Saturday, Sept. 15 – Harvest Jazz & Blues

Blackberry Smoke in the Blues tent at 5pm . . . man that’s early . . . almost a matinee . . . but it was worth it! They had a great show reminiscent of their first visit to Harvest, except this time they were a known quantity to Harvest fans. They crossed the border hassle free (this time) complete with a new album. Great to see them back. They filled the tent with a really big feel-good dose of long haired southern rock the way southern rock is done best. Please come back for a three-peat.
I had some time to kill before Steve Earle, and I used it to finally hear Kendra Gale at Blues Court. I’ve been meaning to see her for a while, but couldn’t make it happen . . . guess I don’t get out much. Anyway, she rocks the Les Paul! Solid guitar work . . . great vocals . . . big future. I will make a special effort to hear her again . . . soon . . . and I expect she will view the crowd from the stage of many future Harvests.
Dawes at the Blues tent was my mystery band. I knew nothing of them beforehand . . . and I was pleased with what I heard. Five clean cut lads from California rockin’ the stage . . . maybe slightly in the vein of The Avett Brothers . . . only I honestly enjoyed Dawes more. I would definitely place them on the “call back” list.
Steve Earle is Steve Earle . . . we know him . . . we love him . . . we always have a place at the table for him. Steve Earle & The Dukes have played Harvest twice and he’s no stranger in Freddy . . . he’s played here a half dozen times all tolled.
Home early, relatively speaking . . . no afterburner for me tonight . . . four nights and I’m beat . . . feet are killing me. The weather all week has been perfect. The streets and venues have been full . . . .well done Harvest #28.

Kendra gale

Friday, Sept. 14 – Harvest Jazz & Blues

Mavis Staples at the Blues tent at 6PM . . . WOW! Harvest fans were schooled by the elder stateswoman of Chicago blues. At 79 years young and with 62 years in the business, there isn’t much she hasn’t seen or done. She held the packed audience in the palm of her hand . . . she owned the room. Here soulful blues is interspersed with real life stories going all the way back to the Freedom march with Dr. Martin Luther King in 1962. Her musical heritage goes all the way back to The Staples Singers. Again . . . WOW!

Had some time to burn before headliner Sturgill Simpson at 10pm . . . took in most of MonkeyJunk’s set at the Mojo. Saw them last night . . . different set tonight. I could listen to Steve Mariner for hours. I really like this band and I’ll keep their music on the front burner for a while. Then about twenty minutes of The Legendary Downchild Blues Band. These veterans have been here a handful of times over the years . . . they still have it.
Sturgill Simpson at the Blues tent at 10pm. He is currently among the handful of top festival draws in North America and the reason becomes apparent quickly. He plays as a four piece band (including Hammond B3). His guitar work is relentless. His songs are sometimes country-like, sometimes rock, and sometimes a psycho combo of both. I first saw him on the Tonight Show, and his performance stuck with me. Got to admit, they were loud . . . but I guess that’s why I bought the tuned ear plugs . . . highly recommended. It was inevitable that Harvest would eventually net Sturgill Simpson. It was a lightning bolt out of the blue that they were able to sign him on short notice in the wake Nathaniel Ratliffe’s unfortunate cancellation. Rateliff has committed himself to the 2019 Harvest, so this ends up being a good news story all round . . . the two biggest draws in two consecutive years . . . bonus!
Caught some of Ross Neilsen’s late show at the Mojo, then closed the night with a bit of the Downtown Blues Band at Blues Court. Ross is a must-see whenever he's in town and I have to see the DTBB every year at Harvest . . . just because. The DTBB has played all twenty-eight Harvest’s. The weather was perfect tonight and the streets were packed . . . literally jammed. Having lots of fun . . . seeing lots of friends . . . and cousins . . . yep, lots of cousins. Always a nice feeling to see family. Good Night.

Ross Neilsen

Thursday, Sept. 13 – Harvest Jazz & Blues

Beautiful weather and a busy busy night tonight. Caught the first half hour of Cecile Doo-Kingue at the Blues tent . . . an accomplished practitioner of the blues . . . well worth the price of a ticket. Born in New York city with roots in Cameroon, she currently lives in Montreal. I expect we will see her again at a future Harvest. She deeply appreciated being invited to play at Harvest, and we deeply appreciated being entertained by her.
Next, it was across the parking lot to the Blues Court for a half hour of SG & The Tone Kings . . . always a local draw with a variety of rock & roll covers. Then off to the Mojo for the last half hour of The Hypochondriacs . . . another local band led by twenty-five year old hometown favourite, Josh Bravener. They have a likeable rockin’ country sound . . . and they rock’it. This guy is a born entertainer and a ball of fire. We will see him many times over the coming years in a host of different rolls as his musical abilities continue to evolve.
MonkeyJunk took the stage at the Mojo and never looked back. Veteran Harvester Steve Mariner puts his all into every set he delivers. He’s been here four times (according to him) . . . I would have guessed more. Very likeable three piece band . . . with no bass player . . . interesting, and it works.
Alan Doyle (and company) did a great job . . . as expected. He’s played Freddy many times . . . but his first Harvest. Lots of Newfoundland songs and ballads of the sea. Glad I saw him. I reluctantly left Alan Doyle a bit early so as to catch the tail end of The Sheepdogs at the Blues tent . . . and it was worth it. The tight schedule often causes trade-offs . . . which is one of the fun benefits of buying an Ultimate Pass . . . you just make it all mesh.
Closed the night with John Campbelljohn at the Blues Court afterburner. He is a veteran craftsman of the blues and he doesn’t disappoint. I could listen to his slide guitar for hours . . . and I do. I always have room for the solo blues acts (albeit he was accompanied by drummer Matt Sobb from MonkeyJunk tonight). It takes a healthy mix of big-stage bands and intimate solo musicians to cover the genres so everyone gets a bit of what they need.
The sound at every venue tonight was spot-on crystal clear. Thankfully, the Magpie sound fiasco last night is but an unrepeated memory . . . although there were some good chuckles today as people described what they heard last night.
Looking forward to Sturgill Simpson tomorrow night.

Cecile Doo-Kingue

Wednesday, Sept. 12 - Harvest Jazz & Blues

I can’t believe another Harvest is here already . . . just seems like yesterday . . .
Anyway, first off . . . a couple of housekeeping items . . . I’m disappointed in myself for not taking in the Blind Boys of Alabama and Ross Neilsen at the Playhouse Tuesday evening . . . don’t know what I was thinking . . . great venue for good sound. Secondly, I had decided I wasn’t going to do this this year . . . I guess it didn’t take.
It was a Blues Tent evening all round tonight. Anders Osborne opened with a four piece band from N’orlins. They had all the right tools . . . and loads of talent . . . but maybe were a bit heavy with the dalliances in experimental sounds. It seemed that every time they got a hard driving rhythm going they would segue into a slow, dreamlike collage of sound. Many enjoy this, and I’m happy that they do, but it really pokes hard at my annoy button. I tend to favour music that makes my feet tap and my head bop. Dis aint dat. Note to Anders: Go see The Record Company.

Next up was The Record Company for the fourth visit to Harvest since 2011(?). They are a three piece band with no soy in the hamburg. I’ve seen all four sets . . . I’ve watched them grow . . . got all of their music . . . and I like! Frontman Chris Vos spoke a thousand words during their first song when he blasted “We’re happy to be home. We’re The Record Company and we play rock and roll”. There isn’t much I can add to that. Mr. Vos took a moment later in the set to acknowledge that way back when they were a young band out of Wisconsin; Harvest Jazz & Blues was the first major festival to sign them. It gave them cred with other festivals, and the rest is history. They are now one of the top festival draws in North America, and to paraphrase Duane Allman, they’re fartin’ through silk! Harvest is so fortunate to be a part of their success story, and Vos said the band would never forget what Harvest has done for them.
The Magpie Salute closed the evening. Their style (and bad sound management) made it hard for me to follow the rhythms . . . all I got was a mash of sound. We bolted just over halfway through their set. Oddly enough, the sound was cleaner at the back by the exits, and sounded not half bad outside. I think it may be another case where the sound man didn’t listen when staff told him to set up for a long narrow tent.
During The Record Company’s set in particular, the crowd noise was overpowering. It is the inherent evil of the large tent, and it shows disrespect for the artists. It is incumbent on Harvest to take an in-your-face approach to lowering the ambient noise level.
Lots of fun tonight and a big week ahead . . . off to bed.

Anders Osborne

Harvest Jazz & Blues 2017 - I Got The Music In Me!

Harvest 2017 - Wednesday Evening:
The first day of my 2017 Harvest is a wrap. Lots of fun . . . lots of music. Great to see all of the faces. I started the day early with SG & The Tone Kings outside of Kings Place at noon. An accomplished group of local veteran musicians. Sheldon Gordon is a qualified front man.
To the Blues Tent at 8:30 for a Muddy Magnolias / Matt Anderson double header. First show in Canada for the Magnolias, and from the crowd response, it won't be the last. The female lead singer has incredible range . . . and "big" sound . . . and lots of soul. They did a likable and different arrangement of The Weight. I'm guessing we will see them again sometime.

Matt Anderson closed. What more can be said about Matt and his seemingly never ending series of packed houses? He can pretty much gig anywhere in the world that he chooses, and he does. Chris Colepaugh is a nice addition to Matt's band, Bona Fide. I don't know if it is a permanent thang or not, but it works.
Had a minor wardrobe malfunction of sorts. I picked up a pair of Alpine MusicSafePro hearing protectors from Tony's . . . because the doctor said I should. They come with three sets of interchangeable inserts that pass different levels of sound. Wellll . . . apparently I had selected the set that blocks the most sound. The band sounded great, but I couldn't conversate . . . which may not have been a bad thing. Anyway, I will experiment with a lighter set of inserts tomorrow. The neat thang is that they don't muffle the sound from the stage like the little foam rolls do.
Looking forward to the rest of harvest.

Harvest 2017 - Thursday Evening:
Thursday Harvest is in the bag. Man, what a beautiful night! The John Palmer’s* took a beating on the walk-way between the Blues and the Mojo tents tonight. People are out and the street is roaring and the weekend is yet to befall us. Nice touch to close Queen on Thursday this year. Go Harvest!
The much anticipated Marcus King Band at the Blues tent . . . well . . . it didn’t quite do it for me. Don’t get me wrong, they have good cred or they wouldn’t make the bill at Harvest, and I’m sure they flew high with most of the crowd, but the sound was terrible and the arrangements were “busy”. It flowed like mush through the PA, and I can’t blame my new ear thingies. (BTW, they work great! Thanks for asking.) These guys are young, and they have a big future, and they’ll figure it out.

After a half hour of the MKB, it was down to the Mojo for the last third of The Atlas Road Crew. A youngish R&R band, full of life with lots of future. Glad they’re here. Next at the Mojo was Amasa Hines with kind of mellow pop rock. I never quite know how to describe bands like this. Interesting band with nice sounds.
Then back towards the Blues tent for the Revivalists. Well . . . that didn’t happen, and I suppose the Revivalists managed through their set without me. I’ve heard them before, and I liked them, so it will all equal out in the end. Anyway, this ship drifted off course as it passed the Blues Court. When you hear the music you like, instinct steers the feet. Christine Campbell was half way through her set, and it didn’t take too long to decide I was going to stay for the other half. A very solid five piece R&R band led by the incredibly powerful vocals of Ms. Campbell. She closed with a couple of Heart tunes that were spot-on. I needed this boost to the evening. Like!
Next it was the much anticipated debut of Sloan at the Mojo. WOW! They exceeded my every expectation! They played a string of their hits and the crowd responded. I will be the first to admit that Sloan has never been in the center of my wheel-house, and I can’t really explain why. I really like them . . . just never got to know them . . . but I know their songs. Anyway, they OWNED the Mojo tonight, and good on’em. The sound was great (and maybe could be a learning opportunity for the sound guy for the MKB). Both Christine Campbell and her band, and Sloan are knock-out five piece, no frills, no distraction, plain-old-fashioned rock & roll bands and they made my night, so I guess that pretty much says where I am on the spectrum.
Back up to the Blues for a Lettuce closer. This band has a great stage presentation. They have done the late night TV circuit this year, and they are at the top of their game . . . and now they’ve been here.
A fun night . . . time for bed.
*John Palmer – ICYDK, a reference to the product of the long gone Palmer McLellan boot factory on Argyle ie. old Fredericton vernacular.

Harvest 2017 - Friday Evening:

Friday evening at Harvest 2017 . . . Busy, Busy, Busy. I know I’ve said it a time or two before, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen more people out on a Friday night for Harvest. Gotta be a record breaker for sure.
Steven Page at the Mojo at 6pm to a packed house. This guy is a crowd pleaser and he did a super set. You know . . . I’ve listened to the Ladies for years, but the full range and clarity of Page’s voice never clicked for me. Man he can sing, and of course, he writes great songs! Happy we went.

Up to the Blues tent for another listen to the Marcus King Band. Sounded better tonight . . . it was probably just me. Maybe I was a bit harsh last night . . . nah. Anyway, stayed for a bit, took a walk, then to the Blues Court for the first part of Blind Dog. This band is back together for Harvest after a twenty-five(?) year hiatus. It sure didn’t show . . . they sounded good. We left before the end, so we missed when Bruce took the stage with his band for three songs, and that is my loss for sure. It was good to see you later at the Mojo, Bruce.
Over to the Blues tent for Trey Anastasio. A true road warrior and established veteran of festival stages. Eight piece band with lots of sound. Stayed long enough to get a good feel for him, and then to the Mojo for Matt Minglewood. Not surprisingly, Matt packed a Harvest tent . . . again. It is crystal clear that Fredericton music fans have inter-generational love for Matt Minglewood. He and his band did songs from Fly Like Desperadoes as well as many of his old standbys. They take me back to Freddy in the 70's and 80's, and I like the trip. It must be a great feeling to look out from the stage and see a jamb packed room singing your songs right back at you. Bonus . . . along with CD’s at his merch table, there were posters . . . four different posters. Being a 61 year old poster-groupie, I cabbaged on to three of them. Thanks for coming back to Freddy, Matt.
Closed the night with the 11:30 performance of The Trans Canada Highwaymen. This is a Steven Page/Sloan collaboration and it works famously! Clear sound, great songs, good stage rapport, excellent show. For the first time in years, I didn’t have the feet to catch the tail end of The Downtown Blues Band at Blues Court. Went home instead.
Two takeaways from tonight: The clarity and range of Steven pages voice, and the love Fredericton fans have for Matt Minglewood. Time for bed.

Harvest 2017 - Saturday:
 
Harvest 2017 – Saturday – What a week!
So much music in so little time . . . and now it’s over.
It’s been a busy, fun week, and it kind of all runs together in an overlapping maze of memory. More than once this evening I caught myself doing the day-four spaz-stare.

A 1pm start today with Matt Minglewood and his keyboardist Jeff Stapleton at Tony’s Music Box for a one hour (Yamaha gear promo) set. It was great with maybe twenty people inside the store and a few more on the sidewalk. So here I am, about twelve feet in front of Matt, almost like a private performance, and he closes with a heartfelt Can’t You See. I closed my eyes and took it in. I’m not going to get all weird here, but from the little bit I know about out-of-body experiences, I think I had one. It was a Harvest moment. Right after Matt, I went to Officers Square hoping to catch part of the Rick Fines family show but I was late and Rick was gone. Such are the tribulations of a Harvest groupie trying to see it all.
Back at 5:30 for Steve Earle in the Blues tent. Not much can be said about Steve Earle that everyone doesn’t already know. He is everything you would expect, and nothing you don’t. He is a seasoned, talented, professional, and opinionated veteran of the stage. Well worth seeing.
Down to the Mojo for The Ghost of Paul Revere. They were an unknown quantity for me, and I was pleasantly surprised. A five piece acoustic band from Portland Maine with a banjo player and a harmonica and lap steel player. The banjo worked well . . . not annoying corn-cob pipe banjo . . . but mellow banjo that blended nicely with the acoustic bass and acoustic guitar. I liked these guys and I bought their cd’s.
Then to the Blues tent for The National Reserve. A five(?) piece band from NYC. Good solid rockin’ blues. They were followed by the evening headliner and a packed house. Collin James is the epitome of guitarmanship, professionalism, and class. He’s also the smoothest and hardest working guitar player I’ve seen or heard . . . and he doesn’t break a sweat . . . ever! He’s a master of the electric blues, and he skillfully manages to add a little swing wherever it fits. Very pleasing guitar sounds. He’s been here before, and he will be here again.
The last show I see at Harvest each year is always a happy-sad event. So much music, so many friends, so much life. Harvest is euphoric. It takes a few days to come down, and twelve months to repeat. We are so fortunate to have this incredible concentration of talent right here in Freddy each September.
Now it’s time for bed.

The Dog Days of Summer, 1969 style

Man that was a sunny and hot August first yesterday. A repeat coming today and the same is forecast for tomorrow. Great days to take in the big world while doing nothing . . . so while I dozed . . . in my cedar adirondack . . . by the lake . . . under the big blue umbrella . . . I scrolled through a hundred intertwined memories of young teens idling away the dog days of summer circa 1969. Idling was a rare treat for me since I had a job with Dad every summer since I was old enough to push a broom and do cleanup on his construction sites. Idle days, as infrequent as they were, were a welcome reprieve from work, and work kept me out of trouble. 

I started tagging along with Dad to work long before I was old enough to be considered a useful hand, and it took me years to understand that all the while, Dad was teaching and I was learning . . . he did it for me. To this day I draw upon tidbits of knowledge that may have laid latent for fifty or more years . . . things that he taught me about work and life and people and humour. 

Anyway . . . back on track with this yarn de jour . . . so in this collaged memory clip, here we are . . . a bunch of young teens . . . flattening the grass at Sunny Beach on a hot August afternoon. Not a lot of activity . . . contemplating life and how our lives would roll out following this “summer of love”, of which most of us knew nothing. It was often fun to contemplate where we’d be when the calendar flipped to year 2000, so many years ahead. The girls are wearing jeans or maybe shorts and blouses knotted in front above the belly button that would be duly unknotted before going home for supper. The guys are wearing worn jeans, coloured T-shirts, and Grebbs . . . the jeans, T’s, and Grebbs being integral to the image, as are the girls with the knotted blouses. Complimenting this image with a pouch of makin’s, a pack of papers, and very little cash makes for a scene that is very Tom Sawyeresque. 

First . . . the guys’ T’s. This was back in the day that the T itself was the statement, not what was silk-screened on it. It didn’t advertise anything, it didn’t promote anything, it didn’t identify with anything. At best, it might be the poor product of a basement washtub tie-dying adventure, but for the most part, they were single-coloured, well worn T’s. Next were the Grebbs. Work boots were “it” for my generation. Nike and Rebok had not spawned yet so sneakers as we know them today were out, and the few name brands that were available, like Converse for example, were expensive and remained primarily on hardwood. Grebbs, laced at the bottom and open at the top, were way cool. I do recall dabbling in Shogomocs a time or two. They were beautiful leather moccasins made in Freddy by Palmer McLellan. They had a leather sole, absolutely no arch support, and were as slippery as snot on wet grass . . . downright ghastly things, but they were cool! Trends are trends, and the Shogomocs ran their course . . . . and then back to the Grebbs.

And then the jeans . . . jeans anywhere, anytime . . . jeans at school . . . jeans at Sunny Beach . . . jeans at the drive-in . . . jeans at the park. Jeans were likely faded navy blue, but could be burgundy, wine, or orange . . . maybe even a yellow pair. Lots of colour back then. All became well-worn garments through natural wear and tear, and none were conditioned with age prior to sale, and most were sold by Chippin’s on York. To date this image, it was likely pre bell bottoms, so a long, long time ago. OK, the only male attire at my Sunny Beach reminisce other than regular jeans would be jean cut-offs, and sparingly at that, and only if a dip was eminent. Dress shorts didn’t exist, only for old men, and in the style of atrocious Bermuda shorts . . . way uncool. Gym shorts were for . . . well . . . gym. Cut-offs were the standby for the beach or a dip in the stream, but were not allowed in the pool. The pool required trunks. Trunks didn’t work at Sunny Beach . . . or with Grebbs . . . it gets complicated. The only thing acceptable other than jeans were cut-off jeans, as it’s really difficult to wear anything other than jeans with Grebbs and make it work. 

In the grand scheme of life as it has rolled out for fifty-some years onward, and with all of the distractions kids have today, our days at Sunny Beach were Utopian, Grebbs and cut-off shorts notwithstanding.

Harvest Jazz & Blues - 2016 Edition - The Way I Saw It

Harvest 2016 - Wednesday Evening:
Made a last minute decision to see he Hypochondriacs play the Harvest Opener at 6pm. Well played Roger. They are a very talented local country rock band (well, maybe mostly "old" country, in the tradition of Hank Sr.) fronted by Fredericton's own Josh Bravener. Josh professes to hate pop country . . . gotta love him for that! He is an accomplished musician and skilled showman. Vocals are shared by Josh and the very presentable Justine Koroscil. She is an awesome singer! Josh has been on the stage in various capacities with his dad for fifteen years or more, and it shows. Keep an ear out for The Hypochondriacs. They are going places! Ross Neilsen opened the main event at 8:30pm. Ross is sooo talented, and he always manages to pull it together in a good way. I think he refers to this rendition as "The Big F'n Band", a seven piece ensemble complete with tandem drummers AND his good friend Steve Marriner on guitar, Hammond organ, and keys . . . yes . . . Steve Marriner!! Great show, as expected. The main event was Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. Lukas is very talented and he was well received by the full house. He did his own tunes, as well as covers, most notably one by JJ Cale that I can't remember the name of. For me, there was maybe a bit too much of "showing off his artistry", and too little of the the solid guitar based rhythms that fire my neurons, but that's just me. I found his stuff hard to get into. Another way to say it might be that he needs more beef in his stew. Anyway, the crowd liked him, and I guess I did too. Nelson got his redemption from me when he came back for the encore and did my all time favorite Stones tune, Sympathy For The Devil. I love that song!

Harvest 2016 - Thursday evening:
Lovely cool September night. Kicked off in the Blues Tent with Matt Anderson & Bona Fide. I like Matt best when he plays with supporting musicians. Bona Fide is a tight cast of professionals. I am probably the last to realize that Chris Kirby plays guitar, keys, and Hammond B3 in Bona Fide . . . should have picked up on that earlier . . . oh well, live and learn. An enjoyable set by both Matt and his band. Next was Amy Helm & The Midnight Ramblers. A great bunch of musicians . . . ten in all. Lots of old The Band stuff. The Band relished in the sloooowwww ballad, and so did this band . . . nod city at times, and then they'd pick it up. It became evident that we weren't going to hear The Weight until . . . well . . . we had waited . . . possibly 'til the end of the show. Towards the end of the performance, Colin Linden was invited on stage to guest in a couple of songs, as was Erin Costello and Matt Anderson. This was a nice way to round out the set, and then . . . for the last song . . . the Ramblers were joined by all three for a heartfelt rendition of The Weight. It took me right back to the Harvest moment on the same stage six years ago when we were blessed to have Levon sing "his song" a couple of months before he passed. Chalk this one up as a good night. ps: Amy Helms band played for 2 1/2 hours which could be the longest set in the 26 years of Harvest.

Harvest 2016 - Friday evening:
WOW! What a great night of music! The best thing about Harvest is that it is a different experience for everyone. What fires my neurons may do nothing for someone else, and vice versa. Hopefully we each find a piece of music that connects our dots. Got an early start at 5:30 with The Earthbound Trio in the Barracks tent. This is a young quartet (go figure . . . trio . . . quartet . . . whatever) full of life and flush with music. This was billed as The Ultimate Pass party for those of us who spent the wad. Had to leave after twenty minutes for the Sheepdogs in the Blues tent, and The Sheepdogs blew me away. Canadian lads from Saskatchewan they are. Steady drivin' solid rockin blues, one song after the other, with bang-on four way vocal harmonies. Two front line guitars sharing the duties, one of which was Jimmy Bowskill, whose name seems to come up often lately. Man he can play! These guys had the jamb packed Blues tent in the palm of their hand. A big two thumbs up for The Sheepdogs! Next down to the Mojo for Laurent Couturier & The Rusty Mikes. This was a four piece band fronted by a very fine lady singer who I gather must be Laurent Couturier. I only caught the last quarter of her set, and liked what I heard. Next up was Mike Zito & The Wheel. Mike was here a few years ago with The Royal Southern Brotherhood. This time around he wasn't playing second fiddle to Devon Allman, he was fronting his own band, and he blew me away. Steady, steady guitar work . . . solid, steady, and no dallying around. Like The Sheepdogs, hard drivin', guitar fronted rhythm and blues. I bought his cd, shook his hand, and saw heartfelt warmth and appreciation from him to be back in Freddy. We haven't seen the last of Mike Zito!! And then came Blackie & The Rodeo Kings. Colin Linden, no stranger to Harvest, Stephen Feering, and Tom Wilson. Although the sound in the Mojo was crappy, they still made their mark. Their three guitars in the front line filled the sound spectrum. Colin played slide most of the time . . . such talent! Back to my original thought about how Harvest means something different to everyone, tonight for me, it was all about the guitar. Steady consistent bluesy rock guitar with no prolonged dalliances in experimentation to demonstrate capabilities. I loved it! At midnight, true to 26 years of tradition, just as sure as a Dippy Dog at the NBEX, it was The Downtown Blues Band in the Cox & Palmer Blues Court tent. I enjoyed them for twenty minutes before I bolted for the road. A very enjoyable night indeed!

Harvest 2016 - Saturday evening:
Big night . . . Queen St. was full . . . the tents were full . . . the weather was perfect . . . the feet are aching . . . the back is sore. Started off at 5:30pm with Robert Cray in the Blues tent. A traditional blues band fronted by the extraordinary guitar of Mr. Cray and the clarity of his vocals. A consummate professional. He came to Harvest, did his thing, and promptly left. Everyone should see Robert Cray at least once . . . kind of a key link in understanding the blues. Then down to the Mojo for a half hour of the Melltones. A fun band with lots of brass and guitar. Then back to the Blues tent for Brandon Niederauer, who goes by Taz (thank heaven). Well . . .Taz is a 13 year old guitar phenom, yep, 13 years old. He handles the front line nicely for his supporting band. Stayed half an hour then back to the Mojo for MarchFourth!. I'm not sure how to explain MarchFourth! so I'll just relay what I saw. Fifteen people on stage dressed like what reminded me of a cross between The Village People and Sargent Pepper's Lonely Harts Club Band, divided among seven horns, six percussionists (although none had a full kit), one Fender P Bass player, and a guy walking among them on big high stilts. It looked like a weird hallucinogenic dream or maybe a 70's Saturday night. Anyway, the brassy, percussive band made for nice music and interesting conversation. Back to the Blues tent for The Drive By Truckers. These guys are good! They are known for their socially conscious lyrics, which would be easy to digest at home or in the car and difficult to decipher given the sound quality impediments of a huge tent. Anyway, I pieced together a lot of their message. An enjoyable band and I'm glad they came. Closed the night at the Blues Court tent with brother Doug to hear a bit of local boy dun good, Keith Hallett.
Well, that's Harvest 2016 . . . been there, done that. I would have to say the musician, band, whatever that I had the best connection with was Mike Zito and the Wheel. That is not to slight any of the other bands, because everything I saw was top shelf stuff, but I just seemed to connect to Zito's music. Time to go to bed.