Paul Perez fired the national anthem from his saxophone at the fourth annual B-Town Blues Fest on Sept. 13. Held at the CSUB Amphitheater, this year’s Blues Fest was an excellent combination of fresh talent and classic favorites.
Local talents, The Flying Arvizu Brothers and Perez, came together to open for the festival at 3 p.m. with a crowd slowly filtering in, braving the afternoon sun.
B-Town Blues Fest is put on by World Records store owner Pat Evans. “I think this year’s show had a lot of variety,” said Evans. “It had a very festive mood.” Parts of the proceeds to the Blues Fest goes to Houchin Blood Bank, specifically to help finance their Bone Marrow Registry Program. That is what Bruce Jones, a World Records employee, really enjoys about the Blues Fest “It’s really nice to have an event like this that gives to a great cause like that.”
Ticket sales for this year’s event were at a record high of 900. Compared to the 650 tickets sold last year, things are looking up for the Bakersfield blues scene.
Patrick Sweany was next to take the stage and brought a modern feel to the concert. His three-piece band took control of the festival with Taylor Belling on bass and Brad Porter on drums. Sweany’s soulful voice really brings some of his songs like “Your Man” and “Million to Me” down to a level that makes listeners stop in their tracks and let the music just flow over them.
Just as soon as you feel in love with these smooth tunes, out comes the rocker in Sweany as he works his way up and down the neck of his guitar, letting us hear his passion. When asked how he liked Sweany, fan Dave Faller, 51, replied, “I loved him! I’m surprised he played that early.”
Sweany knows that blues is what he was meant to play. “The blues was always really exciting to me even before I knew what it was,” said Sweany. “When I got on the guitar, it made sense… This is real. This is everyday life.”
Sweany has been a rising star since the late 1990s, getting his start at bars and small festivals. As his career has progressed, Sweany signed with Nine Mile Records, which has released his last two records. His latest release, Every Hour Is A Dollar Gone, came out in June 2007 and was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys who played as a guitarist in The Patrick Sweany Band just after its creation in 2001. “Patrick speaks the truth in his songs,” said Auerbach.
As a cool night air settled over a growing crowd, the dinner lines began to stretch along the grass. California Pizza Kitchen, Coconut Joe’s and Famous Dave’s were serving dinner.
Shana Morrison played as people ate, performing songs that were a mix of blues, jazz, and some pop. She had a soothing voice that really fit the calm and cool atmosphere of the festival.
Rick Estrin and The Nightcats followed Morrison and showed the crowd a whole different side of the blues. Estrin has taken charge of the band after Little Charlie Baty, former lead guitarist and founder of Little Charlie and the Nightcats, retired. “When Little Charlie retired, I didn’t know what I was gonna do,” Estrin told the crowd. “I thought I might go back to school, get some vocational skills, you know, get my engineering degree. But the 10th grade was a bitch the first time.”
Estrin’s comedic flair is a huge part of the band’s set that gets the audience comfortable. Songs like “My Next Ex-Wife” and “Dump That Chump” were evident of that.
Bassist Lorenzo Farrell, switching between electric and stand-up bass, set the songs at a fast and smooth pace. Both drummer J. Hansen and guitarist Chris “Kid” Andersen played some of their own pieces, bringing some of the crowd out to the sides of the stage to dance to the music. “They’re one of my favorites,” said Pat Evans. “With this new guitar player, there’s some new energy.”
The band has not released an album since Nine Tales, their 2005 release from the Little Charlie days. The band will be releasing a new album in the spring with Alligator Records. “It’s gonna be a little more…eclectic maybe,” said Estrin. ” A little more updated grooves.”
The headliner, Elvin Bishop, definitely knew how to cater to the crowd. Having played in Bakersfield numerous times, Bishop knew exactly what his audience wanted to hear. Sitting by his amp, as is his style, Bishop picked away at his guitar, completing the old-school sound that the Nightcats had brought to the stage.
“Elvin is excited about his new album and being on a bigger stage,” said Evans. “It definitely showed.”
Bishop’s newest album, “The Blues Rolls On,” was released Sept. 16. The album includes guest musicians like George Thorogood, B.B. King and Derek Trucks. Evans was very pleased with how the festival ended up. He is currently working on bringing some of the Blues Fest performers as well as other newer blues artist to town as part of his No Stinkin’ Service Charge blues series.