another beautiful guitar solo from Ted. Their new album is the 2 CD Lamont Live which features all of the songs (and more) performed during this Bayfront set.

Photo © by Ray Stiles
Switching back to the smaller stage, the West Side Andy and Mel Ford Band (a 5-piece band fronted by Andy on harmonica and Mel on guitar) hit the stage running on all pistons and didn't let up until the sweat was flowing and the crowed was cheering an hour later. The band is from Wisconsin so we get to see them maybe once a year down in the Twin Cities but this was their first Bayfront appearance. From Mel Ford swinging his hips in time to his scintillating guitar solos, or Jimmy Voegeli's keyboard solos and vocals, to Andy's "right on" harp playing we were treated to one shot after another of traditional Chicago style blues. One of the more memorable moments of the weekend was Andy's extended walk out in the crowd - he ended up nearly blowing the reeds out of his harp right in front of where we were sitting. The band has just released a new album called Handyman (recorded live).

Photo © by Ray Stiles
The crowd continued to grow and according to published accounts this was one of the largest, if not the largest, crowds for a Friday in the festival's decade and a half history. By 2:30 PM the grounds were pretty full as the next, highly anticipated, act took the stage. I think some people made the trip to Duluth just to see 89 year old Pinetop Perkins (along with Carey Bell and Bob Margolin). We also had former Muddy bandmate, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on drums. So this was definitely an "all star" lineup of former Muddy Water's band members that more than lived up to their reputations and press. This was nothin' but that good 'ol 1950's Chicago blues. This set was one of the highlights of the weekend and as one of the fans commented, "I could sit here and listen to this old blues all day long."

Photo © by Tom Asp
Blues raconteur Larry Garner is always a delight to see. He is one of the most personable blues artists on the circuit today, always relating directly to his audience whether from up on stage between and even during his songs or out in the crowd afterwards talking to his fans. He has a great sense of humor and carries on a conversation with the audience as if they were all old friends.

Photo © by Tom Asp
This was Shemekia Copeland's second Bayfront appearance (her first was 1999 after she literally burst onto the blues scene following her stellar break out album Turn The Heat Up). Showing her maturity (although she is only 23 years old) she is less of a belter of songs now and shows a more seasoned and reserved voice. Don't get me wrong, she can still belt them out as good as anyone but she has more control of her voice now as she aptly displayed in her show stopper, "Ghetto Child." And she still has a great sense of humor and stage presence as she introduced one song with the comment, "all you ladies out there shake your hips now. You don't have to get up, just make your chair real happy."

Photo © by Tom Asp
Michael Hill's Blue Mob, a three piece New York City band, features contemporary urban blues laced with modern day topics yet rooted in traditional blues. Lead guitarist Michael Hill is another of those really great guys, just as friendly as can be and one of the more explosive and remarkable blues guitarists playing today. From Robert Johnson, to Eric Clapton, to Jimi Hendrix, and even a tribute to Jerry Garcia with the song, "Casey Jones," Michael was very impressive - "you better watch your speed…" And he ended the set with a souped-up version of Muddy's "Got My Mojo Working" fading into Purple Haze. Today we were sanctified in the blues as he was happy to say.

Photo © by Tom Asp
Little Milton closed out the Friday show with his band opening with a respectable instrumental version of Soul Man before Milton joined them on vocals after a few songs. His voice and guitar playing were in good form and what his performance may have lacked in excitement (evidenced by some of the audience heading out early) he more than made up for in his classic renditions of soul/blues songs in the vein of Bobby Blue Bland. He closed with his enduring blues anthem, "Hey, Hey The Blues Is Alright."

I had seen all of today's performers before so there were no real surprises. However, as always seems the case, there were some outstanding performances as some of the musicians always step it up a notch when performing in front of such a large and enthusiastic crowd. One of those outstanding sets for me was Saturday's act Arthur Adams.

(Day two and three by Rich Benson)

Photo © by Ray Stiles
Day two of the festival dawned with a brief shower and the threat of much heavier weather that never materialized except for a very strong breeze and scattered clouds. Local band The Busters kicked things off with their capable mix of country, blues and rock at the smaller Minnesota Lottery Stage.

Photo © by Tom Asp
Next up was Twin Cities blues legend Big Walter Smith and the Groove Merchants, celebrating over 40 years in the music business and performing at every Bayfront Festival since the beginning. Big Walter brought his horn-driven blues and beautiful singing to the Leinenkugel's main stage in a solid performance that was much anticipated by the large, enthusiastic crowd.

Photo © by Mike Fraser
Back at the Lottery stage, Super Chikan kept things rolling with their infectious, Mississippi juke joint dance music that had the crowd dancing with passion.

Photo © by Tom Asp
Kelly Hunt's performance on the main stage was marked by her powerful boogie woogie keyboard work, solid backing band, and passionate vocals that ranged from beautiful blues ballads to up-tempo dance music.

Photo © by Mike Fraser
Arthur Adams then performed some of the best pure blues of the weekend, working hard on guitar and vocals, walking through the crowd, and giving a mix of covers and originals highlighted by a moving cover of "What a Wonderful World." A seasoned performer, Adams was backed by an incredibly tight band that played excellently off each other.

Photo © by Ray Stiles
The North Mississippi All-Stars are a young, blues power trio determined to keep the fast, steady blues of the Mississippi Hill Country alive with their solid instrumental work and capable vocals.

Photo © by Mike Fraser
At the Lottery stage the horn-driven New Jersey band, The Fins, gave the crowd a nice mix of blues and R&B that kept the festival rolling right along.

Photo © by Tom Asp
Dr. John's performance to wrap up the festival's second day brought the party atmosphere to a rousing close with his blend of New Orleans tinged blues mixed with mystery and Voo Doo. After suffering an injury early in the year, Dr. John was forced to take a break that sure seemed to improve his health, he lost a great deal of weight, and re-captured his enthusiasm. Playing his B-3 and Mardi Gras decorated grand piano, topped by a skull, he looked and sounded great, playing solid piano and singing strong and clear in his hip, New Orleans delivery. At several points he played standing up and even showed off a few dance moves, dancing on one foot and exhorting the crowd to a frenzy.

Photo © by Tom Asp
Day three kicked off on the main stage with the beautiful, harmonizing of the Minneapolis Gospel Sound, which features four solid female vocalists.

Photo © by Mike Fraser
Keyboard player and vocalist Keri Noble brought her country-tinged, folksy blues to the main stage with her wailing voice backed by a band with an often funky beat.

Photo © by Tom Asp
Mick Sterling and the Stud Brothers then lit up the main stage with his powerful vocals and horn-driven R&B and blues. This was Mick's fifth straight trip up to Bayfront from the Twin Cities and the crowd roared its approval to his great vocals and tight band.

Photo © by Mike Fraser
Lil' Brian and the Zydeco Travelers kept things rolling along and the crowd dancing on the Lottery stage with their mix of funk and R&B blended with Zydeco.

Photo © by Tom Asp
Denise LaSalle brought her soulful blues and sharply dressed band to the main stage. The band sounded great, yet there appeared to be a problem with the mix on Denise's vocals that left her sounding a bit harsh.

Photo © by Mike Fraser
Tommy Castro took the small stage and lit up the crowd with the title track from his last CD, Guilty of Love. The heat of the afternoon was made hotter by his rocking blues guitar and emotional vocals, highlighted by his solo performance on "Face of Love" and his final encore of "Shake Like a Willow Tree."

Photo © by Tom Asp
Blues Traveler gave a solid blues-tinged pop finish to the 14th Annual Bayfront Blues Festival. The slimmed down John Popper looked and sounded great as he swayed with his microphone as the band performed a mix of their established hits and newer, unreleased songs that carry on the same sound and spirit, exemplified by their new song, "Stumble and Fall." There was no denying that many people were actually arriving at the festival from mid-afternoon on expressly to see Blues Traveler. The band's solid playing, enthusiasm, and interaction with the crowd gave a fitting finish to Bayfront and doubtless left many fans looking with anticipation to next year.