Columbia, MO Roots 'n Blues 'n BBQ Festival

RBBBQ Festival Friday September ,25 & Saturday, September 26:

Although the lineup was terrific, due to some family problems, I was not able to attend all the stuff I wanted to. I did get to go both days though before leaving Columbia, MO for Toledo, OH. First of all, let me say, I think this venue in Columbia known as the Roots 'n Blues 'n BBQ is one of the best festivals in the country. Okay, it's not Kerrville or The Merle Fest or Newport Folk Festival...but...it is a fine, fine festival where you can see a great deal of the cross-section of music that I mine so much of in my musical pursuits. At the right of the blog are links to various things and the RBBBQ link is there too so you can see the lineup of this year's acts and the past two.

First of all they charged this year, which was fine. I had the mon(ey) so I had some fun. Friday night I caught one of my favorite live acts ever, Southern Culture On The Skids. May penis was laying on the ground because it got rocked off. This southern mixture of blues, funk, country, R&B, surfabilly/rockabilly and whatever else they throw in that gumbo actually overshadows their white trash shtick, which is entertaining in and of itself. I haven't seen them in 11 years. But this is probably the 6th or 7th time I have seen them. They did in fact throw out the chicken and from an 'eight piece box' and they also did The Great Santo Mexican Wrestler gag. It never gets old for me.

I also saw the great old-timey band out of Kansas City, The Wilders. This is hoe-down tuneage at its best. Makes you want to drink and dance. They range from Ozark style fiddle tunes to Southeast Appalachian folk stuff. The Wilders are very comparable to the Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Freight Hoppers, The Stanley Brothers and the Carter Family. They can also do a gospel song like no body's business. Pick up their gospel album and you will be justified in the blood of the lamb. The fiddle player Betse Ellis also has a new solo album featuring her awesome fiddling. She is very adept at that Ozark fiddle playing in the vein of Bob Holt. If you ever pick up their albums they print extensive song by song liner notes on the style of the early Americana they perform. It's as good as anything that Smithsonian Folkways Records or Rounder's Deep River series puts in as annotated bibliographies. Oh yeah, and they are great live. That's all I got to hear and see on Friday.

Saturday had great acts too. I see the great Country & Western Modern Traditionalist James "Slim" Hand every year. It's so hard to find and see real live country and western. He puts on a great show always. This year it rained, but Mr. Hand stopped the show not because of the rain, but to come down in the crowd, shake hands and hug all the concert goers that braved the rain for his show. He is an outstanding showman and he did all his great material. On the other stage was C & W/Jazz/Rockabilly legend Junior Brown playing his guit-steel. A guitar and steel guitar on one instrument. He can maneuver from playing a hard pipe-hitting country truck-driving tune to Dick Dale-style surfabilly. He is one hell of a guitar and steel player and a crowd pleaser to say the least.

I am not a pure Reggae fan, but I got to hear the cool stylings of the traditional reggae band The Itals. Standard stuff, but great to see legends playing in the style of reggae I prefer mixed with lots of R & B. And on the other stage was legendary acoustic blues performer Rory Block. Now I love blues music, but I am burned out on the electric stuff. So I was happy to see this acoustic Delta Blues preservationist. Phenomenal! She stayed completely in the folk and country blues standard of Robert Johnson, early acoustic John Lee Hooker, and host of other Delta Blues styles. Her guitar playing is just absolutely haunting in how pure it is to the tradition...plus she's cute as hell.

I was disappointed to miss the likes of The Steeldrivers (bluegrass), Booker T. (blues and R & B), Backyard Tire Fire (indie rock and alt-country), The Blind Boys of Alabama (gospel, blues, R & B), The Perfect Age of Rock & Roll Blues Band (self-explanatory but featured Pinetop Perkins and Hubert Sumlin), The Carlolina Choclate Drops (saw them last year though, they are a black string band...banjo fiddle etc.) and Dan Tyminski cancelled. Well can't wait until next year!