TAMPA BAY BLUES FESTIVAL
Fri.-Sun, April 11-13, Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg.
Three-day passes $75; single-day tickets $30, available at Whitney Bank locations or at tampabaybluesfest.com.
Click on artists’ names to listen to their music.
FRIDAY APRIL 11
12:30-2 p.m.: Billy Gibson Singer/harmonica player from the blues mecca of Memphis, Tenn., fronts a quartet well-versed in Beale Street boogie. —WT
2:30-4 p.m.: Nick Moss & the Flip Tops Based in Chicago, Nick Moss and his backing trio have done their homework on Windy City blues: Moss' singing, songwriting and especially his stinging guitar solos serve as homages to heroes like Jimmy Rogers and Buddy Guy. —WT
4:30-6 p.m.: Lucky Peterson He's a true triple threat: singer, guitarist and organist, and damn fine at all three. Lucky, who was partly raised in St. Pete (his dad James is a storied local bluesman), is also a compelling entertainer, with boundless energy, and sometimes an edginess that can border on chaos. —ES
6:30-8 p.m.: James Hunter The wildcard in the fest, Hunter is an English soul singer raised on American R&B. His American debut album, last year's People Gonna Talk, is genuinely seductive. See accompanying story. —ES
8:30-10 p.m.: The Robert Cray Band The singer/guitarist is one of the few artists to ever perform at the blues fest who can claim a Top 40 hit. In '87, Cray got some love from rock radio, and his single "Smoking Gun" ascended to No. 22 on the Billboard pop chart. He's been a stalwart at festivals ever since, a bit staid in his presentation but gifted with a powerful tenor. He also has a passel of grabby original tunes that veer away from the standard 12-bar format. —ES
SATURDAY APRIL 12
1-2 p.m.: Trombone Shorty If you're thinking about ambling into the Saturday portion around midafternoon, know this: You'll be missing the most frenetic showman on the entire bill. Trombone Shorty (real name Troy Andrews) is a young, wiry firebrand from New Orleans who will drop his heavy funk and second-line on ya. He's a terrific 'bone player and trumpeter, as well as an enthusiastic singer and rapper. Forget warmin' up the crowd; he may burn the place down. Shorty should have been scheduled for later in the day. —ES
2:30-4 p.m.: Tutu Jones A capable guitarist who holds his own when soloing on standards like "The Sky Is Crying," Jones is an even better singer, excelling at slow blues and soul numbers. —WT
4:30-6 p.m.: Tab Benoit He's been a fairly ubiquitous presence on Bay area stages since the mid '90s. A Cajun native of Houma, La., in the heart of the Mississippi delta, he brings a lot of the stylistic influences from that region (swamp-rock, boogie, zydeco) to his blues-based sound. He can really strangle a Telecaster and has a forceful, winning voice. —ES
6:30-8 p.m.: Walter Trout The hefty, pony-tailed Californian brings the chops and wail, grimaces and all. Trout, who has been on the blues fest bill several times, is a requisite fix for the guitar fiends in the crowd who can't get enough long, high-octane blues-rock solos over randy shuffle grooves and smoldering slow numbers. —ES
8:30—10 p.m.: Los Lonely Boys The Garza brothers call their music "Texican" rock, and while the band's breakthrough single "Heaven" might be more pop than most blues enthusiasts can stomach, Los Lonely Boys' live show is far more incendiary — thanks, in large part, to the guitar exploits of Henry Garza. —WT
SUNDAY APRIL 13
1-2:15 p.m.: Tad Robinson This Indiana singer has a smooth, rather generic croon that he lends to laid-back R&B and uptown soul. —WT
2:30-4 p.m.: Chris Cain An underrated guitarist and singer who released a string of acclaimed records on Blind Pig in the '90s, Cain effortlessly incorporates Chicago blues, jump-blues, jazz and funk into his performances. —WT
4:30-6 p.m.: Janiva Magness Magness has a strong but not particularly expressive voice, and her batch of shuffles and ballads comes straight out of Blues 101. —WT
6:30-8 p.m.: Rod Piazza & the Might Flyers Another blues fest regular, Piazza and his tight band always turn in a lively, entertaining set. He's certainly one of the best harmonica players on the planet and sings in a cool, West Coast style. Piazza shares the spotlight with his wife Honey, who can tear up a keyboard. The band plays a lot of boogie and jump-blues to go along with some Chicago and Cali style. —ES
8:30-10 p.m.: Robben Ford He's one of those guys who's always being featured in guitar magazines, his playing analyzed in its use of the Mixolydian mode in the 12-bar format, and shit like that. I call it penthouse blues — oriented toward guitar virtuosity but lacking in gut-level emotional punch (for me, at least). Ford sings because, in a festival setting, he has to; his reedy voice essentially fills up space until the next six-string foray. —ES
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2008.