Bowlful
of Blues Festival – Sep 4, 2022
Fred Maytag Bowl
Newton, Iowa
By Phillip Smith; Sep. 5, 2022
Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com
Enjoying the Blues in Newton,
Iowa at the Bowlful of Blues Festival is at the top of my list of things
to do on Labor Day weekend. There’s s
not many better ways to spend the holiday.
The clouds dissipated and the sun came out, making for beautiful day to
listen to music in Newton’s historic Maytag Park.
Presented by The South Skunk Blues Society, the Bowlful of Blues Festival celebrated
its thirtieth year. The lineup was absolutely
terrific and featured Muddy Walter Band, Matt Woods Band, Ghost
Town Blues Band, Kent Burnside, and Popa Chubby. Playing between sets, were local blues artists
Rob Lumbard, Bob Dorr and Jeff Peterson, Buckmiller Schwager,
and The Jury.
I arrived just in time to catch
local blue legends Bob Dorr and Jeff Petersen, aka The Blue
Two. I was so glad to be able to hear
them again. On a side note, they also performed
at the very first Bowlful of Blues Festival. Following Bob and Jeff, The
Ghost Town Blues Band took the stage.
This was my fifth time this year to see this six-piece ensemble from Memphis. Their Stax-meets-Muscle Shoals approach
always means a fantastic show. They are
truly one of my favorites.
I had reviewed Buckmiller Schwager’s debut album To Memphis and Back earlier this year, and was quite taken by it. Meeting Brian Schwager and Tom Buckmiller in person and hearing them play live really made my day. I was very excited to see Kent Burnside. Bringing a big batch of real-deal Mississippi blues with him, he absolutely commandeered the stage. I’ve been a fan of Burnside since reviewing his 2013 debut album My World is So Cold.
The Jury, a band who I was not familiar with, stepped up next to play a thirty-minute set of all-original songs. They were tight and sounded good. New York bluesman Poppa Chubby headlined the show, filling in for Carolyn Wonderland who had to cancel due to health reasons. I had seen him several times over the years, and he’s such a phenomenal guitarist.
Special thanks go out to The South Skunk Blues Society and all the volunteers who makes this wonderful event happen every year.
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* All photos by Phillip Smith
Bob Dorr and Jeff Petersen
Ghost Town Blues Band
Buckmiller Schwager
Kent Burnside
The Jury
Popa Chubby
and Friends (guitarist
Jeff Petersen, bassist Dan ‘DJ’ Johnson, and keyboardist Tom Giblin) brought their Parlor City Jam Band out to play in a totally
different setting, at Cedar Ridge Winery
to a full house of blues fans. 
