Blues fest rocks and rolls

HOT SPRINGS – The smooth sounds of the lower reaches of the Mississippi echoed around Hot Springs over the weekend as several talented blues outfits rolled through town.

Five different musical artists and blues bands made up the two-day music festival on North Wall Street.

The headliner from the first night of the blues festival, Black Mountain Moan, drew a sizeable crowd and received a positive reception in Hot Springs.

The group played their blend of hill country blues throughout the opening evening of the weekend. The band is based out of Missoula.

“They were just awesome. It was a really great evening,” President of the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, Leslee Smith said.

Though the first concert of the weekend event did not start until 8 p.m. on Friday, July 25, the street hosting the event was full of activity hours before the first band plugged in their amplifiers.

A small portion of the street was cordoned off for the festival as vendors and campers set up on the lawn, readying for a weekend of lively musical entertainment.

Smith said this year’s festival marked the fifth annual year of the musical event.

Temperatures soared well into the 80s on Saturday, July 26 and Smith noted this may have been a factor in keeping the crowds smaller for the first couple of acts on the final day of the event.

“It’s a little slow right now but people will probably come out later once it cools off,” Smith said.

As afternoon transitioned into evening, the sun slowly disappeared over the horizon and temperatures began to gradually sink, the crowd did grow in numbers, bringing foldable chairs and beach towels with them to the concerts.

John Kelley, a solo artist and resident of Hot Springs was the first act on Saturday.

Kelley kicked off the festivities on Saturday, and played from 2 p.m. to around 4 p.m.  

The second day of festivities brought a full slot of activity to town, with Kelley being one of four acts performing throughout the afternoon and into the evening.  

Following Kelley was a quartet out of Missoula, known as Mike Bader Bearjam.  

The band’s website describes their musical style as a mix of blues, funk and jam music, and the band certainly lived up to this billing.

The bands lead vocalist, Mike Bader opened the show by introducing the band and preparing the crowd for the forthcoming performance.

“We are going to play you some blues and make everybody feel alright,” Bader said, as the band launched into their set.

Throughout their show, which ran a little over two hours, the band blended musical styles to put on a rip-roaring blues infused performance.

The third band of the day was group called Mudslide Charley, who performed with a fake skeleton on stage, keeping the rhythm section company during the evening.

Mudslide Charley consists of five members and play a variation of Delta blues, which was quite popular with the crowd.

The headlining act of the second day of the festival, Big Daddy and the Blue Notes played into the night, keeping the good times rolling for those in attendance.

The weekend festival brought in quite a crowd to Hot Springs over the weekend and set the stage for the town’s next event, the New Old Time Chautauqua, which will be in the area this week.