The Fred Maytag Bowl
Maytag Park
Newton, Iowa
Sunshine and a toasty
temperature of 85 degrees made for a pleasant day of relaxing and enjoying some
blues music in Newton, Iowa. Bowlful
of Blues Festival, presented by the South Skunk Blues Society, is
one of my favorites. The lineup this
year consisted of Kevin Burt & Big Medicine, Avey Grouws Band,
Terry Quiett Band, Paul Nelson, and Anthony Gomes. Between sets, music was performed by the James
Longerbone Band. Unfortunately, I
missed out on Kevin Burt and Avey Grouws Band, as I arrived just in
time to hear the last half of Terry Quiett’s impressive set.
Having reviewed Paul Nelson’s 2016 Badass Generation album, I was excited to see him perform. He’s such a powerhouse on guitar. On lead vocals and harp was Rico Amero whose energy runs high, and keeps the party going. I can't wait to see them again. That was a really damn good show. The main attraction was headliner Anthony Gomes. I first saw him open for BB King several years ago, and have been a fan ever since. He’s got the voice, the mastery of guitar, and the ability to work a crowd. It was fantastic!
· All photos by Phillip Smith