Blues festival coming up Aug. 13-14
by Kootenai Valley Record
July 21, 2010
Libby’s second annual Riverfront Blues Festival is coming up on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 13-14, with top bands from around the Northwest scheduled for the expanded two-day event.
Music will be on tap from 6 p.m. until midnight on Friday and from 4 p.m. to midnight on Saturday. Friday’s schedule includes Crying Shame from Naples, Idaho, northwest Montana’s Kenny James Miller Band, and headliner Phil Berkowitz & the Dirty Cats, featuring special guest Ben Rice.
A San Francisco-based blues harmonica master, Berkowitz was playing at the same venue as young Oregon blues guitarist Ben Rice when their conversation turned to the Libby festival, said event organizer Peggy Oelberg. Rice played in Libby last year, and he happily accepted Berkowitz’s invitation to join him at the Fred Brown Pavilion this year, "because Ben Rice and his band loved Libby so much," Oelberg said.
Saturday’s music will begin with local favorite Back Adit, featuring Dave Williamson, Sue Feeback, Wayne Rau and Gary Lawrence, followed by Missoula’s Mike Bader Band, Flathead Valley blues stalwarts Big Daddy and the Blue Notes and headliner Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin’ Daddies, who bill themselves as "the Pacific Northwest’s premier high-energy, low-down, powerhouse, hip-shakin’ blues band."
Last year’s event drew more than 300 blues fans from all over the Northwest, and as far east as Illinois and as far north as Calgary. An even bigger crowd is expected this year as the festival’s reputation spreads.
"If you look at all the festivals that are out there, I think we’ve got one of the best festivals going," said organizer Trent Oelberg.
The festival promises to be a great introduction to the blues for those who may not have had much exposure to the genre, Peggy Oelberg said.
"It’s fresh and new in Libby, and if you’ve never really known what the blues is about, it’s a good time to come and find out, and you might just get hooked," she said.
People coming to the show should bring lawn chairs or blankets to spread out on the grass by the pavilion. Food vendors will be serving barbecued chicken and ribs, pulled pork and Mexican dishes.
Tickets are $35 for both days. Single-day tickets are $15 for Friday and $20 for Saturday.
Sponsorship opportunities for local businesses are still available. To help sponsor the festival, call 406-293-5900 or 406-293-7792.
For more information, see riverfrontbluesfestival.com.
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Editor’s Note: See the July 20, 2010 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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