Summer FeStival Schedule
CENTRUM
creativity in community
Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend
July 31 –auguSt 7
Acoustic Blues FestivAl Port townsend Jerron Paxton, Artistic Director
Corey Ledet
Supplement to the July 27, 2016 Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader
summer at centrum
Hello friends! It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to this year’s acoustic blues festival! I have been fortunate to have spent the last eight of my 27 years teaching at Centrum. Growing with and learning from this festival has been one of the biggest pleasures of my life. Being made artistic director is a great honor.
Welcome to Centrum’s 43rd Summer Season! In partnership with Fort Worden State Park, Centrum serves as a gathering place for creative artists and learners of all ages seeking extraordinary cultural enrichment. OUR MISSION is to foster creative experiences that change lives. From exploring the roots of the blues or jazz, to the traditions of American fiddle music or our award-winning writers’ workshops—Centrum’s summer festivals transform the majestic, inspired setting of Fort Worden State Park into a unique arts destination. JOIN US and discover a full array of mainstage performances, nightclub events, vital literary readings, lectures, dances and more.
We have plenty of friends and faculty eager to help this year and it is a safe bet that it’s going to be a hoot. We’re glad you are here to join us! Blues and the culture surrounding it has been a part of my life since the beginning. My forebears came from the plantations of Louisiana and Arkansas bringing their culture and music with them and instilling it in me. The both lively and lowdown music that was the soundtrack of their lives should not be preserved as an old relic, but be kept as alive and vibrant as it was when it was in its heyday. Life seems to have given me the task and responsibility to be a steward of the music and culture of my progenitor as they pass into the new bright world. With cultural liveliness as part of my goals and being a reasonable hand at the strings as my credentials, I look forward to doing and learning as much as possible to add a bit of my flavor to the festival. Peace, Love & Blessings
Jerron Paxton ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
OUR PROGRAMS welcome participants from across the globe. Last year alone we served individuals from 17 countries, 46 out of 50 states, and 77% of the counties in Washington. 27% of those we serve are age 18 or younger and our participants were aged 4 to 97! We present our programs with support from the Washington State Arts Commission, State Parks Commission, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, National Endowment for the Arts and the Fort Worden Public Development Authority. We thank the many donors and generous sponsors who support Centrum and our unique role in our Puget Sound community, and I hope you will too! Please join us for cultural experiences you simply cannot find anywhere else on earth. See you this summer at Centrum!
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Welcome to the Centrum Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival. This weekend we celebrate the culmination of a week of learning in community with passionate tradition bearers in acoustic blues. Artistic Director, Jerron Paxton has gathered this community of musicians who were either born into blues traditions or became bearers of these traditions out of direct exposure and passion. We use the word acoustic to distinguish an earlier era before music ‘plugged in’. Focus of this program is to honor the traditions upon which American pre-war blues music were founded. This meeting of African and European musical cultures had a major effect on the development of modern music. It gave rise to black church songs or ‘spirituals’, old-time, country blues, gospel, jazz, Rhythm & Blues, rock & roll and soul. Early American blues music reflects a people holding up their humanity and hope under sometimes harsh conditions of oppression. The word blues makes one think of sadness but inside this music you will find hope, love and courage. I for one am most grateful for this music, its rhythms and melodies resonate with my soul and carry my spirit to a place where it unites with all humanity. We are honored to share with you, performances by these artists who have shared their knowledge with eager participants this week.
(800) 746-1982 • Centrum.org 2 The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader • 2016 ACOUSTIC BLUES FESTIVAL
Mary Hilts PROGRAM MANAGER, CENTRUM PORT TOWNSEND ACOUSTIC BLUES FESTIVAL
blues in the clubs Friday & Saturday, August 5 & 6 $25 with wristband* Friday, August 5
1st set: 8-9 p.m.
AMERICAN LEGION HALL AMERICAN LEGION HALL
2nd set: 9:15-10:15 p.m. 3rd set: 10:30 p.m. – 12 a.m. HUDS
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Key City Public Theater
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(all ages) 1. Ari Eisinger 2. Chris Berry 3. Elijah Wald
(all ages) 1. Clay Swafford 2. Mark Rubin / Kirk Harwood / Orville Johnson / Mark Graham 3. Wendy DeWitt / Kirk Harwood / Dean Mueller / Orville Johnson
THE BOILER ROOM (all ages) 1. Lightnin’ Wells 2. Ernie Vega 3. Scottie Parker
(all ages) 1. Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes 1. Lauren Sheehan 2. Steve James 2. Pat Donohue & Mark Graham 3. Guy Davis 3. Jerron Paxton & Phil Wiggins
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1. Tim Williams 2. Terry Waldo 3. Clay Swafford
Boiler Room
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THE BOILER ROOM
THE WHISKEY MILL
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American Legion
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(all ages) 1. Scottie Parker & Aaron Gunn 2. Corey Ledet, Kirk Harwood / Mark Rubin / Orville Johnson / Rich DelGrosso 3. Wendy DeWitt / Kirk Harwood / Dean Mueller / Orville Johnson / Johnny Ward
KEY CITY PUBLIC THEATER KEY CITY PUBLIC THEATER (all ages)
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Marine View Beverage, City of Port Townsend, Subway. ST JEFF
Saturday, August 6
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Cotton Building
THE COTTON BUILDING
Cellar Door The Whiskey Mill
DOWNTOWN PORT TOWNSEND *IMPORTANT NOTE Blues in the Clubs is a moveable feast of great music in various downtown venues, with each venue operating on a first-come first-served basis. Your wrist band is an all-night access pass, and we encourage you to move around throughout the evening to gain the full benefit of the clubs experience. Venue hosts will help direct you to available seating or standing room options. Please read our wristband policy online.
THE WHISKEY MILL 1. Andy Cohen 2. Jerron Paxton 3. Terry Waldo
THE COTTON BUILDING
(all ages) 1. Steve James 2. Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes 3. Guy Davis & Chaz Leary
(all ages) 1. Tim Williams 2. Corey Ledet & Chaz Leary 3. Pat Donohue & Rich DelGrosso
THE CELLAR DOOR
THE CELLAR DOOR
1. Ernie Vega & Valerie and Ben Turner 2. Lightnin’ Wells 3. Andy Cohen
1. Elijah Wald 2. Chris Berry & Aaron Gunn 3. Ari Eisinger
*Programs and artists subject to change. Centrum offers profound thanks to the foundation and government entities that support our distinctive mission. Their grants help fuel our programming, and their imprimatur assists Centrum’s efforts to broaden support for its services throughout the state and nation.
Centrum’s corporate sponsors include regional, national, and international corporations that understand the value of supporting the arts. Their contributions foster the creativity and sense of kinship that has thousands of workshop participants and audience members converging for Centrum’s 2015 Port Townsend’s Acoustic Blues Festival.
2016 ACOUSTIC BLUES FESTIVAL • The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader 3
Concert Schedule Join us for the largest country blues gathering in the nation! Concerts feature players and music from regions where pre-war country blues were formed — Piedmont, the Delta, Mississippi Hill Country, New Orleans, Texas and more. Immerse yourself in the African – American history and traditions from which blues has grown. Mainstage shows at McCurdy Pavilion cap off a week-long workshop for nearly 250 passionate acoustic blues students taught by artists from across the country. Club shows and a massive Saturday mainstage performances transform Port Townsend into the summer blues getaway.
Featured Performers ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, JERRON PAXTON PIANO, VIOLIN, BANJO, GUITAR, ETC. • Jerron Paxton has earned a reputation for transporting audiences back to the 1920’s and making them wish they could stay there for good. Paxton sings and plays banjo, guitar, piano, fiddle, harmonica, Cajun accordion, and the bones (percussion). He has an eerie ability to transform traditional jazz, blues, folk, and country into the here and now, and make it real. In addition, he mesmerizes audiences with his humor and storytelling. Paxton’s sound is influenced by the likes of Fats Waller and “Blind” Lemon Jefferson. Jerron’s family, originally from Louisiana, moved to LA in the 50′s where he grew up before moving to New York city in 2007, where he currently resides.
JIMMY ‘DUCK’ HOLMES
Wednesday, August 3, 7:30 p.m.
Old-Fashioned Blues Dance Fort Worden USO Hall • Tickets $20 General Admission (limited to 150) Featuring Jerron Paxton, Frankie Basile, Chris Berry, Andy Cohen, Ari Eisinger, Aaron Gunn, Mark Rubin, Ernie Vega and Terry Waldo
GUITAR • Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes is a deep-roots folk blues musician who plays in the blues tradition described as American-primitivism, a repetitive and monotone style that is ethereal, gritty and rough. There are many sophisticated pickers but the primitive school had always been at the core of blues, conveying the most important element – the feeling. Holmes was influenced by Jack Owens and Skip James who were part of the Bentonia School of blues musicians, influenced by Henry Stuckey. Jimmy is one of the oldest active purveyors of the Bentonia country blues tradition.
Friday, August 5, 8 p.m. - Midnight
Blues in the Clubs Downtown Port Townsend Venues Admission $25 with wristband (seating limited) Saturday August 6, 11 a.m.
Gospel Choir “Make a Joyful Noise” with Dr. Raymond Wise Fort Worden Chapel • Free Admission Saturday August 6, 1:30pm
Acoustic Blues Showcase McCurdy Pavilion, Fort Worden Reserved Seating Tickets: $45, $35, $25 Featuring Jerron Paxton, The Fairfield Four, Guy Davis, Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes, Pat Donohue, Orville Johnson, Tim Williams, Mark Graham, Clay Swafford and Phil Wiggins Saturday August 6, 8 p.m. - Midnight
Blues in the Clubs Downtown Port Townsend Venues Admission $25 with wristband (seating limited)
Blues Festival Packages Seating is reserved at the McCurdy Pavilion performances includes Acoustic Blues Showcase and Blues in the Clubs. Pricing based on McCurdy Pavilion Seating Section A: $85 Section B: $75 Section C: $65
Purchase tickets online at Centrum.org or call (800) 746-1982.
FAIRFIELD FOUR SINGING • The Fairfield Four sing in the traditional African American a cappella gospel style they have been known for since the group’s inception almost 100 years ago. John Fogerty loved Fairfield’s rootsy sound so much he decided he had to feature them on his second album, Blue Moon Swamp on the track “A Hundred and Ten in the Shade.” Founded in 1921 in Nashville, TN the Fairfield Four have maintained their authenticity by carrying on traditional stylings exemplified by the Bessemer Sunset Four, the Birmingham Jubilee Singers, and the Famous Blue Jay Singers with Silas Steele. They are the recipients of multiple honors including Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Gospel Recording, “I Can’t Hear Nobody Pray,” and Album of the Year for the O Brother Where Art Thou Soundtrack Recording, and two Lifetime Achievement Awards. They were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
COREY LEDET ACCORDION • Corey Ledet was born and raised in Texas but spent his summers with family in Louisiana. The Creole culture has its roots in Louisiana, but spread across the country, including neighboring Texas. His love for Creole/Zydeco music was instant. He studied the originators of the music such as Clifton Chenier, John Delafose, and Boozoo Chavis. He branched out to include studying any (and all) artists of Zydeco. At the early age of 10, he picked up shows playing drums for Houston-based band Wilbert Thibodeaux and the Zydeco Rascals and slowly learned the main instrument of the music – the accordion. Corey eventually moved to Louisiana in order to be surrounded by this beautiful culture at all times.
GUY DAVIS GUITAR • Guy Davis’ much-praised 1995 debut, Stomp Down the Rider on Red House Records, marked the arrival of a major talent, earning acclaim for his deft acoustic playing, his well-traveled voice and his literate, yet accessible songwriting. He’s taken his music to television (the Conan O’Brien and David Letterman shows) and radio (A Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, World Cafe, E-Town), as well as performed at theaters and festivals across the four corners of the world. His parallel careers– as a musician, an author, a music teacher and a film, television and Broadway actor—mark Davis as a Renaissance man, yet the blues remain his first and greatest love. Growing up in a family of artists (his parents were Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis) he fell under the spell of Blind Willie McTell and Fats Waller at an early age.
4 The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader • 2016 ACOUSTIC BLUES FESTIVAL
ARI EISINGER GUITAR • Ari Eisinger is one of the most impressive country blues and ragtime guitarists playing today. In his performances of the music of Blind Blake and you hear things no guitar player has pulled off since Blake himself in the early 1930s. Able to shift effortlessly from complex East Coast ragtime to the propulsive rhythm of the guitar evangelists, to down-home Texas country blues, Ari is one of the most authentic musicians you’ll ever encounter. His interpretations of the songs of masters like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Memphis Minnie and Reverend Gary Davis have been called “downright spooky” for the way the styles of these pioneering guitar heroes are brought vibrantly back to life. Whether he is taking on the crystal tone and virtuosity of Lonnie Johnson or the liquid bends of Josh White played on a low-tuned Stella guitar, Ari recalls the great music of the past while bringing his own brilliant musical personality to bear.
The Small Town Wine Shop with the Big City Selection
7 days a week: Extended Summer Hours Wine • Champagne • Beer • Ale • Cheese Chocolate • Cigars 1010 Water St Port Townsend• PTwineSeller.com • 360-385-7673
PAT DONOHUE GUITAR • Pat’s musical tastes are eclectic. Though he considers himself foremost a folk guitarist, Pat’s influences are rooted in bluesmen Blind Blake, Robert Johnson, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters and Miles Davis. He blends jazz and blues with folk, and the mix is seamless. Over the years he has captivated audiences with his unique original compositions, dazzling instrumentals and humorous song parodies. His original tunes have been recorded by Chet Atkins, Suzy Bogguss and Kenny Rogers. Pat has also been a featured performer at major music festivals including the Newport, Telluride and Philadelphia Folk Festivals. After wrapping up almost twenty successful years as the guitarist and songwriter on “A Prairie Home Companion” on NPR, Pat now turns to full time concert touring, presenting master guitar workshops and attending music camps.
Sweet Laurette
Café & Bistro
Brunch Wed.-Sat. 8-2:30pm, Sun. 8-2pm Bistro Dinner Wed.-Sun. 5-9pm; Happy Hour 4-6pm
STEVE JAMES GUITAR, MANDOLIN • Steve James is a Centrum Blues recidivist who first taught and performed here over 20 years ago and has done so regularly since then. An autodidact who sees roots music history as a circle rather than a line he has toured extensively and internationally, including work as an arts envoy for U.S. embassies in Bulgaria, Guatemala and Finland. His original style on guitar, slide guitar, mandolin and vocals is informed by influences that include blues cornerstone Furry Lewis, rock’n’roll inventor Bo Diddley, and Centrum Blues godfather Howard Armstrong (with all of whom he has played). Steve has supplemented his activities as a performing and recording artist by creating numerous instructional books, DVDs and on-line lessons and participating in over a hundred music camps and workshop programs.
VALERIE TURNER GUITAR • Valerie Turner is a native New Yorker with southern roots and is the co-founder of the “Piedmont Bluz Acoustic Duo.” She plays finger style Country Blues guitar and her eclectic repertoire has been greatly influenced by her studies with both John Cephas and Woody Mann. Valerie’s earliest influences were Mississippi John Hurt and Elizabeth Cotten, and her specialty is the Piedmont style
1029 Lawrence St. • 385-4886 • www.sweetlaurette.com
Sublime Comfort
in Port Townsend
The Ravenscroft Inn Bed & Breakfast is ideally located for exploring historic Port Townsend. Tucked into a quiet neighborhood in Uptown, you can walk to local restaurants, bakeries, theaters and the farmer’s market.
Call to make your reservation! 855.290.8840 or 360.205.2149 www.ravenscroftinn.com
of fingerpicking.
ORVILLE JOHNSON BOTTLENECK SLIDE AND DOBRO GUITAR • Orville Johnson was born and raised in the southern Illinois heartland right down the road from St Louis, Missouri. He acquired his love of singing as a youth in the Pentecostal church and, when he later began playing guitar and dobro, responded to the roots music that surrounded him by learning to play blues, bluegrass, rockabilly, and country music that are all part of the mosaic that characterizes his own mongrel music. He is a singer, instrumentalist, record producer, songwriter, session player, teacher, the top dobro player on the West Coast of America and, above all, an instinctive and sensitive musician.
Authentic Asian Art Artifacts, Furniture Textiles & Jewelry 821 Water Street, Por t Townsend w w w.maestraleimpor t s.com 360. 385. 5565
2016 ACOUSTIC BLUES FESTIVAL • The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader 5
New Summer Happy Hours! 3-5 & 9-11 PM daily
We have specials on scrumptious drinks and appetizers! A few of your favorites:
El Portal Sliders $5
Two sliders served El Portal style stuffed with bacon and pepper jack cheese, and topped with smoked habenero bleu cheese dressing and fried onions.
Ahi Poke $5
Ahi tuna mixed with bell peppers, scallions,garlic and jalapeño marinated in a sesame soy sauce.
Spicy Hummus $5
Served with warm pita bread.
RICH DELGROSSO MANDOLIN • Rich DelGrosso is widely regarded as the leading exponent of mandolin blues. For over thirty years DelGrosso has written articles for Blues Revue, Living Blues, Mandolin Magazine, Frets, and Sing Out! and has published mandolin and guitar instruction books on for Hal Leonard Pub. He has presented workshops across the Americas and Europe, earning him a Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation in Memphis.
ERNIE VEGA MANDOLIN • String master Ernie Vega performs stark versions of Country Blues, Gospel-blues, Old-Time, & Jazz classics stripped down to their barest elements. Sounding like ghosts from a by-gone era, he illustrates the simple elegant power of these great songs. Ernie performs and teaches his broad repertoire of songs at the fabulous Jalopy Theater, a venue fast becoming Brooklyn’s center of Folk, Roots and the Art of the Jug. Ernie transports you to a time when the Village was still bohemian and old-time music was all that existed.
CHRIS BERRY GUITAR/BANJO • Chris Berry has been playing country blues and old-time country music on guitar and banjo for over 25 years. Since 2008 he’s played guitar and sung as part of Sausage Grinder, the Los Angeles area’s premier jug band. Along with blues greats like Mance Lipscomb, Sleepy John Estes, Bo Carter and many others, Chris especially loves those rarely documented areas where blues and oldtime overlap, like Lusk, Gribble and York, the Baxters, Luke Jordan, Dock Boggs and Frank Hutchison. He learned many tunes and a lot about music from the late legendary Illinois/Southern California fiddler Mel Durham and plays banjo on his CD “Skillet Fork.”
MARK RUBIN
Locals: Get your discount card! Good through August 2015
Open 11 to 11 daily
Deck dining available, limited during Happy Hour Reservations Recommended
STRING BASS • Mark Rubin is a musician living and working in New Orleans. You can find him around town playing with local guitar hero Chip Wilson. Or maybe even playing string bass or tuba with the New Orleans Rag Weeds. Or tenor banjo or whatever with just about anyone. Some of you will remember him as partner to Danny Barnes in the pioneering Weirdo-Americana act Bad Livers, or maybe as Santiago Jimenez, Jr.’s bassist and producer. And there’s probably quite a few who searched for the guy who teaches and performs klezmer music around the world, or toured with Boban Markovic Orkestar and Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All Stars, and the Other Europeans Project.
DR. RAYMOND WISE GOSPEL • As a singer, pianist, composer, director, conductor, lecturer, and teacher, Dr. Wise regularly serves orchestras, opera companies, and choral festivals throughout the nation and abroad. Dr. Wise has served as a church musician for more than 30 years and has appeared on radio and television, recorded 22 albums, performed with opera singers, orchestras, dance companies, professional recording groups, and has toured extensively throughout the USA, Canada, Europe, and Asia, as a singer, dancer, pianist, composer, choral director, lecturer, and teacher. He has penned more than 600 compositions. His Anthology of 21 Spirituals for the 21st Century has received national and international acclaim.
ELIJAH WALD
141 Hudson Street, Port Townsend
(360) 344-3627 • docsgrill.com
GUITAR/HISTORY • Elijah Wald has been a musician since age seven and a writer since the early 1980s. He has published more than a thousand articles, mostly about folk, roots and international music for various magazines and newspapers, including over ten years as “world music” writer for the Boston Globe. In the current millenium, he has been devoting most of his time to book projects, including volumes on such disparate subjects as Delta blues (Escaping the Delta), Mexican drug ballads (Narcocorrido), hitchhiking (Riding with Strangers), and a broad social history of American popular music (How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ‘n’ Roll).
6 The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader • 2016 ACOUSTIC BLUES FESTIVAL
TIM WILLIAMS
Eat in
GUITAR • Tim Williams’ career began in the coffee houses of Southern California in the mid-1960s and continues today around the world from his home base on the Canadian Prairies. His guitar skills are frequently compared to Ry Cooder and David Lindley (and like them, Tim plays a wealth of string instruments), and his songwriting has won praise from the likes of Tom Russel and Willie Nelson. A string of Maple Blues Award nominations (Toronto Blues Society), three JUNO award nominations (Canada’s Grammy equivalent), five Betty Mitchell Awards for composition/musical-direction in theatre, and roughly a dozen awards from Real Blues magazine (as artist, guitarist, producer), attest to the high caliber of his work. Tim’s recent win at the International Blues Challenge as Best Solo or Duo, and Best Guitarist (solo or duo), are just the latest accolades in a career entering its fifth decade.
Dining Room or Courtyard
Take Out Pack A Picnic Grab-n-Go Case Wine & Beer Selection
SCOTTIE PARKER GUITAR • Folks frequently recognize Scottie outside of New Orleans, recalling their days spent on Royal Street, where he has been a linchpin of the busking community for a number of years. They may also recognize him from his role as Scottie the “Shanghai Rooster” in the television series Treme. Well-traveled and seldom in one place for long, Scottie has played the street corners, bars and stages of countless towns in the States and abroad. Scottie’s resume isn’t exactly typical: Appeared at Brooklyn’s notorious Jalopy Theater; Flanked by burlesque beauties in Nashville; Shared the stage with T Model Ford in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Scottie’s brand of blues is a blend of Country, Delta and Piedmont stylings, reflective of his roots in Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina. He plays a cross section of the best of American vernacular music, from delta blues to Appalachian stomps to early jazz and popular songs.
THE FOOD CO-OP Farm Fresh Local Foods
REFINE YOUR TASTE FOR THE BLUES! Open for Tastings Wed–Sun 360-379-0895 mttownsendcreamery.com
ANDY COHEN GUITAR • Andy Cohen plays Blues and country ragtime on a guitar, with fingerpicks, hard enough to be heard in a noisy juke, without a mic. He lives in Memphis when he’s not living in his car, which is most of the time. Although not strictly speaking a bluesman, he has eked out a living playing for more than fifty years playing all over the country, and been an advocate, lead boy, agent and friend to a solid gang of ‘source’ bluesmen and gospel musicians in those years. He feels he hasn’t wasted his time.
MARK GRAHAM
20% OFF WITH THIS AD
Good through 9/1/2016 Cannot be combined with other offers
www.foodcoop.coop Corner of Kearney & Sims Port Townsend OPEN 8am-9pm EVERY DAY 360-385-2883
You don’t need to be a member to shop!
POSTERS • BROCHURES LOGOS/LETTERHEAD DESIGN & PRINTING • WEB
HARMONICA • Born in Renton, Washington, Mark Graham’s early musical experience was confined to school band clarinet playing and listening to Homer and Jethro records. Upon discovering the harmonica and southern old-time music, Mark began a musical career that included his early years as a street musician in Seattle and stints with such stellar old-time string bands as The Hurricane Ridgerunners and The Chicken Chokers. Graham has recorded or performed with Orville Johnson as The Kings of Mongrel Folk, Tom and Patrick Sauber, Tim O’Brien, Laurie Lewis, Danny Barnes, Pete Sutherland, The Horseflies, and Benny Thomasson and has played and recorded with Irish fiddler, Kevin Burke, in the band Open House.
Frame your
Concert Posters and everything else.
Creative Custom Framing & Ready-Made Frames
PHIL WIGGINS HARMONICA • Phil Wiggins is arguably America’s foremost blues harmonica virtuoso. While rooted in the melodic Piedmont blues of the Chesapeake region, his mastery of the instrument now transcends stylistic boundaries. During the early years of his development as a musician, Phil was constantly playing with and learning from some of the most notable acoustic blues musicians that made their homes in the Washington area of his youth: Flora Molten, Mother Ester Mae Scott, Wilber “Chief” Ellis, John Jackson, Archie Edwards, John Cephas, and others. He was mentored as well by many other musicians who frequented the D.C. area: Johnny Shines, Sam Chapman, Sunnyland Slim, Henry Townsend, Robert Lockwood, John Dee Holeman, Algia Mae Hinton, Howard Armstrong, Ted Bogan, Etta Baker, and others. In the late 1970s, Phil and John Cephas formed the duo Cephas and Wiggins and performed together for over 30 years.
FREE CONSULTATION. GREAT DESIGN. AFFORDABLE RATES. (360) 385-2900 info@leadergrafix.com
2016 ACOUSTIC BLUES FESTIVAL • The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader 7
Mad Hatter & Co. 926 Water Street - Downtown Port Townsend, WA 360-379-1859
Mad Hatter & Co. has an eclectic collection of quality felt hats, handmade hats, handmade jewelry & accessories and a selection of music & vintage treasures.
Find your way to local attractions and events without the parking challenges Adults ride
Try Transit
all day for
$1.50
Your connection to Fort Worden, Downtown, Uptown, the Port Townsend Ferry & more For schedules or information call or go to our website.
360-385-4777 ● www.jeffersontransit.com ● 800-371-0497
Make New Memories Here!
Artisan Ice Cream And Chocolates Made Here by our Elevated Candy Co.
Handcrafted • Fresh • Healthy • Delicious! Open at 10 am - see our website at www.elevatedicecream.com 627 & 631 Water Street, Port Townsend 360-385-1156
Great Sushi Voted Best Soups and Salad Bar Large Selection of Wines, Beer and Spirits
Summer Hours: 7 am - 10 pm 360385-0500 Maxwellbean Hours: M-F 10-4, Sat 10-2:30
aldrichs.com
TERRY WALDO PIANO • Terry Waldo, the protégé of the legendary Eubie Blake, is a virtuoso ragtime, stride, and blues pianist. He is also a vocalist, composer of show tunes, film and TV scores, and has led many highly regarded musical groups. His book “This is Ragtime” was just republished with a new introduction by Wynton Marsalis for Jazz at Lincoln Center Library Editions. His 26-part radio series of the same title was produced for NPR and fueled the 1970’s ragtime revival. Recently he has been teaching courses on early jazz and ragtime piano styles for Jazz at Lincoln Center. Terry has several new recording projects and is working on a PBS music documentary on ragtime. He regularly performs in New York at several prestigious venues including The Rum House, The Dead Rabbit, and Chez Josephine.
LIGHTNIN’ WELLS UKE • Mike “Lightnin’” Wells breathes new life into the vintage tunes of the 1920s and depression era America employing various appropriate stringed instruments in a dynamic style which he has developed in over thirty years of performing. Raised in eastern North Carolina, Wells learned to play harmonica as a young child and taught himself to play the guitar as he developed a strong interest in traditional blues and folk music. He has presented his brand of acoustic blues throughout North Carolina, the United States and Europe. Lightnin’ remains an insatiable student and researcher, studying the various forms of American roots music from bygone eras. His musical style is personal and energetic yet remains true to the original root form. His goal is to entertain and educate using a variety of sources, influences and techniques to express his dedication, respect and pleasure in presenting this unique American art form.
WENDY DEWITT PIANO • Wendy DeWitt plays boogie-woogie and blues piano at a high pitch. Intense, personal and delivered with a contagious smile, her work is inspired by Otis Spann, Memphis Slim, Sunnyland Slim and Pete Johnson, and seasoned by international touring and work with Delmark recording artist Steve Fruend and R&B legend Hank Ballard. Wendy also organizes the Annual Queens of Boogie Woogie at Yoshi’s Oakland, the SRO International Boogie-Woogie Festival at SFJAZZ and the Blues Piano Orgy Series. Along with duo partner Kirk Harwood (Norton Buffalo), Wendy is an International Blues Challenge Finalist.
CLAY SWAFFORD PIANO • Firmly rooted in the blues tradition, Clay Swafford was raised in the small rural community of Providence, Alabama. Born into a musical family; he was immersed in the sounds of Baptist Hymnals, Country and Bluegrass. He took interest in the piano at an early age and, after hearing the music of B.B King and Bobby Blue Bland at age 15, Clay was hooked on the blues. At 16, he attended the Pinetop Homecoming Celebration and promptly found himself on stage with many of his idols. In 2005 (age 20), the hard work paid off: Clay was asked to be a part of the boogie-woogie piano documentary “Falsifyin” alongside Jerry Lee Lewis, Pinetop Perkins, Marcia Ball, and Henry Gray. Clay has played with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and numerous other blues legends.
Purchase tickets online at Centrum.org or call (800) 746-1982.
8 The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader • 2016 ACOUSTIC BLUES FESTIVAL
CHAZ LEARY WASHBOARD • Though comfortable in all forms of our diverse American musical heritage, Washboard Chaz Leary has achieved dominance and international recognition in acoustic country blues. He has played with an impressive array of world-class musicians, both on the stage and in the recording studio. He has played with a wide variety of bands including the legendary Ophelia Swing Band, Prosperity Jazz Band, BBQ Bob & Washboard Chaz, Judy Roderick and the Forebears, and Bleecker St. Upon arrival in New Orleans, Chaz established himself as a seasoned musician, forming his Washboard Chaz Blues Trio. Shortly afterward, he joined the Tin Men, one of New Orleans’ most unique and recognized bands. Since then, Chaz has also played with the cream of New Orleans musicians, including the New Orleans Nightcrawlers, The Iguanas, Tuba Fats, Royal Fingerbowl, The Jazz Vipers, The Palmetto Bug Stompers and Washboard Rodeo.
AARON GUNN VIOLIN • Aaron “Mr.” Gunn is a veteran of the new generation of blues and string band musicians that have cut their teeth on the streets of the U.S. and abroad. Growing up in Florida, music was his avenue to other cultures and his teachers were the great recordings of earlier generations. He started playing as a young teen in the old time and Irish communities, but didn’t begin busking in earnest until moving to Asheville, NC, where he discovered that he could make an honest living via bucket and case. In New Orleans, Gunn found a broader community with the same mindset and moved there shortly after. He has grown into a formidable multi-instrumentalist with a solid grounding in jazz & vernacular music from America and beyond, but it is the role, voice and proper use of the violin that remains his principal obsession.