Eureka Springs Blues Weekend 2011
June 2, 3, 4 & 5, 2011
Artist Bios

Elvin Bishop- The Aduitorium
Web Site

Elvin Bishop has been travelling the Blues road longer than most, and he’s got the stories to prove it – many of which are contained within the songs on his new release "Red Dog Speaks". Stops along the way include his work as a founding member of the groundbreaking Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the early ‘60s, recordings with legends such as Clifton Chenier, John Lee Hooker, and The Allman Brothers, and Pop success with his own 1976 smash hit “Fooled Around and Fell In Love”. Bishop’s long and varied career has included plenty of side trips along the way as well, from deep down gutbucket Blues played in smoky South Side Chicago taverns, to raucous roadhouse R&B, to good time Rock & Roll on concert stages and festivals around the world. And at every stage along the way, he’s instilled all of his music with passion, creativity, and a healthy helping of wisdom, wit, and good humor.

Raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Bishop’s earliest exposure to music came from the family’s radio, where in between “How Much Is That Doggy In The Window” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” young Elvin could sometimes catch classic records of Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. Once he’d got his feet wet, there was no turning back. He quickly acquired his first guitar and on his own began working out the basic outlines of the Blues, R&B and Rock & Roll that had captured his soul.

By the time he was preparing for college in the late 1950s, Bishop had earned a National Merit Scholarship that allowed him to go to almost any school he chose – and the only choice on Elvin’s mind was the prestigious University of Chicago, which just happened to be located on Chicago’s South Side, ground zero for much of the urban Blues Elvin had so far been studying only from a distance. He arrived in Chicago in 1959, and before long crossed paths with a fellow student Paul Butterfield. Together, they explored the taverns and Blues joints in the black neighborhoods surrounding the university campus at a time when Blues giants like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Howlin’ Wolf could be found playing in corner bars for a $2 cover charge just about any night of the week.

By 1963, Bishop and Butterfield were ready to graduate – not from the university, but from their apprenticeship under Chicago’s Blues veterans. They made their first recordings that year, doing a session with veterans Billy Boy Arnold and James Cotton. That same year, they recruited Howlin’ Wolf’s former rhythm section of Sam Lay on drums and Jerome Arnold on bass, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band was born. In 1965, after adding Mike Bloomfield and Mark Naftalin to the lineup, their revolutionary debut LP was released, opening the door for virtually all the young white Blues bands that followed. Bishop remained in the fold for three albums with the Butterfield band, including their innovative “East-West” release (on which Bishop and Bloomfield’s intertwining guitars helped set the stage for the Allman Brothers Band and the Grateful Dead, among many others who followed), before getting the itch to move on and venturing out on his own. Elvin released several well-received albums in the early ‘70s, before experiencing his biggest Pop success, the gold-record earning national hit “Fooled Around and Fell In Love” from his 1976 LP “Struttin’ My Stuff.”

Road work kept Elvin busy through the ‘80s, and as time went by his journey led him back to the Blues that were at the root of all his musical endeavors. And that fertile territory has been his focus ever since.

Delta Groove Productions president Randy Chortkoff has been a fan and follower of Elvin’s music through all the many phases of his career, beginning with Butterfield Blues Band in the mid 1960s, and when the opportunity arose to bring Elvin into the Delta Groove fold, Chortkoff jumped at the opportunity. The result was Elvin’s Grammy-nominated 2008 CD “The Blues Rolls On,” and a flurry of other awards and accolades, including being named 2009 Male Blues Artist of the Year by Blues Blast magazine. Elvin’s brand new release “Red Dog Speaks,” his second on Delta Groove Music, is the exciting next step in his Blues journey.

Right out of the gate, Bishop leaves no doubt where his heart is, cleverly introducing his long-time cohort “Red Dog” with a gritty slow blues calculated to set the pace for what’s to come. Along the way he smoothly steers the way from strutting Blues and R&B , through a good dose of good-time Rock & Roll, and even an occasional detour through Doo-Wop, Zydeco, and Gospel. Elvin has made plenty of talented friends over the years, and many of them jumped at the chance to help out on “Red Dog Speaks”; Buckwheat Zydeco, Tommy Castro, Ronnie Baker Brooks, and John Németh all make guest appearances. And all of it adds up to an amalgam that can only be called “Elvin Bishop music.”

Back to The Home Page

Coco Montoya- The Auditorium
Web Site

GuitarOne magazine calls guitarist/vocalist Coco Montoya “the hottest southpaw in the blues” and raves about his “master touch and killer tone.” The Boston Globe succinctly states that Montoya’s music is “hot, blistering soul.” From his early days as a drummer to his current status as one of the top-drawing guitarists and vocalists on the blues-rock scene, Montoya earned his status through years of hard work and constant touring.

And it all started with a chance meeting in the mid-1970s with legendary bluesman Albert Collins, who offered Montoya a gig as his drummer. Albert took an immediate liking to Montoya, becoming his mentor and teaching his new protégé the secrets of Collins’ “icy hot” style of blues guitar. Five years later, British blues icon John Mayall happened to catch Montoya at a jam session and was blown away. Mayall recruited him as guitarist in the legendary Bluesbreakers, and Montoya spent the next 10 years touring non-stop, proving himself to be a world-class guitar master in one of the most renowned blues bands in existence.

Averaging over 150 tour dates a year, Montoya continues to pack clubs and theaters around the world. He has played major festivals, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, The Chicago Blues Festival, The San Francisco Blues Festival and Canada’s International Jazz Festival. It’s no coincidence that publications from The Philadelphia Daily News to Blues Revue to Living Blues to The Village Voice all rank Coco among the best guitarists and singers on the blues scene. “Montoya is at the forefront of the contemporary blues world,” declared Guitar World. “He is one of the truly gifted blues artists of his generation,” said Living Blues.

Back to The Home Page

Tinsley Ellis- Barefoot Ballroom
Web Site

Hard-rocking blues-soaked guitarist/vocalist/song-writer Tinsley Ellis sings and plays with the energy and soul of all the great Southern musicians who have come before him. Ellis attacks his music with rock power and blues feeling, following in the tradition of Deep South musical heroes Duane Allman, Freddie King, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes. His live shows feature extended fretwork filled with melodic and rhythmic experimentation, in the spirit of jam bands like his friends Widespread Panic and The Allman Brothers. Atlanta Magazine declared Ellis "the most significant blues artist to emerge from Atlanta since Blind Willie McTell."

Since first hitting the national scene with his Alligator Records debut, GEORGIA BLUE, in 1988, Ellis has toured non-stop and continued to release one critically acclaimed album after another. His stellar guitar work, always a staple of his live shows and CDs, is matched by his strong songwriting and powerful, soulful vocals. Tinsley's hometown paper, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, calls his music, "a potent, amazing trip through electric blues-rock." He has gone on to record eleven album on the Alligator, Capricorn and Telarc labels.

Born in Atlanta in 1957, Ellis grew up in southern Florida and first played guitar at age eight. He found the blues through the backdoor of the British Invasion bands like The Yardbirds, The Animals, Cream, and The Rolling Stones. He especially loved the Kings--Freddie, B.B. and Albert--and spent hours immersing himself in their music. His love for the blues solidified when he was 14. At a B.B. King performance, Tinsley sat mesmerized in the front row. When B.B. broke a string on Lucille, he changed it without missing a beat, and handed the broken string to Ellis. After the show, B.B. came out and talked with fans, further impressing Tinsley with his warmth and down- to-earth attitude. By now Tinsley's fate was sealed; he had to become a blues guitarist.

And yes, he still has that string.

Ellis has played in all 50 states, as well as Canada, Europe, Australia and South America. Whether he's out with his own band or sharing stages with The Allman Brothers, Robert Cray or Widespread Panic, he averages over 150 performances a year, bringing his fast-moving, high-energy, guitar-drenched performances to fans all over the world. Live, there's simply no one better at igniting a crowd, jamming with focus and purpose...

Back to The Home Page

Marquise Knox- Basin Spring Park, The Auditorium
Web Site

For Marquise, Blues is his heritage and a way of life. He spent his early teenage years in St. Louis mentoring under the late great Blues legend, N.E.A. Heritage Fellowship recipient and Grammy Award winner Henry James Townsend. Marquise's talents have earned him performing rights with some of America’s most notable blues performers such as blues legend and Grammy Award winners B.B. King, Pinetop Perkins and David “Honeyboy” Edwards (the latter two also NEA Heritage Fellows).

Marquise has performed at dozens of festivals, toured Europe, and he is only 20 years old! Marquise won the prestigious Living Blues Best Debut Artist award last year, and was nominated for the Blues Music Award for Best New Artist.

Marquise is our "Blues Fan's Choice Award", the artist we have had the most requests to bring back to Blues Weekend two years in a row! Marquise first came to Eureka Springs in 2009 as a surprise guest of David "Honeyboy" Edwards, and immediately won over the hearts of the audience.

Back to The Home Page

Rosie Ledet- Barefoot Ballroom
Web Site

Rosie Ledet has become the act to watch on the zydeco circuit. Brimming with coy sensuality, Rosie's music is fresh and daring, while still retaining its links to its bayou Creole heritage. Rosie has a rare combination of talent, not only in the zydeco world, but in any musical genre. She can write top-notch award winning songs, hang with the best of them on her instrument, and can sing cirlces around many of her peers.

Rosie is among the few zydeco artists who can still sing and write some of their own material in Creole French.

Back to The Home Page

Little Joe McLerran- Basin Spring Park, Barefoot Ballroom
Web Site

Little Joe McLerran has been taking his Piedmont Blues to all corners of the Earth. In the spring of 2010, on behalf of Jazz at Lincoln Center and the US State Department, Little Joe took his band for a month long tour of Middle Eastern countries Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.

Little Joe's fourth album, "Believe I'll Make a Change" on the Root Blues Reborn record label, release late in 2009, rose to #1 on the radio airplay charts in Feburary of 2010 ending up being the 12th most played Blues album of the year. Downbeat and Blues Review magazines hearld it as Little Joe's finest work to date.

On February 7, 2009 Little Joe realized a goal, four years in the making, by taking 1st Place at the 25th Annual Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge [IBC] held in Memphis. With three stellar sets in his fourth consecutive trip to the IBC, Little Joe walked away with the crown, all by himself.

Little Joe has traveled from coast to coast, the Middle East and Europe playing festivals and club dates. These dates have included the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest in Davenport, IA, King Bisquit (Arkansas Heritage) in Helena, AR, the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, OR, the Illinois Blues Fest, the Heritage Blues Festival in Wheeling, WV, the Rootsways Blues Festival in Parma, Italy, the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise into the Pacific and countless others.

Back to The Home Page

Lionel Young- Basin Spring Park, The Auditorium
Web Site

Lionel Young won the solo competition at the 2008 Interntaional Blues Challenge, and then came back in 2011 to win the band competition, besting over 100 bands from around the world.

Born in Rochester, New York, Lionel Young began taking violin lessons at the age of six with Anastasia Jempelis at the Eastman School of Music. His family moved to Pittsburgh where he studied violin with Herbert Greenburgh, who was the associate concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony then and is the concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony.

He won a music scholarship to the University of Indiana where he studied with Josef Gingold. He came back to Pittsburgh and went to Carnegie-Mellon University to study violin with Fritz Seigal, the Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony and served as Concertmaster at University Orchestra for two years, one of which was with Keith Lochhart who is now the conductor & music director of the Boston Pops. He was a member of the Pittsburgh Opera-Ballet Orchestra and the National Repertory Orchestra which commissioned him to play bluegrass and blues for their summer festival and on a tour of Japan, Taiwan, and Korea during the 1988 Summer Olympic Music Festival.

Lionel has also played in concerts with Count Basie, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Paige & Robert Plant, Doc Severenson, Linda Ronstadt, Living Color, Billy Taylor, Woodie Herman, Stanley Turrentine, Homesick James, Homer Brown, Hamlet Bluiett, Chief Bae, and Johnny Long.

Back to The Home Page

Brick Fields- The Auditorium, New Delhi
Ozarks Blues Society Blues Challenge Band Winner
Web Site

The Brick Fields Band is a six piece Gospel Blues Band from Eureka Springs, Arkansas consisting of the duo Group "Brick Fields" who are married couple Rachel Fields and Larry Brick. Brick Fields are a musical songwriting team who perform every weekend at The New Delhi Café in downtown Eureka Springs, AR .

They are joined in The Brick Fields Band by bass player Johnny Ray, Keyboardist Randy Fairbanks, sax player Casey Terry, drummer Caleb Bomar, along with Larry on the guitar and Rachel on vocals and flute.

The music is a combination of original songs and carefully chosen cover tunes played in
the key of blues and gospel for an uplifting heartfelt experience for all of those listening.

Back to The Home Page

Steve Jones- The Auditorium

Replacing Scott Leeper as our Saturday opening act is Steve Jones. Steve was one of the founders of the original Eureka Springs Blues Weekends. In addition to his acoustic solo work, Steve plays with several Eureka Springs area bands, including The Jones Brothers, The Eureka Street Buskers, Opal Fly and the Swatters, Eureka Swings and The Hogscalders.

Steve has opened and shared the stage with, Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Albert King, Sam Carr, Frank Frost, John Hammond and many others.

Back to The Home Page

Adam Posnak- Basin Spring Park
Web Site

Adam Posnak is a musician and artist from West Fork, Arkansas. He was born in Macon, Georgia and grew up listening to Little Richard and Otis Redding while learning pottery from his mother. He has performed as far away as Taiwan, singing and playing the blues!

Back to The Home Page

The Ariels- Basin Spring Park, Chasers
Web Site

The Ariels formed in 1978 when a group of friends in Eureka Springs, Arkansas discovered how much they loved making music together. The group derived their name from a 1950’s British motorbike, another passion shared by the founders. Over the years some of the faces of changed, but the joy of playing is as fresh as ever.

Back to The Home Page

Brandon Santini- - Basin Spring Park, Pied Piper
Web Site

There are many different opinions as to what the future of blues harmonica will be. Memphis vocalist and harmonica player Brandon Santini is undeniably a worthy player to keep an eye on as the next decade unfolds. His name is worthy of conversations that involve Jason Ricci, Billy Gibson, Dennis Gruenling, Rick Estrin and other frontline harmonica players that have become part of a new wave in the blues world.

With tasteful speed and licks, he combines his respect to traditional blues with a present colorful style of playing. Raised in North Carolina, Brandon relocated to Memphis in 2003 where he began to absorb the sounds and culture of the Delta, honing his craft night after night, sweating it out in local Beale Street clubs just like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, & B.B. King.

For seven years, Brandon fronted the Blues Music Award nominated band Delta Highway and has toured relentlessly throughout North America and has visited four foreign countries (including a 2009 Bluzapalooza tour to Cairo, Egypt) bringing his distinct voice and playing style to music lovers everywhere.

Back to The Home Page

Buddy Shute- Basin Spring Park

Buddy Shute was born in Memphis, where he began playing the bar scene when he was 16. Buddy drifted down to New Orleans, where he played in all the clubs, and even on a paddle wheeler on the Mississippi. He eventually made his way to Northwest Arkansas, where he performs as a solo artist, or with Kathy Cole and Four Guys Named Moe.

Shute represented the Ozarks Blues Society at the IBC in 2010.

Back to The Home Page

Crosseyed Cat- Squid & Whale
Web Site

Crosseyed Cat, based in Kansas City, is consists of Karen Baum on vocals, Jeff Graefe on lead guitar and vocals, Greg Fowler on drums, Tom Tipton on bass and vocals, and Chris Ryan on harmonica and vocals. Karen had copyrighted her first song by the age of ten, and has kept singing and writing ever since!

Back to The Home Page

Tribute to Dasanni- New Delhi
Web Site

Dasanni was originally scheduled to play The New Delhi. With her passing, John instead is hosting a Tribute to Dasanni, which will feature artists from across Arkansas and Missouri that were touched by this beautiful soul.

Dasanni, born Michelle D. Mason-Hoover, was born November 14, 1962 and died on April 3, 2011. She was a talented artist who began singing at a young age. Throughout her childhood she was often seen entertaining family, friends and the neighborhood. She began her singing career in the mid-1980s performing lead vocals for The Regents Band and The Jerry Childers Jazz Trio. She also performed lead vocals for Tenna Shoes Blues and Show Band and Xplicit.

She was the vocal talent of Dasanni and James, a duo with James Conover, world-renowned pianist. She perfomed with the female trio Sophisticated Ladies, who specialized in the Motown sounds of Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Shirelles and other "girl groups" of that era. Dasanni's style was often compared to jazz great Billie Holiday, who inspired her dream to become a lounge singer.

After relocating to the Ozarks, she loved to play at New Delhi Cafe here in Eureka Springs. John Wiley of the New Delhi says, "She was certainly one of the most elegant personalities around town in the entertainment business. A really kind and beautiful person all the way around."

Dasanni had a signature style that almost always included a hat with a bodacious brim, so let's all put on a big hat and remember a talented soul who is no longer with us physically but will live on through her music.

Online condolences at: thejacksonmortuary.com.

Back to The Home Page

David Castro- Pied Piper
Web Site

The David Castro Band was formed in December of 2008 near Tulsa, Oklahoma. Offering an infusion of folk, rock, and blues, the group has been entertaining crowds of all kinds throughout Oklahoma and the Midwest. According to Porter Ragnus, (The Current Magazine) "These guys will thrill you with their thoughtful original music and rootsy sensibilities. They will entice you with their sweet folk rock pheromones and Okie charisma. They will bolster your spirit and tickle your earbones."

In Spring of 2010, the David Castro Band played in six Midwest states including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and South Dakota on a regional tour. With a steady 2011 touring schedule around the United States and their debut album in production, the DCB is on their way to nationwide recognition.

Back to The Home Page

Doghouse Daddies- Basin Spring Park, New Delhi, Rowdy Beaver
Web Site

The Doghouse Daddies were finalists at the 2008 International Blues Challenge, and represented the Lake of the Ozarks Blues Society at the 2011 IBC. The band consists of Bill Morlan on upright bass, Brandon Skeens on guitar, Jim Zamora on drums, and Neil Nolan on saxophone and harp.

Based out of Kansas City, the Doghouse Daddies perform around the United States at venerable blues institutions like The Slippery Noodle in Indianapolis and Club 152 on Beale Street in Memphis.

Back to The Home Page

Earl & Them- Chelsea's
Web Site

Fronted by Earl Cate of Cate Brothers fame, Earl & Them are based out of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and features singer-guitarist "Baby" Jason Davis, Ron Eoff on bass and Terry Cagle on drums.

While Earl and his brother Ernie are probably best known for their hit single "Mr. Union Man", their fans appreciate their wide range of songs that range from pure blues to country rock.

Back to The Home Page

George Hunt- Basin Spring Park
Blues For Kids Harmonica Blowout
FREE HARMONICAS TO THE FIRST 50 KIDS!

George has won Blues Musician of the Year from The Blues Society of the Ozarks. George plays guitar, harmonica, mandolin, lap steel, and sings with his band Kaps and Stems and Organic Soul.

In addition to performing, he works with at-risk kids as part of the BSO's Blues In The Schools program, teaching students how to play the harmonica.

Back to The Home Page

G-Funk- New Delhi
Web Site

Known to his fans and peers as the Best Kept Secret in Arkansas, Charles Wood has been playing the Blues since he started on the harmonica at age 8. Hailing from Little Rock, he has performed all over the world with such legends as Freddie King, Larry "Totsie" Davis, Rufus Thomas and Little Johnny Taylor!

Back to The Home Page

Honeyshine- Rowdy Beaver Den
Web Site

Honeshine, based out of Fayetteville, Arkansas plays a mix of blues and Americana, and describes their music with one word- FUN! Honeyshine is Tom Andersen on bass, guitar, annd vocals, Richard Burnett on dobro, guitar, harmonica, and vocals, Richard Hartrick on fiddle, mandolin, and vocals and Martha McBride on electric washboard, and percussion.

Back to The Home Page

Isayah's AllStars- Basin Spring Park
Web Site

Isayah Warford and Kory Montgomery represented the Ozarks Blues Society at the IBC in 2009. Isayah and Kory play souful blues, and have developed quite a following in Northwest Arkansas.

Back to The Home Page

Jones van Jones- Basin Spring Park
Web Site

Eureka Springs based Jones van Jones is Roscoe Jones on guitar, oldtime 5 string banjo and vocals, and Jerry Jones on slide, harp and vocals. They love playing music, but try not to take it to serious!

Back to The Home Page

Knock Kneed Sally- Squid & Whale
Web Site

Info coming soon.

Back to The Home Page

Kris Lager- Pied Piper
Web Site

Kris Lager Band is a Nebraska born group of musicians who have dedicated their lives to learning, living, and loving all aspects of the American music tradition. Self proclaimed "Roots Revivalists", KLB brings an eclectic, high energy show to each and every stage they happen to land on. The musical palette from which they draw upon is strongly rooted in the Blues and Rock and Roll but, has touches of barrelhouse Country, spicy Latin beats, cajun Zydeco, and energetic Gospel music.

Playing nearly 200 shows a year for the past 5 years has brought tightness and diversity to every set they play and audiences across the country will agree that Kris Lager Band is on the right path. The band consists of John Fairchild on the drums, AC Wright on the bass, Jeremiah Weir on the piano, organ, and squeeze-box , and Kris Lager on lead vocals and guitars. With their "Celebrate Life" mantra and good times vibe, every show runs the gamut of human emotions. Joy and sorrow, love and lament are all wrapped up in one musical experience where the only constant is pure Soul.

If you are wondering why you haven't heard the name yet, it's all in good time. Recently, Indigenous front man Mato Nanji has hired these guys to be his nationally touring band and they have traveled from N.Y. to L.A., and Winnipeg to New Orleans playing a mix of his and their own original music. So here is your chance to see an unique, energetic, mid-western band on their way up.

Back to The Home Page

Mary Bridget Davies- Rockin' Pig
Web Site

Born in Cleveland, Ohio Mary's first love, dance, took her all over the country in both competitive settings as well as professional tours. Always fond of singing, Mary went to Robert Lockwood Jr.'s jam night at the original Fat Fish Blue in Cleveland. Encouraged to watch first and then return to jam the following week, she agreed. After sitting in on just one song she was hired into her first band that night.

It didn't take long before the band was touring nationally and representing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the International Blues Challenge two years in a row! The band was nominated numerous times by the Cleveland Scene and Free Times for Best Blues Band and Mary won the Best Vocalist Award in 2004! In 2005 an unexpected opportunity presented itself. An open call audition for the smash Off-Broadway musical, Love, Janis, needed a new lead actress/vocalist to portray Janis Joplin. She auditioned and out of roughly 150 actors, she came out with the lead!

Love, Janis has toured the country over with Mary at the "Janis" helm since. Big Brother & the Holding Co., Janis Joplin's original band, asked Mary to sing for them in 2006 as well! She has enjoyed European tours and shows all over the country with the guys since! Another amazing opportunity presented itself during the summer of 2007 when Mary was asked to join the cast of the Tony Award nominated Broadway musical "It Ain't Nothin' but the Blues." An amazing piece about the history and evolution of blues music.

Most recently, in 2011, Mary and her band took second place in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.

Back to The Home Page

No Name Blues Band- Pied Piper

Info coming soon!

Back to The Home Page

Patrick Sweany- Chelsea's
Web Site

Patrick Sweany likes the spaces in between.

On a given night (or on a given album) he'll swing through blues, folk, soul, bluegrass, maybe some classic 50s rock, or a punk speedball. He's a musical omnivore, devouring every popular music sound of the last 70 years, and mixing 'em all together seamlessly into his own stew. Yet, the one thing that most people notice about Patrick isn't his ability to copy - it's his authenticity. Like his heroes, folks like Bobby "Blue" Bland, Eddie Hinton, Doug Sahm, Ray Charles, Patrick somehow manages to blend all of these influences into something all his own.

It's no wonder that as a kid he immersed himself in his dad's extensive record collection: 60s folk, vintage country, soul, and, of course, blues. Patrick spent hours teaching himself to fingerpick along to Leadbelly, Lightnin' Hopkins, and other folk-blues giants.

In his late teens, Patrick began playing the clubs and coffeehouses around Kent, OH. He quickly gained a reputation for the intricate country blues style he was developing: part Piedmont picking, part Delta slide - with an equally impressive deep, smooth vocal style.

It wasn't long before Pat drew the attention of other notables like Jimmy Thackery who was impressed enough to bring Pat on the road, and Roy Book Binder, who, after hearing Patrick's self-released debut CD I Wanna Tell You, arranged his first appearance at Merlefest in 2002. Book Binder also turned his longtime friend Jorma Kaukonen on to Patrick's music, landing Pat a perennial slot at the legendary Fur Peace Ranch alongside guitarists like GE Smith, Marjorie Thompson, Bill Kirchen and Bob Margolin.

But Pat wouldn't stay in the acoustic world for long. His love of 50s era soul and rock fused with the adrenaline-soaked garage punk revival happening throughout the Rust Belt pushed Pat to form a band.

After 3 critically acclaimed CDs (the last two produced by longtime collaborator Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys), Patrick has expanded his touring radius to 49 states and the UK. He's played premiere festivals all over the U.S., and supported national acts such as The Black Keys, The Gourds, The Wood Brothers, Sonny Landreth, Hot Tuna, and Paul Thorn on tour.

His latest record, That Old Southern Drag, hit the streets February 15, 2011. It was recorded to 2" tape in Nasheville, TN (Patrick's new home) and features contributions from Joe McMahan (Allsion Moorer, Webb Wilder, Mike Farris), Scott McEwan (Tarbox Ramblers), Tim Marks (Will Kimbrough, Taylor Swift), and Chris West (The Dynamites), among others. Southern Drag expands Patrick's roots music palette without losing his signature Deep Blues sound.

Back to The Home Page

Red Ambition- Lumberyard
Web Site

Red Ambition is Northwest Arkansas based, and features two female lead vocalists. They are a party band, and cover a song list that includes the days of Motown and Rhythm and Blues. Put on your dancin' shoes!

Back to The Home Page

Rich Berry- Pied Piper
Web Site

Rich Berry plays soulful takes on some of the old blues that have been around for almost 100 years. He mixes it with some of his own music which is inspired by the same old blues. Mixing blues with a down home back porch folk style, his music sets in a comfortable groove that’s perfect for a warm summer day outside with a cold beverage and some barbeque.

Back to The Home Page

Sad Daddy- Pied Piper
Web Site

Brian Martin became a professional singer at the ripe young age of 12 and spent the next 43 years touring all over the world with his band the Bleeders. After a time, he  developed a desire to join with other musicians to create a product that could be more than the sum of its parts.

At about the same time he met Melissa and Joe on a cruise of the Caribbean. Hitting it off right away, the trio embarked on a tropical getaway which led them to many exotic islands full of dancing natives and coconut milk.

Quickly discovering their many shared interests, such as acoustic instruments, vocal harmony, and a love of American roots music, the three agreed to a musical partnership which they dubbed Sad Daddy after Melissa's father. Upon returning to the United States the three headed down to Austin to record an album.

The rest is history.

Back to The Home Page

Shawn "Lil' Slim" Holt- Chelsea's, Squid & Whale
Web Site

Shawn "Lil' Slim" Holt is the son of legendary blues master, Magic Slim, AKA Morris Holt. Shawn started playing the blues at the age of 17, when he went on the road with his father and his Teardrops, where he aquired the name from his late Uncle Nick Holt, "Lil' Slim".

Shortly after that tour with his father Shawn formed his band, "Lil' Slim and The Back Alley Blues Band", with his god-brother, Jeff Boehmer, Joey Manthy & JJ King. Since then, Shawn played with the current band, The Blues Messengers and took a break after that.

Shawn picked the guitar back up in 2009, while living in Minnesota and started the group, "True Sons of the Blues", with Jimi "Primetime" Smith, Tyson Bell and Allen Kirk, then later with John Lindberg. Moving back to Nebraska, he hooked up with some of his old band mates and new ones too and created "The Lil' Slim Blues Band", with the current list of band members, which include Shawn on guitar, Joshua Hoyer on vocals, sax & keys, Bo Rose on drums, and Jake Weise or Jeff Boehmer on bass.

Back to The Home Page

Smooth Down Under- Squid & Whale
Web Site

Smooth Down Under is a Branson, MO band that loves to play blues, funk and country. Members include Richard Lee Wilson on guitar and vocals, Steve Cole on bass, and Eric Sokol on drums.

Back to The Home Page

Sweet Stevie- Rowdy Beaver Den
Web Site

Steve Glasspool and Kathy Kidd make up the duo Sweet Stevie. Steve is a well-season veteran of Southeast Texas blues music scene, and Kathy is a well-known singer-songwriter in Northwest Arkansas. Together they sing and play some great blues!

Back to The Home Page

Trash Angels- Lumberyard
Web Site

The Trash Angels are based in Springfield, Missouri, and perform an average of 200 shows a year. Members of the band include Donnie Ray on guitar, Tiffany Rene' on vocals, Eric Guinn on bass, Taci Rooker on keys and Dave Ellis on percussion.

Donnie Ray, taking after his musician parents, has spent his whole life on stage from the age of 10. Tiffany Rene' learned to sing in church, and her booming voice will remind you that big things come in small packages. On bass, Eric Guinn makes his presence known by entertaining audiences whether it be with his playing or his stage antics. Taci Rooker, the deceptively quiet one, is able to school almost anyone on the keys. Rounding out the band on percussion, Dave Ellis is able to play anything on stage, but choses to reign on the drums.

Back to The Home Page

Wattsit2ya- Chasers

After nearly two decades, Wattsit2ya is still bringing their unmistakable sound to fans old and new. With Andy Adams on guitar, Brian Watt on Bass, and Mike Hudson on drums, the vocal abilities of this group shine with tight three part harmonies and lead vocal duty shared by all three members. Well known in the Northwest Arkansas area, they play a variety of music ranging from Blues, Classic Rock and R&B favorites.

Back to The Home Page