Wilmington,
NC – June 2016 / Newsmaker Alert / A ‘cool’ change is on the
horizon as the 21st annual Cape
Fear Blues Festival announces a new date and opening night format.
This year the 2016 Cape Fear Blues Festival will be held June 17-19, nearly
a month earlier—and a few degrees cooler—than festivals past. There’s also
a change to the Friday night format. In lieu of the traditional blues cruise,
the festival kick-off concert will be held along Wilmington’s award-winning
riverfront during the popular (and free) Downtown Sundown summer concert
series Friday evening from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. Wilmington Downtown,
Inc., in partnership with the Cape Fear Blues Society, will present Southern
Avenue, a high-energy, Memphis-based national recording act that is
rooted in soul, blues and R&B. Local blues favorite Snake
Malone & The Black Cat Bone will open with a horn-charged playlist
of Chicago, Memphis and West Coast-style blues that includes original songs
and covers by blues legends. The free concert will resonate with blues
fans while introducing the genre and the festival to a wider audience.
As the Cape Fear Blues Festival
evolves, it remains committed to bringing authentic blues to Wilmington,
North Carolina. To celebrate its 21st year, the festival offers a full
weekend of nonstop blues performances in a variety of styles. This year’s
lineup of talent will showcase memorable performances by touring blues
artists from Memphis and Chicago, noted regional performers and talented
local blues musicians. Wilmington’s premier blues music venues—Rusty
Nail Saloon and Ted’s Fun on the
River (an official WoodSongs Coffeehouse)—will host the 2016 Cape Fear
Blues Festival. In addition to the Downtown
Sundown opening night concert, there’s a Saturday headline concert
featuring Chicago bluesman Jon McDonald and his band, followed by a Blues
Party with Triangle rockabilly band The Rusted Nails. The three-day all-blues
celebration will also include a blues workshop and an acoustic showcase
on Saturday, and an all-day blues jam on Sunday.
2016 Cape Fear Blues Festival
Schedule Of Events:
Friday, June 17:
Downtown Sundown opening
night concert (6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.) is set against the scenic backdrop
of a blues-filled Cape Fear River sunset. Get ready for some high-energy
blues when headliner Southern Avenue electrifies the stage with a Memphis
sound that is deeply rooted in the blues with an edge that blends soul,
gospel, funk and rock. Opening act Snake Malone & The Black Cat Bone
will get things heated up beginning at 6:00 p.m. The Downtown Sundown (corner
of Water & Princess streets) concert is free.
Rusty Nail Blues Party
grooves on until the wee hours at The Rusty Nail Saloon (1310 South 5th
Street, 910-251-1888), beginning at 8:00 p.m. with music that’s guaranteed
to jump up and shake the room by the Fat Bastard Blues Band from Mebane,
N.C. (cover charge at door).
Saturday, June 18:
Acoustic Blues Workshop
at Finkelstein Music (6 S. Front
Street, Wilmington), starting at 11:00 a.m. This year’s featured workshop
musician is Wilmington’s own funky piano master and songwriter Jim Nelson.
As front man for Nelson &
The Rock-A-Fellas, Jim’s quartet plays blues and swamp-drenched soul
in the style of Ray Charles and Professor Longhair. Free; limited seating.
Call 910-762-5662 for details.
Acoustic Blues show
(1:00 p.m.) with Spider Mike Bochey & Friends at Ted’s Fun on the River
(2 Castle Street), Wilmington’s favorite listening room. For details, call
910-231-3379.
Saturday Blues Concert
& Beer Tent (3:00 p.m.) at The Rusty Nail gets the party started
when Wilmington rockabilly favorites Slippery
Jake & the Bad Brakes, Greensboro soloist David Bolton and the
acoustic Cassiopeia Duo open for this year’s headliner, Chicago blues guitarist/recording
artist Jon McDonald & Band. As and leader for Magic Slim & The
Teardrops for 13 years, Jon McDonald has worked with epic blues legends
Koko Taylor, Hubert Sumlin, and Junior Wells and has performed with Keb
Mo’, Paul Butterfield, Taj Mahal, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, and Les
Paul, among others. So bring a lawn chair, but leave coolers behind. Vendors
will sell food and beer. Tickets ($20 in advance/ $25 at door) are available
at www.capefearblues.org or
910-251-1888.
Saturday Night Blues Party
(8:00 p.m. also at Rusty Nail Saloon) continues the music and revelry indoors
as The
Rusted Nails bring down the house, rockabilly-style. Cover charge applies.
Sunday, June 19:
The free All-Day Blues
Jam begins Sunday at 12:00 noon under the tent at The Rusty Nail. Hosted
by the Cape Fear Blues Society, this is a festival highlight for blues
listeners and musicians. Bring a lawn chair. No coolers; no pets allowed.
Beverages and food available for sale. At 6:00 p.m., there will be a drawing
for a finely-crafted Martin Dreadnought Junior acoustic guitar, donated
by Finkelstein Music.
For more details about the
Cape Fear Blues Society and the Cape Fear Blues Festival, visit the festival
website at www.capefearblues.org
or call 910-350-8822.
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Above: Southern Avenue and
The Rusted Rails
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Experience summer bliss
and a steady dose of live music from Wilmington’s award-winning Riverwalk
to ocean Boardwalks at nearby island beaches. For a free Official
Visitors Guide for Wilmington, North Carolina’s historic river district
and the island beaches of Carolina
Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville
Beach, call 866-266-9690 or email visit@wilmingtonandbeaches.com.
For summer highlights and events, visit www.WilmingtonAndBeaches.com/seasonal-page.
Media
Contact:
Wilmington
and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau
Connie
Nelson
Communications/PR
Director
910-332-8751
866-266-9690
ext. 120
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The
New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority d/b/a Wilmington and Beaches
Convention and Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization
of New Hanover County, North Carolina that stimulates economic development
through the promotion of travel and tourism.
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