MUSINGS & RAMBLINGS

Bettye Lavette was the first artist up and was harmed by being first. As with the day before the vocal mics were buried and out of balance. For an intimate personal soul-blues artist this was a severe limitation. Bettye carried on and did bring the band’s volume down so she could be heard. She did a fine set with excellent songs and several great moments.

"I’d like to do a song from my Handy winning CD "A Woman Like Me." After 40 years in the business I like saying that. When I was nominated in a few categories I figured I’d probably win at least one, and I decided I’d walk up there real dignified, and give a great speech. Girl, When they called my name for CD Of The Year I fell down on the floor sobbing and they had to carry me up there."

Up before my breakfast
Shot of the whiskey on the side
It’s a dark and dreary morning
Clouds cover up the sky

The forecast calls for pain
The forecast calls for pain
My Baby’s love done turned cold
The forecast calls for pain

We stayed up all night talking
He’s grown restless (that’s what he said)
Told me there ain’t nobody new
But deep down I know that’s mess

The forecast calls for pain
The forecast calls for pain
My Baby’s love done turned cold
The forecast calls for pain

Let me tell you, he said
He’s tried and tried
Maybe he has--
But his love has went and died
And I can see deep down inside
I can see the man has changed
Said he’s changed, he’s changed

I can hear the thunder
Feel a chill run up my spine
I’ve seen this kind of thing before
I know when I’m on borrowed time

The forecast calls for pain
The forecast calls for pain
My Baby’s love done turned cold
The forecast calls for pain

("The Forecast" by Dennis Walker & David Plenn ©)

I want to see Bettye Lavette in a nightclub after dark and hear what a no good man I am and how I hurt her. I bought her CD at the artist booth.

When I’ve seen Tommy Castro in the past I’ve always been trampled by Barbies rushing the stage while squealing "He’s so cute!!!" This time they couldn’t do that because of the high stage and the efficient security people guarding the front. Tommy as a result seemed much more relaxed and intent on playing the blues. He actually wore his glasses and could see. He did tell us that a lot of his family was there. He did a good set covering quite a few years of his career, with heavy blues content. Tommy concentrated on playing and singing and had one of his best days.
He really seemed to be enjoying himself and used few cliché lines. I admired his ability to connect with the audience without using heavy rock songs.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of Shemekia Coleman; she was one of the ‘middle of the show’ acts. I’d seen her three years before and been impressed with her potential and huge voice, while seeing that she had a ways to go as a song interpreter. Well! The woman grew up all the way!

In a yellow dress with yellow shoes she took command of the stage right away and never let it go. The huge voice is in her complete control and she can belt or purr the songs as she needs. Her material is very personal to her. And Shemekia is funny and self-confident now. Her songs included ones about waking up in bed with the wrong guy, being hustled by a lying married man and feeling terrible when she found out. "I’m twenty-six now and Honey, I must have had a lying cheating man for every one of those years." "Uh uhh, I’m not coming down in the audience. Last time I did that I lost this great pair of purple shoes to two guys who begged for them. Uh uhh." We have only begun to see the best of Shemekia Coleman, the young diva.

I really wanted to see Ike Turner; I’d seen him years ago with the Ike & Tina Turner Show at the old Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco. I was one of a hundred young guys trying to grab an Ikette on stage. Ike had growled at everybody while leading the band, playing guitar, and fighting off horny young men (but that’s another story). Now with Ike in his seventies I wanted to see him again while I still could.

Seated at a Kurzweil electric piano (only time I’ve ever seen three Kurzweils on stage), Ike played both piano and guitar and did some of his hits and some classic blues. "Rocket 88" was fun and the band sounded really good. It was sort of an odd set of songs as the mixture was without a lot of continuity or introduction, they were hits he was associated with in some way like an early B. B. King song I knew he produced.

Ike instrumental abilities received ‘show cases’ and I thought his guitar playing was more interesting than his piano playing. He has a nice finger vibrato that makes his guitar ring well. On stage with him was one of his long-time musicians also playing piano, plus another piano player who did most of the rhythm section work with the bass player and drummer. When Ike is playing without affectation or show he’s really good.

Toward the end of the set Ike introduced a young woman who had a breathless baby voice. She was got up like a young Tina Turner. "This young lady has never played the blues before three months ago!" said Ike. She could belt out "Nutbush City Limits." The ghost of Ike and Tina lived for a few minutes on stage. Good horn section.

Los Lobos came on stage, did one of their roots rock songs to applause, and then looked at each other while saying "This is a blues festival." Deciding on a song that fit that description took them a few seconds and then they did a nice hot shuffle tune. With that out of the way they then embarked on a Los Lobos set. "Kiko" was fun. Frankly, I liked the more Mexican and Latin rhythm stuff and the hard-core blues fans around me did too. The dancers were up for the Latin rhythm songs and sat back down for the Alt Rock numbers. I like Los Lobos, and I recognize the dilemma a festival promoter has in finding a sure-fire headliner that will sell tickets. I wish that the festival could have booked a blues performer of that stature.

All in all, this was a fine festival, despite the sound problems. It wasn’t that there wasn’t enough sound, it was there was too much and it buried the vocals. I look forward to seeing Johnny Rawls, Shemekia Coleman, and Bettye Lavette again in a smaller venue. I’d like to see Al Green again where the microphones do not stymie him. Earl Thomas is a flat-out great singer.

Festivals have their problems, but they remain the place where to see a variety of acts on a single show. The Russian River Blues Festival is to be commended on its very existence and for the variety of acts it books. It lets the acts play, doesn’t book package/tribute shows, and the audience can really see who is hot.