#574 > Bowlful of Blues Festival - 2022 (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

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

   * All Photos by Phillip Smitb

Kent Burnside - My World is So Cold

Lucky 13 Recordings, 2013

By Phillip Smith; March 8, 2014

After touring and playing with Jimbo Mathus for over a year, Kent Burnside (Grandson of R.L. Burnside) has decided to take the next step, form his own band, and introduce his own brand of Blues music, served up trance-style.  Thank goodness he did.  His debut album, My World is So Cold, is quite good.  Joining front man singer/guitarist Burnside in the studio is guitarist J.J. Holiday, keyboardist Eddie “Cheneddie” Baytos, bassist Justin Valdivia, and David Gray Kimbrough on drums and percussion. 

A funky backing rhythm, along with Burnside’s raw vocals and slide guitar, make “Country Boy” a fun and interesting album opener. One of the more interesting selections is his cover of Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful”, first recorded by Howlin’ Wolf.  Burnside injects a bus load of soul into the song and does a tremendous job of tackling this one.  I love the way he sprinkles these little bluesy licks of psychedelia into the song, which sound like little globs of backwards masking.              

  

Burnside brings it down to a sad slow sway with title track, “My World is So Cold”, about being tossed aside by his woman, and the hurt that goes along with being alone.  When this one plays, I just want to close my eyes, and listen.  I love the way it slowly builds to a climax bringing all the musicians together in a beautifully constructed jam.  Another slow and emotional song is “I Miss You”, written for his grandpa. The first half of the song is performed acoustically with the only sounds coming from Burnside and his guitar. Later,  the rest of the band join in, bringing a touch of electricity with them.  While on the subject of his grandfather, Burnside, again pays homage, playing R.L’s song “Miss Maybelle”.  You can hear the family trademark sound coming through on this one. Burnside tears it up on the guitar, and Baytos hammers the ivories in this powerful cover.

         

Like Sly Stone with a case of the blues, Burnside delivers a fantastic performance on “Walkin’ Blues”, the final track on My World is So Cold.  I love the funky guitar riffs, and the infectious rhythm. This track may be my favorite, but making that call was tough, as I found all the songs to be outstanding.  I really do look forward to hearing more from Kent Burnside.