We Found the Cure for the Monday Blues!
Yesterday was a great day at the tent - windy, but sunny; the sunburns on my shoulders are proof! We got to catch the great MORGAN DAVIS performing at the free daytime shows. He played some great ROBERT JOHNSON covers and then shared with us that it would have been Johnson's 100th anniversary this year! He passed away at the age of 27 - such a young age for such an incredible talent!
We also had the pleasure of seeing DER HEISSER, a fantastic Klezmer group founded by musicians ADAM FINE and GINA BURGESS. They were our first group of five GALAXIE RISING STAR CONTESTANTS - if you don't know about this amazing contest, head over to the GALAXIE RISING STAR pageHERE. Contestants are in the running to win $5,000 and the winner is determined by votes cast by you, so make sure to vote either online or at the GALAXIE tent down at the main tent at the Waterfront! After their performance, we took some time to grill ADAM FINE about the (one-way?) rivalry between DER HEISSER and TUNNEL SIX!
ADAM FINE knows how to run a great campaign - there's really nothing like a bit of a juicy scandal to garner some competition interest. We wish the best of luck to DER HEISSER, TUNNEL SIX, and all other groups competing in the competition - CYNDI CAIN, JAFFA ROAD, and GLEN STRICKEY QUARTET. May the best band win!
We were also able to talk to a few people about what brought them out to the festival, and we got some lovely surprises!
This lovely gentleman told us about how he had been going to the festival since it first started 25 years ago, and how he usually takes a week or so off work just to attend! That's dedication!
STEPHANIE surely wasn't disappointed by JILL BARBER 's performance - she played an unforgettable set! The crowd was in complete awe and enchantment, getting swept away in the romance of it all! We rushed to 1313 Hollis to see GORDON GRDINA and I must say that KENTON LOEWEN had some of the most impressive druming I've seen in a long time! We finished off the night at the late night stage at the Georgian Lounge with THOM SWIFT & THE EL CAMINOS which couldn't have been a better way to end such a wonderful day!
Although the rain showed its face again today, that won't stop us! We have some great things on the go tonight - SISTERS EUCLID & HARRY MANX are performing at the festival tent, and we are having our first official show at the Company House tonight with WORDRHYTHM! And as always, the cool cats will be heading out to the late night stage at the Georgian Lounge to be hypnotized by the wonderful MIKE MURLEY QUARTET!