BluesFest 2010 – Saturday | This Is Not A Photo Opportunity

BluesFest 2010 – Saturday

As with most big music festivals, a lot of the best things at BluesFest 2010 were happening away from the main stage, and in particular on the Caba Caba Ray Stage. Saturday’s highlight is undoubtedly Poor Man’s Whiskey covering Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon in a bluegrass-style (with the original Money having it’s name changed to Whiskey, along with a new set of lyrics and with the cash till registers being replaced by the sound of cans of beer being opened and beer bottles knocked together. If it can be done in a dub style, why not do it bluegrass? Not only that, but it’s done with the band dressed up as the characters from The Wizard of Oz (including a very bearded Dorothy), the band’s nod to Darkside Of The Rainbow probably being lost on all but the most nerdy of music fans watching. The only downside is that they play in near darkness.

Other highlights at the smallest stage at the festival include Mojo Juju & The Snake Oil Merchants and the Kaos Kreepshow freakshow. It’s certainly a lot more enjoyable and entertaining compared to the snoozefest that is Jack Johnson‘s main stage headlining set.

The Mojo Stage’s line-up does little to excite today; I feel conflicted watching Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club as as far as I can work out, the Buena Vista Social Club name has just become essentially a brand name with the association to the original “club” diminishing as the years go by and the players pass on and get replaced by younger musicians. I do learn a couple of things looking them up on Wikipedia in writing this post though;

Ry Cooder was prosecuted and fined $25,000 by U.S. authorities for his work on the Buena Vista Social Club album, having broken the Trading with the Enemy Act, a clause that forms part of the ongoing United States embargo; and
That when touring the U.S., the Cubans are only entitled to their per diem (transportation and lodging) and are not permitted performance fees due to the embargo.

It’s ridiculous, unbelievable, shocking and insulting.

Donavon Frankenreiter makes it easy by not allowing photographers in the photo pit, meaning that at least I don’t have to feel conflicted by being anywhere near him and Old Crow Medicine Show are a lot more traditional than I had expected, coming nowhere near being as good as The Avett Brothers had been on the Friday. The main surprise is actually finding Newton Faulkner to be pretty good, especially as I make a difficult decision to to photograph him over John Mayall who is playing at the same time but who I’m planning on photographing on Monday. He impresses me further by still being at the signing tent hours after he was due to have finished signing and by being in the crowd at the Mojo Stage on Monday, happy to do photos and shake hands with all and sundry. Whilst it’s all part of the business, even more so in the modern age, it’s impressive to see one of the festival’s main players more than happy to go the extra mile and looking really comfortable doing so.

More Saturday BluesFest 2010 photos on Flickr.

Jack Johnson