Monday, July 25, 2011

Heatstock festival captures spirit of Woodstock

The Christy Howard Band, with special guest Jeff Grand (right) performs at Heatstock in 2009.
(Photo by Don McGhee)

For the last 15 years, Oak Park’s Mike Boulan has been realizing the dream of hosting his own local “Woodstock-type” music festival.
The 16th annual Heatstock festival, which features blues artists from Boulan’s No Cover label, is set for this weekend (July 29-30) in Fostoria, located in Tuscola County in Michigan’s Thumb region.
“Back when I was in high school, me and my friend Tim Baldwin used to sit around and talk about doing something like this,” Boulan said. “He called me in ‘96 and said, ‘Hey, remember talking about this years ago?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and he said, ‘Well, I think we can do it at my house. I have five acres here.’ So we started off at his house.”
The first Heatstock was a one-day event with around 100-150 guests and music from three bands. In the event’s fourth year, it moved to its current location and started to grow in popularity, reaching a high of around 850 people two years ago. Boulan expects around 750 guests this year.
The Heatstock crowd enjoys a set by Motor City Josh. 
(Photo by Don McGhee)
“It’s a family reunion type atmosphere,” he said. “There are people who come from all over the country and even other countries, and they only see each other at this event. They’ve developed major friendships. (Blues musician) Curtis Sumter met his wife there and I know other people that have met their wives there.”
With a “family” of 750, it takes a lot of pre-event planning to make a successful event.
“I pretty much take the whole month of July (getting ready) for it,” Boulan said. “I don’t do much else. “
Admission is $50 in advance, $60 at the gate for a two-day pass. One-day passes are $40 in advance, $50 at the gate. A weekend pass for children under age 21 accompanied by an adult are only $20. Admission includes music, rustic camping, food, beer, and pop.
Boulan and his crew of 30-45 volunteers will cook 500 pounds of meat (plus a pig roast), 200 pounds of potatoes and six bushels of corn, served at four meals throughout the day from 2-10 p.m. Some campers bring their own food as well.
Overnight guests stay in camping accommodations ranging from full-size RVs to pop-ups and tents. Some people just sleep in their cars. There are fresh water and portable toilets on site. Some campers pay for a shower at a nearby campground while others cool off with a dip in an inland lake about two miles away.
“The Tribesmen (motorcycle club), who own the property, have been doing their own swap meets there for 30 years,” Boulan said. “So, it’s been set up as a festival ground for at least that long. They get at least 1,000 people for their events, so that’s how we knew it that it would be a good marriage. They make up a big part of our population (for the festival).”
There are 15 performers on this year’s schedule, including Lonesome Dave Paul, who has played at every Heatstock, including one year when he labored on with a broken arm. Music runs from 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday and noon-1 a.m. Saturday. Friday’s headliners include Billy Davis (Hank Ballard and the Midnighters) and Psychild (Robert Noll), who will host a tribute to the late Albert Collins, featuring former Icebreakers bassist Johnny B. Gayden. Featured performers on Saturday include Yakety Yak and Mike Espy, Cathy Davis, and Motor City Josh, who traditionally closes the festival with an all-star jam session.
Musicians perform on a permanent stage with a 5,500 watt sound system manned this year by sound man Neil Sever, who takes over from Boulan, who ran sound at Heatstock for 15 years and is looking forward to less responsibility and “enjoying it more” this time around.
The summer of love may just be a memory to most, but the “Heatstockers” are keeping it a reality.
 “It’s the totality of it, the whole thing taken as a whole, that is close to achieving what I originally envisioned,” Boulan said. “When I look out at the whole thing, that’s when I get satisfaction.
“We have a bunch of people that it’s the biggest thing they do all year. It’s very, very, very important to them. That’s really cool and that means a lot to me. The thing I’m most touched by is that it means so much to so many people.”

For more information on Heatstock, call the hotline at (248) 398-6877 or click www.nocover.net. To send info to JB Blues, please email Joe.Ballor@dailytribune.com.


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Bluesfest International


This weekend, Bluesfest International brings several top blues acts to southern Ontario. The age 19-over festival runs July 15-17 in Windsor and London.
MARK "PAZMAN" PASMAN
Featured acts in Windsor include Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King at 10:15 p.m. and Scott Holt at 11:45 p.m. on Friday; Ten Years After (11:40 p.m.) on Saturday; and Alto Reed’s Motor City Allstars (9:40 p.m.) on Sunday.  Other JB Blues favorites include Pazman’s Supersession (7:15 p.m. Friday) and the Rusty Wright Band (5:10 p.m. Sunday). Pazman is a regular at the Bluesfest. This year he’ll be joined in the Supersession by harp player Jimmy “Pickles” Nicholls and members of Pazman’s soul, rock and R&B party band Jeanne & the Dreams.
The Bluesfest isn’t limited to strictly blues music. In addition to rockers Ten Years After and  Alto Reed’s Motor City Allstars, the Windsor festival includes performances by Tim Robbins & The Rogues Gallery  (8:40 p.m. Friday) and Steven Page (10 p.m. Saturday).
Robbins is an Oscar-winning actor, writer and director. His band plays rootsy folk music, following in the footsteps of his late father, Gilbert Lee Robbins (The Highwaymen). Page is a Canadian musician best known for his work with his former band, the Barenaked Ladies.
In London, featured performers include Ten Years After (9:40 p.m. Friday), Alto Reed’s Motor City Allstars (9:40 p.m. Saturday) and Steven Page (9:40 p.m. Sunday).
Ticket prices in Windsor are $24 Friday, $29 Saturday, $14 Sunday, and $40 for a three-day weekend pass. Tickets prices in London are $30 daily, $55 for the three-day pass.
For information, call (866) WE-GOT-TX (934-6889) or click www.thebluesfest.com.
To contact JB Blues, please email Joe.Ballor@dailytribune.com.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Dedication ceremonies at gravesites of Uncle Jessie, Mr. Bo


UNCLE JESSIE WHITE
The Detroit Blues Society will hold dedication ceremonies at the graves of Detroit blues musicians Uncle Jessie White and Louis “Mr. Bo” Collins on Saturday, July 16, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park at 11851 Van Dyke (just south of Six Mile Road) in Detroit.
Gravestones for Uncle Jessie and Mr. Bo were purchased and placed last year with funds raised by the Detroit Blues Society Headstone Project.
Saturday’s dedication ceremonies will begin at the grave of Mr. Bo (Section 31) at 11 a.m. with a blessing by Rev. Robert B. Jones, followed by comments by Mr. Bo’s family and friends. The group will then proceed to the grave of Uncle Jessie (Section 48) for another ceremony. There will undoubtedly be some musical tributes as well.
MR. BO
To see a map of the cemetery, go the Detroit Blues Society website at www.detroitbluessociety.org.
Those wishing to donate to the project can send a check made out to the Detroit Blues Society with “Memorial Fund” noted on the memo line and mailed to: Memorial Fund, Detroit Blues Society, P.O. Box 488, Goodrich, MI 48438. Donations via the Internet may be made by PayPal on the link on the front page of the DBS website at www.detroitbluessociety.org. All donations are tax deductible.
To see a video of the Detroit Blues Society’s Wolfgang Spider talking about the Headstone Project, click here.
 
To send info to JB Blues, please e-mail Joe.ballor@dailytribune.com.

Detroit Blues Society Headstone Project

EDDIE JAMES "SON" HOUSE JR.
(March 21, 1902-Oct. 19, 1988)
Buried: Mount Hazel Cemetery, Detroit.

WILLIE D. WARREN
(Sept. 11, 1924-Dec. 30, 2000)
Buried: Gethsemane Cemetery, Detroit

CLARENCE BUTLER
One of The Butler Twins
(Jan. 21, 1942-Dec. 22, 2003)
Buried: Sunset Hills Cemetery, Ypsilanti Township
Headstone placed 2006

CURTIS BUTLER
One of The Butler Twins
(Jan. 21, 1942-April 9, 2004)
Buried: Sunset Hills Cemetery, Ypsilanti Township
Headstone placed 2006

CALVIN FRAZIER
(Feb. 16, 1915-Sept. 23, 1972)
Buried: United Memorial Gardens, Plymouth
Headstone placed in 2009

LOUIS "MR. BO" COLLINS
(April 27, 1932-Sept. 19, 1995)
Buried: Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Detroit
Headstone placed in 2010

UNCLE JESSIE WHITE
(Sept. 24, 1920-Jan. 29, 2008)
Buried: Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Detroit
Headstone placed in 2010

VERNON HARRISON
"BOOGIE WOOGIE RED"
(Oct, 18, 1925-July 2, 1992)
Buried: Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery, Clinton Township
Headstone placed in 2011

Note: The Detroit Blues Society assisted in placing headstones on the graves of Son House and Willie D. Warren prior to the Headstone Project.