Doheny Blues Fest 2008

This is the 3rd year. Dad and I stumbled upon the Doheny Blues Festival 3 years ago. Tower of Power was playing (BEST LIVE BAND EVER) and being the huge fans we are decided to go. It was the day after my brother's wedding. Yup. Daddy and Jami - hungover - Blues Fest 2006. We fell in love with it. Despite the fact that it was FREEZING, and I came home sick with a cold. We loved it. We decided to go every year. Last year - freezing. Fell in love with Blind Boys of Alabama and The Charlie Randolph band. The thing about blues - I usually dont know most the bands playing. I dont care. There's something about blues that just takes you away, takes ya back. You can drink and chill and get lost in it. Blues is about life. Blues is the one thing that is American. Blues comes from here. The Blues musicians have to fucking rock. Have to. You have to have heart and soul behind those songs. Blues is life. I love the blues. I mean I FUCKING love the blues. And nothing tops it then going to an outdoor festival with my dad whose also as big of a music whore as I am and listen to the blues all day long. This year:

As per usual, I dont know most of the bands performing this year. Neithier does Dad. We always just pick a day and go, knowing will dig whoever plays. We chose Saturday. The headliner was Johnny Lang. This year Miss Terri came along with us - who is also a huge music whore, so of course she was welcome. For the first time the weather was actually nice! In fact - hot as hell. Like surface of the sun hot. I aint complaining. I'd rather be hot then freezing. Dad lasted the whole day too. (We usually head out before the headliner due to dad's back acting up, but the warm weather helped this year). We rolled in early to get good parking....sort of did. We walked the shorter beach way to the start of the line (which was way longer then last year...warm weather I assume). The 3 of us parked our chairs and started chatting and people watching. When we eventually got inside, we found our spots at the mainstage and set up our little area. Beer, snacks in hand concert began.

First up was Elnora & Sumpthin' Cookin. The band started jamming and this large african american woman comes out. She started belting out the blues. Fantastic. Next up was Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. Holy shit! Ok - first of all Pinetop is 94!!!!!!!!! The other 2 are in thier late 70's. These cats got up there and tore it the fuck up! Willie ripped it up on the harmonica, I mean RIPPED it up! Willie & Hubert were out there for the 1st few songs w/o Pinetop - being the youngins and all I'm sure....then here comes Pinetop. Maroon suit, sits down at the piano and started playin and singin. Now these guys were Blues at its best. Loved, loved loved them. Then next was Robert Cray Band. Now this dude has got to be one of the top 50 Blues artists in the world. They were certainly one of the bands dad was looking foward to and they did not dissappoint. Robert Cray is so similar to BB King the way he plays and the facial expressions he has. They tore it up thru an incredible set. "That was worth the whole ticket price right there" said my beaming father. Last on the mainstage was the headliner for the evening - Jonny Lang. Now I've heard of this kid, but never actually listened to anything he's done. It just didnt make sense to me that some 15 year old white kid could have burst onto the Blues scene. His 1st too songs...I sat thinking...whatever, I'm not that impressed. Well. This 27 year old pretty boy warmed up and the rest of his set was SICK! I couldnt believe that kid - KID - was tearin up the guitar like that. I think what I loved the most was how he got into it. You know a good musician when they look like they're eithier crying or having sex when they're playing. I swear he actually came during one song. Ha! He also sang his licks!! I love that.... His entire band was outstanding. All had solos at one point and all tore it up equally. I couldnt believe it. This kid fucking rocked!!!! We stayed for the entire thing. In the midst of these bands I listed, we did hear other ones at other stages - BB & the Blues Shacks, Eric Burdon & The Animals (His House of the Rising Sun was awesome), JJ Grey & MOFRO (From Germany mind you) all sounding fantastic.

There were two things that did dissappoint. First - I learned the hard way that sunblock can expire. So as much sunblock as I slathered on throughout the day - I got fried. I mean - scary I probably have skin cancer now - fried. Second - the sound. I dont know if it was the heat, or if they had some dumb fuck running sound but the power went out during Elnora's set and Robert Cray's set. I mean totally out! The screen kept goin in and out throughout the day and it took them at least 3 songs to get Lang's sound sounding right. That was bullshit. I was ready to walk in there myself and take over. Dad's writing a letter.

But otherwise - Fantastic day. We ate some good food, drank some decent booze and listened to some amazing music. Dad, Terri and I chatting all day about life, music, etc. Watchin people, laughing at people, bakin in the sun. As per usual The Doheny Blues Festival did not dissappoint. Cant wait for next year!!