The Heart & Soul Festival, now in its sixth year and the third year for this outdoor festival, continues to have a profound effect on the lives of hundreds of children affected by HIV and AIDS. Heart & Soul, founded by Mick Sterling, is the single largest fund raiser for Camp Heartland, a year-round camp devoted exclusively to providing a unique camping experience for children and their families afflicted by the HIV virus. This year's festival saw an expanded grounds which included a separate children's area (booths, climbing wall, face painting, story telling, drawing, video games center, etc.) as well as the huge outdoor music stage. This stage, which butted up to the side of Bunker's Bar is dedicated to the memory of one of the festivals staunchest supporters, Luther Allison, who passed away a few years ago. Luther's son, Bernard, also made his third consecutive appearance at this year's festival.
Even though there were more vendors and porta-potties this year, I don't think the Heart & Soul staff and more than 700 loyal volunteers anticipated just how large the crowd would get. Saturday's crowd grew to more than 6500 people by the last three acts of the night (Gov't Mule, Indigenous and Jonny Lang). This was more people than the entire weekend last year. As Mick looked out over the surging audience which included many children, he said, "This is our largest crowd ever and it does my heart good to see so many kids out there--seeing live musicians do what live musicians do."
The following short review "snap shots" capture just some of the exciting performances of the more than 40 artists who donated their time and performed both outdoors and inside Bunker's over the two day event. While the sixteen main acts (over the weekend) were performing on the outdoor stage there were also two dozen bands playing inside Bunker's at the same time -- definitely something for everyone. Unfortunately, that also means you can't see everyone. Before we get to the short reviews here are just a "few" of the highlights, novelties and surprise acts from the weekend:
Monte Montgomery with his melodic runs, popping bass strings, impressive picking and remarkable acoustic slide guitar playing…the Double Trouble jam session which featured the Fargo-connection of Mike Keller and Ted Larsen on lead guitars…Tina singing Jimmy Reed…10 Foot 5 dance act which was "the Dance Shope meets Tap Dogs and Stomp"…Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes' monster electric slide guitar display…Jonny Lang and Mato (of Indigenous) joining the Keller Brothers Band inside Bunker's for the final act of Saturday (the Governor even showed up)…Cowboy Mouth's drummer, Fred LeBlanc, stealing Mick's scaffold climbing trick, their rootsy alternative New Orleans Rock, and his surprise guests which included pubescent Isiah Wallace (Daddy I's very young son) pounding on the drums and Shakey Jake Neuman showing he can improvise on the harmonica and play with some soulful feeling…Tom Hunter's keyboard fireworks…The Scary Man, well, just being "The Scary Man"…Hillbilly Voodoo Dolls' version of Huey Piano Smith's "Don't You Just Know It"…Ross William Perry playing a super surf guitar piece…Susan Tedeschi's new song, "In The Garden"…Anders Osborne's tuba (sousaphone) player…Paul Cebar's 1950's south seas theme, satin smoking jacket…the "dancing lady"…the great weather and friendly crowd!
Abdomen (by Heather Stiles)
This family band's sound was a great introduction to the weekend at Heart and Soul [inside Bunker's]. This family band got the crowd moving and kept their appeal. The group's entire set was full of energy and you could tell they were into the scene and having a blast. Jacob (13) took care of lead vocals like an old blues legend. He cued his brother Mathew (12) who seemed a bit shy, "Go, Mathew, Go!" and the kid just took control of that keyboard, not to mention the audience. Near the end of the set Amanda Harris and her dad came up on stage with the band to sing a great song about being grounded called, "Four Gray Walls." Amanda was another guest to perform at the Heart and Soul Benefit concert, she played her set early Sunday inside Bunkers. Check out Abdomen's web site at www.abdomenmusic.com and see what a little heart and soul can do.
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Bernard Allison (by Andrew L. Kolstad)
My introduction to the Heart and Soul Festival was seeing Bernard Allison for the first time. His set was just starting as I arrived. My Immediate thought was "new power generation," mixed with a hardcore Hendrix sound. I knew this was bound to be an exciting weekend of music. There was one song in particular that I liked toward the end of his set [from Bernard's new Tone-Cool CD to be released later this summer]. The music he and his hot dog band provided was both soulful and danceable.
Ronny Loew Band (by Andrew L. Kolstad)
This band surprised me with a powerfully tight funk groove. The saxophonist front man (Ronnie Loew?) was wailing out beats with both the intensity of a boxer and the delicacy of a ballerina. A sunny afternoon inside bunkers was an unusual setting. On par with local heroes "Leroy Smokes" These guys are definitely a Saturday night party band that can cause a crowd to shake, early or late.
Chris Whitley (by Rebecca West)
When Chris Whitley broke into his first few chords, the crowd was happy to hear his steel guitar. Songs about "when changes fail" and it being "hard to unearth something true" made me think here's a songwriter I need to know more about. His performance was plagued by sound problems which he struggled with alone--where was someone to give the man technical assistance? And although we heard echoes of a few Leo Kottke twangs, after awhile his songs just didn't seem to have enough melody to hold up his lyrics, leading me to think he might be more of a poet than a songwriter. I hope to hear him in a different setting, as he clearly has some talent.
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Double Trouble (by Rebecca West)
Double Trouble started with John Lee Hooker and got a good laugh by playing 'Rock and Roll Jeopardy': Jewish songwriters, as their lead-in to some fine early Bob Dylan: 'Junkyard Angel' and 'Highway 61.' The performance was presented as a jam, including Mike Keller (of the Keller Brothers Band), but while that got this mostly white middle-aged audience's attention, what got them on their feet was Tina and the B-Sides female vocals version of Aretha's 'Chain of Fools' which showed off their strong voices nicely.
Self Addressed (by Heather Stiles)
This group of charismatic musicians got the audience involved from the initial beat of the drums to the loud singing guitars. There was a great banter on stage throughout the show. One of their songs, "Road Trip," featured some great guitar work and interaction with the audience. The goal inside Bunkers was to make more noise than the people outside--it was probably a close call with this band. Something I picked out of the show that stuck with me is a song lyric, "we could go so far." How appropriate, I hope to see these guys around.
Indigenous (by Rebecca West, photo by Tom Asp)
This performance was the highlight of the day for me. Sometimes referred to as a local band because they got their start with local label Pachyderm--who describes them as having a 'story that was already written,' they are now touring almost continuously. The only other chances to see them in Minnesota this summer will be at Bayfront and the Zoo in August. The name for this band could easily be 'Intensity.' The band, two drummers and guitar and bass, play with complete focus on their music. They played as fast and hard as they could, hitting the stage with a fast pace and never letting up. They played their current hit midway through, but otherwise let their echoes of Hendrix and Vaughan inspire this performance. Indigenous is a family band that is completely self-taught, having grown up in South Dakota teaching themselves music from their musician father's records. They seem to play with one mind.
Jonny Lang (by Heather Stiles, photo by Tom Asp)
The first time I had ever seen Jonny Lang live was 3 years ago at the zoo. G.B. Leighton, another performer this weekend, opened and I was intrigued with Jonny's performing style since then. It's so simple to just have a good time watching this group do their thing. Jonny seems to put so much passion and energy into every song and he's got the facial expressions to prove it. The fans filled almost the entire lot of land set out for this festival, it was an amazing sight. Jonny Lang and his band do an incredible job getting to any kind of audience because of the energy and spirit they put into their lyrics and sounds. Glancing through the audience during the show it was amazing to see that many people, all of different ages, dancing, singing, and enjoying themselves through one group's sound. This teen sensation right out of Fargo, North Dakota helped put a great closure to the festivities Saturday night and a great lead in for the opening acts on Sunday.
Arone Dyer (by Andrew L. Kolstad)
Though not technically part of the festival Ms. Dyer appeared on KQ's homegrown show broadcast live from the festival. Her music is a unique a mix of Americana, blues, punk, ska, and that special Dyer touch. The bulk of her interview however was just that, an interview. She updated us on subjects ranging from the many men she lives with to the extent of which milk affects her large intestines. Thanks KQ. Its nice to have faith that radio can bring us something fresh once in a while.
Nina Storey (by Dave "Doc" Piltz)
For anyone seeing Boulder, Colorado's Nina Storey for the first time; she was possibly the surprise of the day. With her combination of pop, blues and funk sounds and a well put together band, Nina got the crowd going early. Besides her powerful, and emotional, singing voice the band also provided some excellent guitar from former Miles Davis sideman Randy Hall and great backup singing by Yvonne Brown and Charlotte Pope. My favorite song of the set was "Let Us Walk" from her CD "Shades." The live version of "Let Us Walk" included some excellent vocal solos by Nina, Yvonne and Charlotte, as well as some great harmonizing by the three women. As a pleasant addition to the excellent set of songs by Nina Storey, I was lucky enough to talk to her personally for a few minutes, finding out that she is an incredibly nice person as well. You can't ask for much more than that!
Dazy Head Mazy (by Ame Colla)
Dazy Head Mazy gave a great performance on Sunday. The band was definitely enjoying themselves and got everyone in Bunker's into it too. It's so easy to enjoy this band. They
incorporated great pop melodies into their music creating a warm blend of sound. It was definitely a pleasure to be there. I would love to see this band again.
Anders Osborne (by Dave "Doc" Piltz)
It has been three years since I last saw Anders Osborne perform live. Seeing and hearing him again at Heart & Soul was definitely worth the wait. The Swedish-born Osborne, now a New Orleans resident, performed with a four piece band that included some throbbing bass sounds by Kirk Joseph on sousaphone; Jim Green on tenor saxophone and Kevin O'Day on drums. While the swampy, Cajun blues sounds featuring Osborne's unique guitar work, supplemented by some great sax by Green and the rhythmic backbeat was just what I hoped for, I was stunned to see that the formerly long haired Osborne had cut both his hair and beard very short. It might have taken something away from his Louisiana "wild man" look, but not his sound, which got wilder later on when he sat in with another Louisiana band appearing at Heart & Soul, Cowboy Mouth.
Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans (by Dave "Doc" Piltz)
This was my first time hearing Paul Cebar, despite the fact that he is a regular visitor to the Twin Cities with his band, The Milwaukeeans. With his hair in a single braid, sporting his black and white shoes, and wearing a satiny looking smoking jacket; Paul Cebar played an extended set that exhibited a variety of styles and sounds. The band's mix of styles included pop, blues and funk with a little bit Latin and/or reggae flavor, created by the percussionist Michael Walls' use of congas and other percussion instruments. Cebar's 6-piece band was another in the line of great acts appearing on Sunday afternoon.
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Cowboy Mouth (by Karine Williams)
If you were looking for a laid back, relaxed concert from these guys, you went to the wrong show! The concert began with the lead singer/drummer jumping into the crowd and making people get up from their lawn chairs and towels to dance. Their high energy and extremely intense show changed the mood of the audience for the better. Yet "another" highlight of this incredible set was the drumming beats of Isiah, he just didn't want to stop playing! Giving that kid his moment of fame made everybody crazy, dancing, cheering, and raving for more. Shakey Jake came on the stage and blew us away with his harmonica skills, this moment of fame probably won't be his last! Definitely check out this band if they are around.
G.B. Leighton (by Heather Stiles)
Of all the shows I've seen this group perform, this one topped them all. The energy level was high, the soul connection with the audience was there, and the crowd was raving and ready to party. G.B.'s band played later on Sunday night right after a stunning show by Cowboy Mouth. G.B. told the audience how nervous he was to go on after such a performance but put under the pressure of keeping the people going crazy and singing loud, the band rose to the occasion. The Minneapolis audience welcomed the band and sang loud. G.B. put on a phenomenal collaboration of old and new sounds. A little "Hey! Hey! Baby!" was just what the audience was looking for. We should make them nervous more often.
Susan Tedeschi (by Dave "Doc" Piltz)
A perfect weekend was capped off with an incendiary set by Susan Tedeschi. Who would ever think that such a sweet, innocent looking young woman in a pastel sundress and heels could display such fire in her guitar and smoke in her voice that reminds you of performers like Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt? Every time I see Susan (this was the second time this year), I am still amazed at how she looks and how she sounds. There is no wonder in my mind that she received a Grammy Award nomination this year; and it's too bad she didn't win! The only let down of Susan's set was the fact that Derek Trucks did not appear with her as advertised (he was playing with his band in Cincinnati, Ohio). It would have been an interesting combination, but I was happy to just hear her sing and play again at Heart and Soul.
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Mick Sterling |
Shakey Jake Neuman w/Cowboy Mouth |
Gov't Mule's Waren Haynes |
Fred LeBlanc of Cowboy Mouth |
Tina |
The Blenders |
The Fargo Connection Ted Larsen & Mike Keller |
Mike & Tommy |
Warren Haynes & Jonny |
Shakey Jake Neuman |
Fans |
More fans |
Susan Tedeschi |
Susan Tedeschi |
Heather |
Paul Manske |
Heart & Soul 2000 Interview w/ Mick Sterling
Heart & Soul 2000 details and lineup
This review is copyright © 2000 by Ray Stiles, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without written permission. For permission to use this review please send an E-mail to Ray Stiles.