2014 Santa Cruz Blues Festival Program Guide

SATU R DAY, MAY 24

GREGG ALLMAN

TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVE TAB BENOIT DAVE & PHIL ALVIN with THE GUILTY ONES NIKKI HILL S U N DAY, M AY 2 5

CHRIS ISAAK

VINTAGE TROUBLE JACKIE GREENE

RICH ROBINSON

ANA POPOVIC

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SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

WHAT’S INSIDE 5

Nikki Hill

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Dave & Phil Alvin with the Guilty Ones

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Tab Benoit

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Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave.

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Gregg Allman Band

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Festival Map & Vendor Information

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Ana Popovic

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Rich Robinson

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Jackie Greene

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Vintage Trouble

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Chris Isaak

SCHEDULE Set times subject to change

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND - MAY 24 & 25, 2014

Festival Information Gates open by 10am. Music starts right at 11am and goes till around 7:30pm. There are no ins and outs after 3pm. We recommend arriving early as both the Gold Circle and General Admission sections are on a first come, first serves basis.

Aptos Village Park is located at 100 Aptos Creek Road in Aptos, California. Please note there is no parking at the event site. Free parking, as well as a free shuttle service to and from the festival site, is located at Cabrillo College. Signs will be posted directing cars to the parking site. Directions available on our website.

Saturday

What not to bring: dogs, food, alcohol, cans, bottles, containers, coolers, umbrellas, cameras with removable lens, recording devices, video cameras.

10 am

Gates Open

11 am

Nikki Hill

12:20 pm

Dave & Phil Alvin with the Guilty Ones

1:50 pm

Tab Benoit

3:30 pm

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave.

5:30 pm

Gregg Allman Band

Sunday 10 am

Gates Open

11 am

Ana Popovic

12:20 pm

Rich Robinson

1:40 pm

Jackie Greene

3:10 pm

Vintage Trouble

5:00 pm

Chris Isaak

The 2014 Santa Cruz Blues Festival is produced by: Bill Welch, Michael Blas, Mike Spano & Connie Burroughs.

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

The Cabrillo College parking lot opens at 8am and luxury shuttle buses begin transporting ticket holders at 9am.

What to bring: one sealed personal bottle of water, money to purchase Blues Bucks, sun screen, hat, and a small personal-use camera (no video).

Seats are only provided in the Gold Circle section.

Ticket holders in the General Admission section are encouraged to bring blankets and may bring chairs that are no more than 30 inches in height, with a seat height of no more than 10 inches.

Park Rules: Smoking is no longer allowed anywhere inside Santa Cruz County Parks. The Santa Cruz County Parks and Sheriff’s Department do not allow colors of any organization to be worn at any public event.

The Santa Cruz Blues Festival is a scrip-based event, and cash will not be accepted at any booths except the Blues Festival Merchandise booth, Artist Merchandise Booth & Vintage Blues Booth. Ticket holders can visit the Blues Bucks booth to purchase scrip tickets either with cash or credit card (Visa or Mastercard only). Blues Bucks is the only form of payment acceptable for all food and beverage purchases. An ATM is located in the Blues Pavilion near the food court.

The food court offers a wide variety of choices, including BBQ, Asian, Mexican, Wraps, Pizza, Organic Fare, A Taste Of New Orleans, Gourmet Hot Dogs and more. We also have kettle korn, frozen fruit bars, smoothies, desserts, water and other non-alcoholic beverages. Beer and wine are available at selected booths. Hot and cold coffee drinks are also available.

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SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

SATURDAY ARTIST

NIKKI HILL Welcome to the 22nd anniversary of the Santa Cruz Blues Festival! Take a moment to breathe in the crisp morning air, check out the vendors and click your low-back chairs into place. Greet your neighbors with a smile and prepare yourself for an amazing weekend of high quality music with old friends and new experiences.

One expertise of Santa Cruz Blues Festival talent booker Bill Welch is his ability to put his finger on the pulse of acts that are on the verge of breaking into the major league. The first act of the day is creating a huge buzz in the music industry worldwide.

Roots rock and roll diva Nikki Hill is from Durham, North Carolina. There’s no question who is in charge as the petite powerhouse Hill leads her band through powerful renditions of R & B and rock staples like Billie Holiday’s “My Man,” Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Rock ‘n’ Roller” and Bobby Blue Bland’s “Poverty.” But it’s when her band, dubbed The Pirate Crew, busts out mesmerizing originals like “Her Destination” and “I’ve Got a Man” that the total package is delivered. A show-stopping dynamo, Hill has been wowing crowds throughout Europe, but has not yet become a household name in Santa Cruz, until today.

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

With a captivating charisma exuding from the stage, Hill’s voice and her band’s music crosses genres but never wavers from the roots music she adores.

Hill’s voice vacillates between sultry lilting ballads and dirty gritty rock like an angel and devil wrestling in the sky. Joined by husband Matt Hill on guitar and vocals, the thunderous Ed Strohsahl on bass, and the fast-handed turbo Joe Meyer on drums, the band is electrifying. No wonder the LA Weekly said, “The fast-rising, hard-charging, 20-something, North Carolina born-and-bred singer Nikki Hill has more than earned her evocative ‘Southern Fireball’ moniker.”

A new soul sensation, Hill’s first full-length album, Here’s Nikki Hill is a tribute to sounds both old and new fused together for the 21st century. But it’s live and in person that Hill’s journey through country, gospel, rockabilly and solid rock make you feel like you’re on a first class voyage to the future of music.

Clap your hands, stomp your feet or get up and dance, ladies and gentlemen, it’s Nikki Hill.

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SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

SATURDAY ARTIST

DAVE & PHIL ALVIN Today’s lineup has a Southern flair, with all the acts hailing from one part of the deep South to the other, and the next act is no exception—greet, from Southern California, the West Coast premiere of Dave and Phil Alvin with The Guilty Ones.

Dave Alvin’s voice draws you in like a warm blanket on a cold evening under the stars. One of those rare performers whose resume seems disjointed—X, The Blasters, The Knitters, Guilty Women—but comes into focus when you consider the source. Paired with his brother and co-founder of The Blasters, Phil, they have an about-to-drop release called Common Ground: Dave and Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy. This is their first collaborative venture in almost 30 years, and today’s performance is the first time anyone has seen the band perform these songs live.

Common Ground is a passion project and a tribute to Big Bill Broonzy—who the Alvin brothers both went to see together in Los Angeles during the 1960s. Broonzy is one of the great all-time blues writers and performers of the 1930s and 1940s.

According to Dave Alvin, “His influence on a variety of players went from the uptown musicians to the country blues guys like Big Joe Williams. He was an influence on Muddy Waters, an influence on the folk musicians of the early 1960s, and one of the first blues guys to go over to Europe, where he was an influence on skiffle bands and guitarists like

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

WITH

THE GUILTY ONES

Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.” Broonzy worked with Robert Johnson, made over 200 recordings, but is probably best known for his classic blues number, “Key to the Highway.”

One of Dave’s touring bands, The Guilty Ones, is playing with the Alvin brothers. According to Dave, “The Guilty Ones are people I’ve played with over the years. It’s Lisa from the Guilty Women and her husband on bass. The other guitar player is Chris Miller who’s in my male band, Guilty Men.” It should be noted that the Alvin brothers’ LA rock band The Blasters, founded in 1979, was a trendsetting excursion, aggressively coercing acoustic roots blues into an electric world. Their high energy shows became a welcome addition to the burgeoning punk rock movement of LA in the 70s and The Blasters often were paired with bands like Black Flag and X (in which Dave played guitar).

Today’s set will feature some of the Broonzy songs from Common Ground, songs from the seminal rock band, The Blasters, and a lot of surprises—it’s a retrospective of two of the most influential brothers in modern music. It’s about friendship, family and working together in a fast changing world. Please welcome Dave and Phil Alvin with The Guilty Ones.

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SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

SATURDAY ARTIST

TAB BENOIT Today’s cavalcade of musical stars is about to head down to the swampy, gator-infested bayou of Louisiana, and we’re proud to have one of the bayou’s greatest exports—Tab Benoit.

You can find some of the earliest Delta blues music recorded by the highly influential field recordings of John Lomax—as he crisscrossed the Mississippi Delta seeking the music of the region and recording it on his old school reel-to-reel. Decades later, a few hundred miles west, Tab Benoit was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The sounds Benoit elicits from his Fender Telecaster Thinline guitar matured through his weekly gigs at the historic, now defunct, Blues Box blues club in Baton Rouge. Benoit sharpened his musical teeth alongside New Orleans legends like the late harmonica virtuoso Raful Neal, as well as, the creator of the Chicago blues piano sound, Henry Gray.

It wasn’t long before Benoit assembled a band around him to nurture his spicy Cajun sound and give him some breathing room for extended solos and musical journeys. You might compare Benoit’s solid Telecaster attacks to blues maestros like Albert Collins or Albert King, but listen carefully and you’ll hear the influence of rock legends like Jimi Hendrix.

You might recall seeing Tab Benoit at the 2012 Santa Cruz Blues Festival engaged in a six-string shootout with Jimmy Thackery. Today, Benoit is performing in support of his newly released album Medicine that features keyboardist Ivan Neville (Neville Brothers), Michael Doucet (BeauSoleil) and drummer Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris Band). Medicine features seven new Benoit originals co-written with Anders Osborne, who wrote “Watch the Wind Blow By,” which was a #1 hit for country star Tim McGraw.

A great southern blues guitar player with more rock than traditional Delta blues, keep an ear out for some of his new songs like “Long Lonely Bayou,” and “In It to Win It.” Dig in deep and welcome Louisiana’s own, Tab Benoit.

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

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SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

SATURDAY ARTIST

TROMBONE SHORTY

AND

ORLEANS AVE.

You have made a smart choice to spend your weekend at California’s most intimate music experience, nestled in the redwoods and up the mossy banks from the bubbling Aptos Creek. Nothing can prepare you better for our next act, except getting an icy cold beer, taking off your shoes and getting ready to boogie. Now appearing for his fourth time at the Santa Cruz Blues Festival is Trombone Shorty—the great spirit of New Orleans wrapped up into one incredible artist.

Brass bands have a long history in New Orleans, going back to the late 1800s, when the brass instruments of the military and the long tradition of African music crossed paths. Playing with the Stooges Brass Band, Shorty’s exemplary technique came to the attention of Lenny Kravitz, who he began touring with in 2005. Now a world-class musician, Shorty had made the big time. Trombone Shorty is like watching a rocket, so hold on and enjoy the ride.

A trombone and trumpet player from New Orleans, Louisiana, Trombone Shorty is that rare gifted player who plays his instrument in a way that you can feel it in your soul. Growing up in the Tremé neighborhood wasn’t always easy. Luckily, as a teenager, Trombone Shorty joined the Stooges Brass Band that was started by his friend and SCBF favorite, Big Sam. Playing ballrooms and second line parades (a jazz funeral without a body) in Louisiana, Trombone Shorty learned the ins and outs of being a working musician that earns a paycheck.

Trombone Shorty fronts a phenomenal band and has a great new CD called Say That to Say This.

Although Trombone Shorty and crew are taking the world by storm, they are still growing. According to festival booker, Bill Welch, “I can imagine in another year or two he will be headlining.”

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

As Trombone Shorty has matured, his accolades have piled up, with appearances on every late night TV show, and collaborations with people as diverse as Galactic, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Kid Rock, and even playing the White House in 2012. So, up on your feet Santa Cruz—start tossing beads, because we are going to party New Orleans style. Get ready for a funkified jet ride with Trombone Shorty.

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Joan Baez Los Lobos Indigo Girls Jackie Greene Darlene Love Playing For Change Garth Hudson (The Band/The Last Waltz) featuring Sister Maud HUDSON Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott Rodney Crowell Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet The Wood Brothers Tom Paxton Paper Bird The Blues Broads The Duhks Eliza Gilkyson Joe Pug Mary Gauthier Lynn Miles Poor Man’s Whiskey Amy Helm David Luning Patchy Sanders The Alta California Orchestra Anne & Pete Sibley Spark & Whisper Perfect Crime Bootleg Honeys Las Cafeteras San Geronimo Highway Poets Rhythm Rangers T Sisters Love Choir Wavy Gravy

Tickets & Info. 415-256-8499 (Inticketing) katewolfmusicfestival.com 12

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

SATURDAY ARTIST

THE

GREGG ALLMAN BAND

As the sun begins to set on an amazing Saturday at the Santa Cruz Blues Festival, you can feel the palpable excitement in the air. The stage is being set—amps, guitars, B3 organ—all in preparation for one of America’s legendary singer-songwriters and his crew—The Gregg Allman Band.

For those of you who were at the Santa Cruz Blues Festival back in 2001, you might remember the Gregg Allman Band playing blistering renditions from their solo projects like “Queen of Hearts,” “I’m No Angel,” and “Before the Bullets Fly.” But when the band took on some Allman Brothers classics like “Ramblin’ Man” and “Whipping Post,” the crowd lost their collective mind.

If you had to name the one American rock band with the longest history, deepest chops and relevance into the 21st Century, The Allman Brothers would blast to the top. The Allman Brothers’ sheer profundity, legendary jams, exquisite songwriting and storied escapades have had a lasting cultural impact on the landscape and evolution of rock and blues— The Gregg Allman Band carries that torch forward.

The Allman Brothers started in 1969 in the Deep South of Jacksonville, Florida by brothers Gregg and Duane. At first, The Allman Brothers played surf rock hits by The Ventures, but when good friend and soul man, Floyd Miles took Gregg Allman to a record store and introduced him to the sounds of Delta blues, a new sound emerged. From that point on, The Allman Brothers forged new territory by introducing an original and nascent style of Southern rock to the growing lexicon of rock music.

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

For four years, the band toured and lived the hard knock life of a young band on the road. Then in 1973, after releasing the album Brothers and Sisters, the song “Ramblin’ Man” became a hit—a huge national anthem that radically changed the path of the hardscrabble life they had endured. Touring vans got traded in for jet airliners and smaller venues got rerouted to stadium concerts—The Allman Brothers were on their way to the top. The Allman Brothers enlisted an expanding army of fans that faithfully attended legendary concerts like the epic Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, New York in 1973 that had over 600,000 devotees.

Four decades later, Gregg Allman, the founding member of the seminal rock band, released the 2013 bestselling autobiography, My Cross to Bear.

Throughout the deeply personal recollection, you can hear Allman’s Southern twang resonate with compelling stories of life on the road. Set to be a biopic released later this year, with William Hurt as the older Allman, and heartthrob lead singer of The All-American Rejects, Tyson Ritter, as the younger, Allman’s life is being celebrated. And, the DVD/ CD of All My Friends: Celebrating the songs and voice of Gregg Allman, featuring Vince Gill, Jackson Browne, Trace Adkins, Susan Tedeschi, and of course the Allman Brothers Band is now available.

For 50 years, Gregg Allman’s iconic songs, B3 organ, swagger and distinctive voice have been the soundtrack to our lives. Won’t you please get on your feet and welcome The Gregg Allman Band.

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SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

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ICE MACHINES

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We would like to thank IATSE Local 611, Eileen Flynn, Craig Lowe, Robert Morris, Louie Pieracci and Gary Jensen at Couch Distributing Co., Art Danner at Young’s Market and the volunteer staffs of the WatsonvilleFire Department, Aptos-La Selva Fire District and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff Department for their continued support.

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SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

VENDOR LEGEND 1. ATM

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

2. Legendary Blues Cruise 3. Bluebeat Music 4. Blues Festival Merchandise 5. Bill The Oyster Man 6. Grandpa’s Kettle Corn 7. Oriental Express 8. Poor House Bistro 9. Low & Slow Organic Fare 10. JB’s Power Station 11. Zoyla’s Mexican 12. Slow Hand BBQ 13. Pizza One 14. Lucy’s Hot Dogs 15. Norma Jean’s Coffee 16. Soda & Water 17. Cold Beer & Wine

KIDS AREA Sideshow Events Face Painting

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SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

SUNDAY ARTIST

ANA POPOVIC Sunday morning at the Santa Cruz Blues Festival is a special time—it’s the calm before the musical storm that is swiftly approaching. So heed our advice— get your things in order, make nice with your neighbors and face forward, because you will not want to miss a second of the first act.

You might remember in 2011 when the Santa Cruz Blues Festival hosted The Hendrix Experience, featuring musicians like David Hildago & Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos), Brad Whitford (Aerosmith) and Steve Vai playing the songs of Jimi Hendrix—this next artist is the only woman to ever be included in that national tour. Straight out of Serbia, with a voice that rings like a church bell and guitar licks faster than a speeding train, say hello to Ana Popovic.

While making it to the top tier of musical acts in America is a long shot, making it from Serbia is a near impossibility. Serbia, while a beautiful country with rugged mountains and pastoral rivers, has a long and turbulent political and economic background—which makes success of any kind much more unlikely. But Ana Popovic has a talent that no external factors or geographical location can suppress.

Spending her childhood in front of the family stereo, surrounded by her father’s collection of blues records, Popovic immersed herself in Delta blues, Chicago blues and Texas blues. The fashionable teenager picked up her first guitar at 16 and had her

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

first band at 18. It wasn’t long before it was obvious to everyone that Popovic was a prodigy who was going to be a modern torchbearer of the fascinating traditional musical history of the blues.

By 1998, Popovic was performing hundreds of shows a year, and with the fall of communism, she expanded her touring schedule to Greece and Hungary, where her reputation spread far and wide.

In 2000, Popovic’s dream came true and she moved to Memphis, Tennessee, home and birthplace of so much of the music she adored as a child. Over the last decade, Popovic has played with everyone from Blues Traveler to Taj Mahal and John Lee Hooker.

Just this year the scorching blues guitarist and siren was nominated for Contemporary Blues Female Artist, which makes this her fifth Blues Music Award nomination. Besides doing The Hendrix Experience tour playing alongside Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Popovic’s latest album, Can You Stand the Heat, is her ninth full-length album and is climbing the charts.

From the cover of Vintage Guitar Magazine to stages around the world, the Serbian Scorcher (as she’s been nicknamed) is a phenomenon to behold.

Ladies and Gentlemen, unless you want them blown off, take off your socks and give a rousing cheer for Ana Popovic.

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SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

SUNDAY ARTIST

RICH ROBINSON The Santa Cruz Blues Festival is about experiencing live music as it should be seen, outdoors, in an intimate setting, with a focus on the affirming power of a community rocking out together. And this next act features rock and roll celebrities.

Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson redefined the American landscape of rock and roll in 1989 with their seminal band, The Black Crowes—a celebration of brotherhood and the restoration of sonic sensibility. Rich Robinson was only 17 years old, when he, drummer Steve Gorman and elder brother Chris started The Black Crowes in Atlanta, Georgia.

Rich Robinson is a stellar guitar player, whose prowess has only grown over the years, and the Santa Cruz Blues Festival is proud to welcome, for the first time, the Rich Robinson Band.

From Rich Robinson’s excursions playing with Jimmy Page in 1999, memorialized in the DVD/CD Black Crowes play Live at The Greek, to touring with The Who, Robinson has led the life of a rock and roll troubadour.

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

The Black Crowes are currently on an undefined hiatus, but having lived his entire adult life on the road, Rich Robinson has no intention of slowing down and already has released two solo albums, Paper and Through a Crooked Sun. Rich’s solo work is guitarheavy, with a love of open tuning, that he picked up from folk musician Nick Drake.

His latest work, Ceaseless Sight, is about to hit the stores and Internet in June, and is Robinson’s third solo venture, but his first in support of the Brooklyn independent label, The End Records. His single from the album, “One Road Hill,” is a beautifully haunting ballad and shows Robinson’s maturation as the front man of his own band as well as his skills as a songwriter and composer.

“I’ve always approached writing songs for an album as part of a larger work,” said Robinson. “This album as a whole is one piece and how it fits into my whole body of work is the other. My new record follows the path of my musical journey I’ve been on for 25 years. I feel a strong connection to where I’ve been musically, but more importantly where I’m going.” Hop on board, stow your gear and enjoy the ride with the Rich Robinson Band.

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SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

SUNDAY ARTIST

JACKIE GREENE The Santa Cruz Blues Festival began with humble roots, digging deep into the blues legends that created the genre. An important feature of the festival is discovering new talent and then watching them rise up the ladder of success. The next act is a prime example of what a combination of hard work and talent can achieve. Jackie Greene is a true musical savant, a multi-instrumentalist and a brilliant songwriter with a deep reservoir of heartfelt songs.

Born in Salinas and raised in Placerville, Jackie Greene first saw BB King when he was 17 years old, and incredibly it wasn’t long before Greene was BB’s opening act. Over the years Greene has matured from a young pup into a road dog, honing his sound during countless gigs, and growing in stature as a well respected musician and sideman.

Green is a mercurial musician who can slice open the void with his full-throated bluesy approach. He has accompanied some heavy hitters from Phil Lesh to Warren Haynes in Government Mule. With side projects with The Mother Hips, Joan Osborne and even the launch of a bicoastal art show a few years back, Greene is a renaissance performer. Check out his 2010 release Till The Light Comes, and you will find an incredible and transcendent collection of songs together in one release.

Now, after just returning from an 18-month tour with The Black Crowes, playing second guitar alongside Rich Robinson (Greene replaced Luther Dickenson from the North Mississippi Allstars), Greene is back in the studio working on a new album. Greene is on the path of conquering the airwaves—his penchant for quirky, catchy tunes is complimented by his ability to shred with the best of them. Jackie Greene is a star.

Jackie Greene’s band features Eddie Harsch, the keyboardist from The Black Crowes, so expect some cross-pollination between the Jackie Greene Band and the Rich Robinson Band. This is the fourth time Greene will be playing the festival—he’s a tried and true musician who always keeps it interesting for himself and the audience. Once again, the Santa Cruz Blues Festival is proud to present— The Jackie Greene Band!

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SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

SUNDAY ARTIST

VINTAGE TROUBLE Prepare to have your mind blown away by the selfproclaimed “pelvis-pushing” retro rock and blues of LA-based Vintage Trouble, sometimes written as ¥.

Lead singer Ty Taylor is able to rev it up like James Brown or kick it down a few notches and croon like Sam Cooke. Guitarist and longtime friend Nalle Colt, who was born in Sweden, has sparks cascading out of his tobacco sunburst 2005 VOS Gibson Les Paul. With the solid percussion of Rick Barrio Dill on bass, and Richard Danielson on skins, the band is reminiscent of the early days of soul and rock, where emotions were worn on the sleeve and the music was raw.

Colt met Taylor about 11 years ago when Taylor was in a boyband called Dakota Moon. There was talk of starting a band but Taylor became involved in the TV series called Rock Star: INXS which tried to find a new singer for the Australian rock band—the two kept in touch with the plan to eventually work together.

Vintage Trouble’s sound developed in the serene Laurel Canyon, a historic refuge for musical acts like Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison and The Byrds.

Legendary manager Doc McGhee (Bon Jovi, KISS, James Brown) took hold of Vintage Trouble, whose penchant for mid-century soul music is integral to their essence, and decided to tour them in the UK before launching them in the States. Their fan base, Trouble Makers, is now international, and this appearance at the Santa Cruz Blues Festival is their Northern California premiere.

Their freshman album, The Bomb Shelter Sessions, is a blast from the past and is stacked with songs that are radio friendly and yearn for replay. Their video for “Total Stranger” is a screaming soul message about the passion that ignites between two people who make love (as in, have sex) like total strangers. Transpose that to “Run Like the River,” performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. A ramped up, blistering sound, like Sunday morning at a revival soul carnival, led by front man Ty Taylor, and you can see the dynamic range Vintage Trouble has.

Having toured with The Who and opened for The Rolling Stones and The Dave Matthews Band, Vintage Trouble is on a path toward the top. Get up and give it up for their first time ever performing in the area—Vintage Trouble!

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SUNDAY ARTIST

CHRIS ISAAK The Santa Cruz Blues Festival has a basic brilliant formula: one stage with five acts a day. For 22 years, we have opened with new acts and closed with icons of the musical universe. Today’s show features more new acts than ever before. And now you are in for a real delight. For years, The Santa Cruz Blues Festival has tried to secure this next artist, and finally the day has come to welcome the best dressed man ever to grace the stage, Chris Isaak.

Born in Stockton, California, Isaak is an artist at heart whose early resume makes sense in perspective—high school class president, valedictorian, and leader of the all-male cheerleading squad—which was balanced by being a lover of the roots music he absorbed from listening to his parents’ 45s.

You might know Chris Isaak from his hit single “Wicked Games” or from his sixth studio album Baja Sessions, but way back in 1984, Isaak broke into the world of MTV with his video for “Dancin’” from the album Silvertone. With his trademark pompadour, Isaak had a look and personality that transferred easily to the screen. Thus began a long relationship with auteur filmmaker David Lynch, which culminated in Lynch using several of Isaak’s songs in his films, as well as an acting role for Isaak in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. Isaak’s career has spanned from rockabilly heartthrob to his infamous stint on the TV show Friends singing the hilarious song “Smelly Cat” with Lisa

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

Kudrow—but it’s Isaak’s unmistakable voice, craftwork songwriting and distinct guitar playing that makes him renowned.

Chris Isaak’s latest passion project was recorded at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee and is a tribute to the sound of the artists that came out of that studio in the 1950s and 60s—from Elvis Presley to Jerry Lee Lewis and from Carl Perkins to Johnny Cash. Isaak is also one of the few guys who can pull off a Roy Orbison song (Isaak recently inducted Orbison into the Nashville Musicians Hall of Fame), because his range is unique and sets him apart from most musicians—Isaak can belt out a true falsetto.

Cool only begins to describe Chris Isaak—having never missed a day’s work in 30 years, Isaak embodies all the elements of the ultimate rock star. One of the best dressed men in the music business, Isaak’s legions of suits reflect (and the mirrored one, literally does) his multi-faceted approach to music—Isaak slays the women in the crowd with his rockabilly pomp, signature sultry vocals, quirky humor and smooth delivery. It’s no wonder that two of his heroes are Elvis and Dean Martin—like their stage shows, Isaak’s elicit howls of appreciation from the ladies. With an unparalleled showman attitude and a catalogue of songs that is profound— he is a true evolving artist. Hold your hands in the air for Chris Isaak.

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Sunset Presents...

2014/2015 SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT

Spyro Gyra

LeAnn Rimes Trio

Friday, February 6 at 8PM

Friday, September 26 at 8PM

Cirque Zuma Zuma Friday, October 24 at 8PM

An Evening of Spirit with James Van Praagh Saturday, February 7 at 8PM

Rosanne Cash Olivia Newton-John

Thursday, March 19 at 8PM

Sunday, October 26 at 7PM

.VNNFOTDIBO[ UI Anniversary Tour Saturday, November 1 at 8PM

Seasons of Broadway Saturday, November 8 at 8PM

America’s Test Kitchen Live!

Wednesday, November 12 at 8PM

The Second City Nut-Cracking Holiday Revue

New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players: HMS Pinafore Friday, March 20 at 8PM

Buddy Guy Friday, April 3 at 8PM

Martha Graham Dance Company: Essential Graham Wednesday, April 22 at 8PM

Fancy Nancy The Musical Saturday, April 25 at 3PM

Tuesday, November 25 at 7PM

ABBA Mania Thursday, April 30 at 8PM

Kathleen Madigan Saturday, January 17 at 8PM

Natalie MacMaster Friday, May 1 at 8PM

Mavis Staples Sunday, January 18 at 3PM

Herb Alpert & Lani Hall GALA EVENT! Saturday, May 9 at 8PM

XXX TVOTFUDFOUFS PSH t

San Carlos Street at Ninth Avenue, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

The Monterey Peninsula’s Premier Performing Arts Facility 30

Brought to you by Sunset Cultural Center, Inc. A Non-Profit 501 (c) 3 SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

SANTA CRUZ BLUES FESTIVAL May 24-25, 2014

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