Post by jptheprofessor on Aug 15, 2008 2:41:36 GMT -5
Although I had wanted to attend this event for years, the planets never aligned correctly and my schedule never cooperated until this year. Finally I would get to experience the annual Pittsburgh Blues Festival, held at Hartwood Acres north of Pittsburgh. Proceeds from this event benefited the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
The first night of this Festival, Friday, followed a Louisiana Cajun theme, and featured Tab Benoit as headliner. Saturday’s headliner was Taj Mahal. And this day, while Tommy Castro was headlining later in the evening, the band I was most anxious to see was performing during the afternoon – Southern Culture On The Skids!
Traveling with a couple of friends, I arrived at the Festival shortly after 2 PM, while the first band of the afternoon, Pittsburgh jam rockers theCause, were performing on the upper stage. We witnessed much of their set from afar (we visited the food area first), but they sounded good as they did a mixture of blues jams, Grateful Dead numbers and more. The group also welcomed special guests Jill Paone Simmons, Andrea Pearl, Patti Spadaro & Phil Brontz. Some of the highlights we heard included renditions of “How Sweet It Is,” “Big Boss Man,” and their spirited closing rendition of the Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends,” with guest singers Bill Maruca (The Pawnbrokers) & Marci Brown (Sweaty Betty Blues Band).
We procured good vantage spots relatively close to the main stage to witness Southern Culture On The Skids’ (S.C.O.T.S.) set. The group appeared to arrive just shortly before their set was to begin, giving them just enough time to set up gear and start; this probably was a factor in an uneven sound mix early on. Still, guitarist/singer Rick Miller (clad in ballcap, T-shirt and checked Bermuda shorts), bassist/singer Mary Huff and drummer Dave Hartman – along with a second guitarist whose name I haven’t been able to pin down – brought the party with their trademark mixture of rockabilly, country twang, surf rock and southern trailer park imagery. After opening with the surf-ish instrumental “Skullbucket,” Southern Culture On The Skids fired through a variety of their favorites, including “Cadillac Blues,” “Mojo Box,” “White Trash,” “King of the Mountain,” “The Wet Spot,” “Too Much Pork for Just One Fork,” “Liquored Up and Lacquered Down,” “’69 El Camino,” “Dirt Track Date,” “40 Miles to Vegas” and more. Shortly into the set, the security folks – realizing that this was a good-time party and that moshing and crowd idiocy wasn’t a threat – opened up the stagefront barricade and allowed the audience to move up directly in front of the stage. Rick handled most of the lead singing duties, with Mary showing a sturdy voice on “Nitty Gritty,” “House of Bamboo,” and the set-closing “Daddy Was a Preacher But ama Was a Go-Go Girl,” where the band was joined onstage by a number of dancing ladies from the audience. Highlights were numerous between songs and humorous tidbits and antics offered up from the band along the way. While introducing “Corn Liquor,” Rick commented, “I don’t see any fruit jars just yet, but the day is still young.” There was the ‘fly’ double-shot of “Greenback Fly” and “Firefly,” with Rick stating that “the first firefly means the opening of mating season.” And after honoring an audience request for “Soul City,” there was the group’s showstopper “Eight Piece Box,” where several audience members were brought onstage to toss the contents of a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken out to the crowd. As I’ve experienced before, S.C.O.T.S.’ set was an absolute blast, with the group happily pounding out the tunes with smiles and enthusiasm. Their musicianship was strong through it all, and I liked the various distortion and reverb flavors Rick was getting out of his guitar. The uneven sound mix issue quickly took a backseat, as the group’s fun vibes, upbeat music and sense of humor convincingly won out. And what’s not to like about a band who shares a bucket of The Colonel’s finest with their audience? By my count, this was my fifth time seeing Southern Culture On The Skids, and based on the good time I enjoyed with them this day, it won’t be my last!
These folks found some shade beneath an Iron City beer trailer before the start of Southen Culture On The Skids’ set.
Kicking off their Pittsburgh Blues Festival performance, Southern Culture On The Skids.
Dave Hartman of Southern Culture On The Skids.
Mary Huff of Southern Culture On The Skids.
Decked in Bermuda shorts, Rick Miller of Southern Culture On The Skids.
Audience members are allowed inside the barricade to get closer to Southern Culture On The Skids.
Again, Rick Miller of Southern Culture On The Skids.
Again, Mary Huff of Southern Culture On The Skids.
Once again, Mary Huff.
Again, Dave Hartman of Southern Culture On The Skids.
Rick Miller and Mary Huff of Southern Culture On The Skids.
It looks like somebody broke out an “Eight Piece Box” with Southern Culture On The Skids.
A lady dons KFC bucket head attire alongside Rick Miller of Southern Culture On The Skids.
Some ladies celebrate chicken and music alongside Mary Huff of Southern Culture On The Skids.
It’s more chicken and dancing onstage with Southern Culture On The Skids.
More KFC chicanery with Rick and Mary of Southern Culture On The Skids.
The party continues with Southern Culture On The Skids.
After the set, we headed to the merchandise area to purchase CD’s (Sparky and I both procured copies of the group’s 2006 double-CD live set Double Wide Live) and meet the band. Again, S.C.O.T.S. were gracious and happily greeted and chatted with the fans, and we even got some photos taken with them.
Mary Huff autographs my CD.
Mary Huff of Southern Culture On The Skids and yours truly.
We then headed up the hill to the upper stage, where Pittsburgh bluesers The Pawnbrokers were under way. Singer Jon Pergal, guitarist Ric Proudfoot, keyboardist Bill Maruca, harmonica man Garth Asmussen, Joe and Sean McGuire on bass and drums offered up a strong set of straightforward blues; mixing original songs and select cover material. I didn’t catch much in the way of song titles, but was impressed as The Pawnbrokers cleanly and tightly swaggered their way through their song selection. Each of these guys was great at his respective role in the band, from Jon’s soulful wail to Garth’s greasy harmonica work, to the tasty solo displays from Ric and Bill, and the lean and tight rhythm section. This was my second time seeing The Pawnbrokers (the first was when they won the Pittsburgh Blues Challenge at Moondogs a few years ago, over a field including Fat Vinny & the Wiseguys), and this band definitely does their blues well – great stuff!
The Pawnbrokers entertain at the Pittsburgh Blues Festival.
Garth Asmussen of The Pawnbrokers.
Sean McGuire of The Pawnbrokers.
Jon Pergal of The Pawnbrokers.
Again, Jon Pergal of The Pawnbrokers.
Ric Proudfoot of The Pawnbrokers.
Once again, The Pawnbrokers.
Bill Maruca of The Pawnbrokers.
Again, Ric Proudfoot of The Pawnbrokers.
Joe McGuire of The Pawnbrokers.
Again, Sean McGuire of The Pawnbrokers.
Again, Garth Asmussen of The Pawnbrokers.
We then returned to the main stage to view one more group before our departure, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk. Namesake Ivan plays keys and sings, and is part of the New Orleans Neville musical family dynasty, as is his brother, Ian, who plays guitar and bass. Nick Daniels and Tony Hall also play guitar and bass, and Raymond Weber drums. As their name would suggest, Dumpstaphunk laid down the funk with a feisty, hard-nosed display, as they blended original numbers with funked-up remakes. This group frequently blended several songs together in spicy criss-crossing medleys, with their blazing musicianship keeping it exciting throughout. Some of the highlights included Dumpstaphunk’s funkified treatment of CCR’s “Fortunate Son,” and Raymond’s hot drum solo leading into a James Brown tribute.
Since one member of our travel party had to play at a gig later in the night, we departed towards the end of Dumpstaphunk’s set, and had to pass on seeing Jill West & Blues Attack and headliner Tommy Castro. But what we experienced this day at the Pittsburgh Blues Festival was splendid, with excellent summer weather, great music and a large, festive crowd combining to make it a great day. It was my first Pittsburgh Blues Festival, and I definitely plan to be back for more!
A huge crowd looks on as Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk kicks off their performance.
Nick Daniels, Ian Neville and Tony Hall of Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk.
More Dumpstaphunk.
More of Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk.
Ivan Neville.
Nick Daniels and Ian Neville of Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk.
Again, the guitar section of Dumpstaphunk.
The funk party continues with Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk.
Again, Ivan Neville.
Tony Hall of Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk.
Nick Daniels of Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk.
A huge audience looks on as Dumpstaphunk performs.