What can you say about the line up other than stellar. The cold outside was no match for what was happening inside the Congress Theater in Chicago, as the 2nd Annual Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival was in full effect. Eddy Clearwater gave me what I was looking for in the way of that true original Chicago Blues styling, been waiting a long time to catch his act, well worth it. The Emmitt Nershi Band has my attention since I started slinging tracks off their new album, they left me with a down-home goodness feeling, that strings like theirs tend to do. I stomped my feet and felt a giant Yee Haw brewing up for most of their set…..reminded me of days by the barn as a youngin’. Dr. Dog was the act i had never seen that was tops on my list for getting a taste of, and i was not disappointed. I can certainly appreciate the direction that the music is taking and I must admit, at times it felt like the music was made entirely for the day that it was being played on. From the “I didn’t see that coming” file, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones with Tuvan Throat Singing group, The Alash Ensemble, doing tracks from their latest holiday release and man, this was something else…no really….the experience made me wonder how the decision was made to intersect these two styles into a holiday festival of it’s very own. The hearty earthy richness of Bela’s Banjo mixed with the soul drenching, hold me captive with that sound, Tuvan Throat singing is a match made for, well, my ears for certain. And well, you know the deal with those Flecktones…the unique spirit they conjure up is at times unexplainable and always worth being there for.
