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2014 CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL
Local Musical Talent Due At Festival
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By RICHARD PALOMA
ith a focus on local talent this year, music for the 22nd annual Oakdale Chocolate Festival – Chocolates Gone Nuts – will have the audiences enjoying a variety of acts performing. “It’s all about local,” said Music Chairperson Victoria SuttonKrippner, who’s made Chocolate Festival music entertainment a seventime Modesto Area Music Association (MAMA) nominee. “We like local, we sign local. We have such amazing tal-
ent in the area; we don’t have to look far.” The lineup kicks off on Saturday, May 17 at 10 a.m. with the acoustic music of Clerical Estate. That will be followed by songwriter and Americana folkish-blues musician Patty Castillo Davis at 11 a.m., taking her turn in the spotlight on the main entertainment stage. Davis, from Ceres, is an acoustic guitarist and vocalist. Her songs are typical of the Indie genre, which include original music and cover songs ranging from Beyoncé to Johnny Cash.
Songwriter and blues musician Patty Castillo Davis will be part of the musical entertainment on Saturday, May 17 at the Chocolate Festival main stage. Her songs include original music and cover songs ranging from Beyoncé to Merle Haggard. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
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Some of the artists that have influenced her original music include Sarah McLachlan, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Sheryl Crow and Merle Haggard. “She has such a great voice,” said Sutton-Krippner. “I’d describe her music as ‘old soul.’ It’s just amazing. The pop/rock music of the Josh Rosenblum Band follows on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Rosenblum, of Modesto, originally played as a free-lance solo artist in 2006 and 2007, using various back up musicians and sitting in with other artists on both trumpet and guitar. In 2008 he started what was to become “Josh Rosenblum Band” with other musicians he had known from high school and junior high (Andrew Melendez and Cedric Jones). The band played as a power trio until they added a fourth member (Elliott Dominguez) in 2010. Saturday concludes with music by Third Party rom 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., doing classic covers in what SuttonKrippner described as “one of the best for the area.” Third Party is a Modesto band with Chris Murphy, Gary Nelson, Chad Johnson, Brett Hughes, and features a large playlist of music from the 1960s and on up to the current day, spanning more than five decades. They have opened for The Beach Boys and have done Beatles Tributes as well. The entertainment continues with three acts on Sunday, May 18. Up first will be CallBox, playing from
10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and featuring a mix of acoustic rock, blues and jazz. Francesca Bavaro is the next scheduled act on Sunday, taking the stage at noon and playing through 1:30 p.m. Bavaro is a 21-year-old singer and songwriter from Modesto. She’s been singing and playing piano since the age of 5. The winner of Valley’s Got Talent in 2011and invited to the Glee Project auditions, she performs a rearranging of music from the 60s, 70s and 80s into rock piano ballads. The Highway 99 Party Band concludes the music entertainment on Sunday with a great mix of classic R&B and rock tunes, playing from 2 p.m. through 4 p.m. “If you notice, we close out both days with huge party bands,” said SuttonKrippner. “They are also great to hear.” Highway 99 was formed in the fall of 2008 by three members that previously played together in another band for more than five years. The trio teamed with other musicians who have performed with the likes of The Temptations, Mic Gillette from Tower of Power, Bobby McFerrin, and Cold Blood, and began polishing their horn-driven sound. The bands that play at the Chocolate Festival do so at no cost to organizers, coming to play for the exposure and experience, as well as to enjoy interacting with the audience. “The performing groups are very generous at heart,” said SuttonKrippner. “Give these people a listen.”
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