UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon Restaurant have announced the lineup for their sixth annual Blue Wing Blues Festival Aug. 3-5, with a followup date on Labor Day, Sept. 3.
Starting at 5:45 p.m. each day, two top bands, including headliners Zydeco Flames, Daniel Castro, Mark Hummell and Kenny Neal, will perform on the veranda of the hotel with the audience gathered in the intimate garden between the hotel and restaurant.
“It’s a nice time of day and a great spot to enjoy world-class music,” said owner Bernie Butcher, who has put Lake County on the blues map with live music in the Restaurant on Monday nights in addition to the annual Festival. “With a gourmet barbecue dinner thrown in with the price of admission, people really seem to enjoy these evenings.”
“Our staff puts in a lot of effort to book the best entertainers, offer great service to hotel guests, come up with a special menu and set the place up so everyone can enjoy the show,” said Tallman Hotel Manager Susan Mesick. “But the rewards are there when the place is jumping and everyone is having a great time. We’re really looking forward to the event this year.”
Tickets are limited to 100 each evening and may be purchased directly at the Tallman Hotel, located on Main Street in Upper Lake, or by calling the hotel reception desk at 707-275-2244, Extension 0.
Ticket prices are $50 plus tax if purchased in advance and $55 at the gate.
The Web site is www.TallmanHotel.com .
The festival lineup follows.
Friday, Aug. 3
The evening will open with the popular local band Twice as Good.
Led by Paul Steward with father Rich on rhythm guitar, this band puts on a high energy performance. Blues legend Charlie Musselwhite calls them “the real blues deal.”
Headliners on opening night will be the Zydeco Flames. With the charismatic Lloyd Meadows on washboard, the Flames have gained a reputation as the West Coast's premiere Zydeco band. It’s wonderful, upbeat New Orleans music that leaves the crowd hungry for more.
Saturday, Aug. 4
The evening will kick off with the “Queen of Boogie Woogie” Wendy DeWitt on keyboards backed by Kirk Harwood on percussion. DeWitt was chosen to represent Northern California as a solo performer at the International Blues Competition in Memphis last February.
DeWitt will be followed by the Daniel Castro Band, headed by one of the top blues guitarists in Northern California.
Daniel Castro represents the heart and soul of the San Francisco Bay Area blues scene. He played the Festival two years ago to a rousing ovation.
Sunday, Aug. 5
The show will open with the veteran Bay Area blues quartet Tip of the Top. With a style reminiscent of Chicago in the 1950s, this group was chosen to represent Northern California in the band category at the 2012 International Blues Competition in Memphis.
Headliners on Sunday will be Mark Hummel and the Blues Survivors.
Hummel is dean of the blues harp pros in the area and organizes the annual Blues Harmonica Blowout, touring the country with all the big names on the instrument.
Special guest with the Survivors for this show will by Little Charlie Baty on guitar.
Monday, Sept. 3 (Labor Day)
The final night of outdoor blues at the Tallman and Blue Wing will kick off with a solo set by Houston based Eric Taylor, who’s just recorded a CD with Lyle Lovett called “Live at the Red Shack.”
Lovett is quoted as saying, “I’m always the opening act when I’m around Eric.”
The Labor Day show concludes with one of the legends of the New Orleans blues scene, Kenny Neal and his Band. Neal is an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist widely renowned as a modern swamp-blues master.
He learned music at an early age from his father, the singer and blues harmonica player Raful Neal.
Neal still tours the country with members of his famous family sharing their unique New Orleans sound.