Boston’s on the Beach 2011 Red, White, & Blues Festival

For the second time we scheduled a trip to South Florida to coincide with Boston’s on the Beach Red, White, & Blues Festival held over the July 4th weekend in Delray Beach. For those not familiar with the venue, Boston's is located just across A1A from the ocean and hosts the famed Blue Tuesday blues show with Frank Ward and the Nucklebusters Blues Band and a special guest. In the past we have seen Nicole Hart, The Skyla Burrell Blues Band, and Albert Castiglia during these shows.

Last year Bostons hosted the inaugural Red, White, & Blues Festival and we were able to attend everyday. See coverage here.  But this year were only able to make Sunday which included several regional and national blues acts: IKO-IKO, Ben Prestage, Bobby Lee Rodgers, Bill Wharton, Damon Fowler, and Ana Popovic - among many others. The day started with a tall boy of PBR and Lowdown 13 at the Tiki Bar stage. This is our regular hangout and the band did not disappoint with their hard rockn' blues.Check out their finale at MyJoogTV. Like most festivals, we now had a conflict. Our friends, IKO-IKO were scheduled inside on the Blue Tuesday stage and the Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio were scheduled on the Main stage. Rodgers has been on our watch list for quite some time, thus we shuttled back and forth to see each band. We are definitely biased regarding IKO-IKO and love each set we hear from the band - this was no exception. See a video here at MyJoogTV.  Now, for Bobby Lee Rodgers - we were completely overwhelmed. The guy can play the guitar; sat there mesmerized in the front row.  A video of "Lighthouse" will be posted here later next week - but check this guy out.

I had scheduled the day and lunch around seeing our good friend and one man bluesman Ben Prestage, who we "discovered" first at Merlefest and then at last year's festival. While singing or playing the harp, Presage pounds away on a kick drum and symbols; and plays the electric guitar or a cigar box that includes a separate bass amp. Electric and bass on the same guitar. He had quite an impressive following as well. The Tiki Bar stage was packed - making it difficult to even see the stage. Fortunately there were two sets so between these two, we saw quite a bit of this entertaining musician. Here's a very short video.

After Prestage and a few songs from the Jeff Prine Group, we had to excuse ourselves to shuttle the family home. Too much sun at the beach. It was disappointing to miss Damon Fowler and
Bill Wharton but I made it back for the main event: Ana Popovic. And she was awesome. Wow. A particular band mate may be a little over the top; but she can play. Yes, Ronnie Earl is a good comparison.  Thanks Bostons.

Red, White & Blues Festival - Day 2

The first day of the Red, White & Blues Festival at Boston’s on the Beach started out hot and sunny and ended soaked. The second pretty much started as how the first day ended - with the rain commencing an hour into the first act. And not just any rain - another downpour which failed to subside throughout the remainder of the day. There were brief periods of sprinkles - but basically this was another washout. Thus the music was limiited to the Tiki Bar when the rain was weak and the front indoor stage. The ShackDaddies started things off in the Tiki Bar in front of a decent number of early devotees. David Shelley sat in with the band and this was a rockn' set until the rain even shut that stage down. We hurrried inside to grab one of the last available tables where Jeff Prine Group was playing one of their last remaining songs. After lunch and a quick swim in the ocean - why not the water was warm and there was no lightening - we ventured back to the bar to hear a combination of Bill Wharton in the front stage and Blues Dragon at the Tike Bar. What a delimna; both were awesome. Just shows how impressive this lineup was. Blues Dragon started in Chicago,while Wharton used his slide guitar to guide us farther south. And during his set Wharton slowly cooked his famous Gumbo onstage - a feat he conducts at almost every show. Basically a live picnic - with his own recipe and famous Liquid Summer hot sauce. At this point the entire restaurant was reconfigured - tables were removed, ropes stretched to control the crowd, and the place was packed waiting for Albert Castiglia, perhaps south Florida's most popular bluesman. We stayed outside for this one considering there was no room for the little boy, but could still hear his powerful guitar. And the crowd was lovin' it. When it got even more crowded for the main event - Elvin Bishop and we couldn't even find a spot at the Tiki Bar - we called it a day. After another quick dip in the ocean, it was time to head home. But once again Boston’s on the Beach pulled it off, compensating for the weather and providing us with some awesome blues.

Red, White & Blues Festival - Day 1

The first day of the Red, White & Blues Festival at Boston’s on the Beach in Delray Beach started out hot and sunny and ended soaked. IKO-IKO started the three day festival off on the main stage and played an hour plus of their finest blues, finishing with their hit Crossroads and covered the famous New Orleans tune IKO IKO. I could listen to these guys all night - from Graham Wood Drout's singing to 'Good Rockin' Johnny Wenzel's lead guitar to Ron Taylor on keyboard to the rhythm section - Mitch Mestel and Daniel East. But that was not to be and while the main stage was dark between acts, one man band Ben Prestage became a crowd favorite at the Tiki Bar. This was the first time I got a chance to hear Prestage since Merlefest, and since he planned to play three sets that night - the first was all acoustic. The guy can play and with surprisingly deep, raspy vocals - he is a legitimate blues man. Nicole Hart followed on the main stage and was able to get an entire set in before the ominous rain clouds enveloped Delray Beach. She entertained the crowd with her sultry, soulful vocals while performing a few songs from her latest CD, Treasure - which was one of my favorite Blues CDs of 2009. This evening we heard the title track and "Heart Trouble" - great tunes. As her set ended we drifted back to the Tiki Bar anticipating another set by Ben Prestage when the skies opened and the downpour commenced and wouldn't stop - at least for the next hour. That's the chances you take holding a festival during Florida's raining season. Boston's then made an excellent decision to clear tables in the restaurant and move Tinsley Ellis indoors. Yes, it was crowded - but who cares, its Tinsley Ellis - right in front of you. The guy still has it and his supporting duo rocked; his drummer was awesome. And they played longer than expected - this allowed us to sneak out to hear Prestage's last set which I knew would include his trademark one-man band introduction playing his cigar box electric guitar. Throw in a little gospel and old school country blues - and I decided I couldn't miss his show later in the week at the Norton Museum of Art. We finished the evening listening to more of Tinsley Ellis and thinking that Boston's did a great job compensating for the weather and provided us with some amazing music. Can't wait to see what Day 2 will bring. And more photos are available at the MyJoog Gallery.

A Day at Boston's On the Beach

This Saturday we stopped by Boston’s on the Beach in order to purchase the early bird tickets for their Red, White & Blues Festival. We also wanted to get our first look at Amber Leigh, who plays regularly at the restaurant on Saturday afternoons and who we will see this Wednesday evening at City Place with Craig Morgan. And she is entertaining with a nice backing band. Loved their cover of Jackson. Although not indicated in the photo, Ms. Leigh is noted for her fiddle, although don't ignore the mandolin. She's been playing both at patrons at Boston's for the past decade. Not bad for a 23-year old. Her style is labled country, but expect a lot of Celtic and Bluegrass crossovers. We will have more about Ms Leigh later this week discussing her City Place show, but she can always be found Saturdays at Bostons from 2:00 to 5:00.

During her break we headed out back to the Tiki bar in order to hear the acoustic sounds from The acoustic duo associated with the Justin Enco Duo, a subset of the Justin Enco Band. Enco is a Canadian transplant who has found a home in south Florida. We were only able to listen to a couple songs - but from what we heard, we will return.

Boston’s on the Beach - Red, White & Blues Festival

We were planning on leaving South Florida the last weekend in June, until I read about a blues festival being held at my favorite music venue: Boston’s on the Beach in Delray Beach. Starting Friday June 2nd through Sunday June 4th, they are hosting their Red, White & Blues Festival, presenting national and regional blues acts. In fact, it was the selection of regional artists which were enough of a draw to extend our stay. Yes Tinsley Ellis, Nicole Hart, and Elvin Bishop are awesome; but the local blues talent in south Florida is strong. I'm talking about IKO IKO, Jeff Prine Group, Damon Fowler, Albert Castiglia, etc. And then the bonus is one man band Ben Prestage performing for most of the evening Friday night. I've been trying to see him again since Merlefest - this is one talented dude. Finally, ticket prices for this event is extremely affordable. Sunday is free, Friday is $12 and Saturday is $18. Buy now and a two day package is only $20. $20 for that talent. Oh yea.

Red, White & Blues Festival - Friday, July 02, 2010
IKO IKO 5:00 PM
Ben Prestage 6:00 PM
Piano Bob 6:00 PM
Nicole Hart & The Nucklebusters Blues Band 6:30 PM
Tinsley Ellis 8:30 PM

Red, White & Blues Festival - Saturday, July 03, 2010
Blues Dragon 12:30 PM
Big Popa E 1:30 PM
Jeff Prine Group 2:00 PM
Bill Wharton 3:30 PM
ShackDaddies 5:00 PM
Albert Castiglia 5:30 PM
Joey Gilmore 7:00 PM
Elvin Bishop 8:00 PM
Damon Fowler 10:00 PM
The Fabulous Fleetwoods 10:00 PM

Red, White & Blues Festival - Sunday, July 04, 2010
Captain Reese 1:00 PM
David Shelley 2:00 PM
The Funkabilly Playboys 2:30 PM
The Nouveaux Honkies 6:00 PM
JP Soars 9:30 PM
The Nucklebusters Blues Band 9:30 PM

MyJoog Venue: Boston's on the Beach

One of my favorite beaches in Florida is Delray Beach - not only does the actual beach contain flat, hard sand and clear water - but there are plenty of restaurants and parks within walking distance. One of these is Boston’s on the Beach; which provides live music every night except Wednesdays. And even better; they provide live music throughout the day on Saturdays and Sundays. And they have some pretty talented regulars performing during these shows and in the evening: Amber Leigh, Crazy Fingers, The Hep Cat Boo Daddies, Rythmation, and Midlife Crysis Band to name a few.

But my favorite night is Tuesday, when the venue hosts Blue Tuesdays with Famous Frank Ward and a special guests. This guests range from local Florida blues acts to regional and national headliners. This Tuesday we heard Philadelphia based the Deb Callahan Band. What a treat. And what a band: Allen James, Gerry Lee, and Tom Walling. They can smoke up a room - and along with Callahan's soulful vocals - make for an entertaining show. Wish I could follow them to Pineapple Willys. For the remainder of June Bostons has scheduled Terry Hanck, The Nouveaux Honkies, and Jeff Prine Group. See you then.

20 Days in November - Day 20: Skyla Burrell

Our last stop of seeing 20 days of live music was at our favorite South Florida music venue: Boston’s on the Beach. Located just across the beach in Delray Beach hosts live music every day - throughout the day. A typical pastime for us is to spend part of the morning on the beach, and then lunch and music at the restaurant. Plus, they are extremely kid friendly - a free Boston's Frisbee goes farther than the kids meal it holds. This evening we headed straight to Boston's from the airport in order to see at least one set from a rising blues act, The Skyla Burrell Blues Band. This is one hard working band that came to our attention playing annually at the Adams County Winery. It also helps that the band was a semi-finalist in the 22nd Annual International Blues Challenge. Tonight the band was smoking. band co-founder Mark Tomlinson and Burrell are terrors on the guitar - their styles are similar to Tinsley Ellis. With family in tow - I didn't bother recording the song titles - but we enjoyed every second. What more do you want - sitting on a deck, a cool breeze, and great music. I might have to return for a few Damon Fowler shows next year.

Music Scene - West Palm Beach

While spending a couple weeks in South Florida, I was able to investigate several music venues. South of Palm Beach there is a series of small towns located adjacent to the ocean - Lake Worth, Lantana, Boynton Beach, and Delray Beach. Each town has several bars and clubs that provide live music but my favorite past time was walking around the main street areas in Lake Worth and Delray Beach. Within both towns the venues were in the same proximity allowing us to see several artists during the same evening.

We had come to know Lake Worth from the famed Bamboo Room - that used to host local and national blues and rock acts. Unfortunately the venue closed last year and there has been no word on its re-opening. However, there is still a vibrant music scene within the same vicinity, with several bars and restaurants hosting musicians: Havana Hideout, Homerun Sports Bar,
Propaganda, and South Shores Tavern. Our favorites were two that were literally across the street from each other: Brogues on the Avenue and the Lake Worth Rum Shack. Last Wednesday night we started at Brogues after hearing a booming voice coming from the bar. Over a Jamesons we listened to a fellow playing a few Irish songs and other covers. This is a nice bar - open - with a nice outside corner spot on the street. Afterward we headed to our intended destination, the Lake Worth Rum Shack. This restaurant\tiki bar hosts live music every night and this evening to regulars were playing: Jason Montero and Shauna Sweeney. We selected this evening because we had noticed that Ms. Sweeney was also playing at Sunfest on May 3rd. The duo are quite entertaining; they played a mix of originals and covers - from Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, to Led Zepplin. At least from Montero's selections. Ms. Sweeney was just as gifted, playing a more soft-rock flavor; and with Montero picking on the acoustic guitar - we really loved their act. We definately recommend taking a look at these two.

Delray Beach is not as compact as Lake Worth so it requires a little more walking. Delray Beach is probably the nicest beach in the area so its a great place to sunbath and swim. Afterward we usually head to Boston’s on the Beach, where on the weekends they host live music all day. Sometimes we will escape the high sun and listen to Amber Leigh, then head back to the beach in the late afternoon.

In the evening, head west on Atlantic Avenue. Before the railroad tracks Elwood's Dixie Barbecue hosts local blues acts on their outdoor porch. I nice place to listen to music and people watch. Behind Elwood's is the area's largest venue, City Limits. This club attracts national, regional, and local artists - with a reggae/blues/rock flavor. Any place that JJ Grey & Mofro play is worth looking into. If Irish music interests you, turn left into Pineapple Grove and go to the end of the street where you will find O'Connors. Smithwicks and music. Oh yea. Finally there are a couple other establishments we haven't ventured to yet, The Bull Bar and Dada. We will check them out our next walking tour of Atlantic Avenue.