Free River Jam To Showcase Top Musicians on May 18

Well, it’s Spring and that means it’s time for the annual behind-the-amphitheater River Stomp -- except for one new development.

The ARMS Board has decided, now that emphasis has shifted away from Jubilee Cityfest, to partner with the City of Montgomery to begin a new music event called River Jam!

ARMS has been working with the city for the past few months on everything from raising funds and contacting talent to stage management and production. The new event, which will be free to the public, will be held May 18 at the city’s Riverfront.

The main amphitheater stage will feature Nine Days, an alternative rock band that had a Top 40 hit in the nineties entitled Absolutely (Story of a Girl); Hard Rock’s winner of it’s Battle of the Bands, Rosco Bandana; popular zydeco artist Sunpie Barnes and the Louisiana Sunspots; and local blues harp player and vocalist John Bull, with his band featuring guitarist Sheffield Walker (see John’s letter to ARMS in this newsletter).

A singer/songwriter stage, which will be located in the old amphitheater at the base of the Commerce Street tunnel, will feature Grammy Award-winning blues artist Alvin Youngblood Hart; Latin jazz artists Roman Street; Americana singer Ana Egge; and rock/country guitarist Jess Meuse.

River Jam will begin at 5 p.m. and end around 10 p.m. Coolers are not allowed, but food and beverages will be available for purchase. Bring lawn chairs.

The event will be preceded by the city’s new Riverbend Brewfest, which will begin at 2 p.m. along the Riverfront and feature craft beers and microbrews for tasting. The cost for Brewfest is $20 per person and participants will receive an etched glass for tasting.

River Jam is based on the concept of exposing music lovers to some of the best bands they have never heard before – all for free. You may not be familiar with all the artists, but we guarantee you will be pleased with the talent level.

River Jam artists round-up

Ana Egge:
Ana Egge is an Americana singer/songwriter who plays guitar, mandolin, piano, and bottleneck slide guitar. Her parents raised her in a small farmhouse in North Dakota, a bus on the California coast, and at a hot springs commune in New Mexico. She has lived in Brooklyn, NY, the past 10 years. Her song Hole In Your Halo was nominated for Best Americana Song in he 12th Annual Independent Music Awards. Her latest CD was produced by Steve Earle and recorded at Levon Helms’ studio in New York.

Roman Street:
Roman Street is an energetic band from Mobile, AL, that plays new flamenco, jazz, and its own style of fusion music. The guitarists are internationally trained and they are fluent in blending modern styles with traditional technique. Their song Caravan was No. 24 last year on Billboard’s Top 25 Contemporary Jazz Songs.

Rosco Bandana:
Rosco Bandana is a septet based in Gulfport, MS. They won the Hard Rock Battle of the Bands competition and will be the first signees on Hard Rock’s new record label. This indie folk/rock band plays blues/Americana style music blended with modern folk with and a hint of gypsy fanfare.

Sunpie Barnes and The Louisiana Sunspots:
One of the best zydeco/blues bands in the nation, Sunpie Barnes has a loyal following in central Alabama. He can play seven instruments and is best known for his accordion and harmonica talents. He was heavily influenced by his father, a blues harpist, and Sonny Boy Williamson, Carey Bell, and Lee Oskar.

Alvin Youngblood Hart:
Alvin Youngblood Hart won a Grammy Award in 2004 for his philanthropic contribution to the compilation Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster and he received a Grammy nomination in 2003 for his work Down In The Alley. His 1999 recording Start With The Soul was chosen as one of the New York Times’ Top Ten Releases of 2000 and was the BBC’s Blues Record of the Year. Hart, in 1995, received five nominations for W.C. Handy Blues Awards, receiving the honor for Best New Artist. He also received two Living Blues Awards that year. He toured in 2006 with Bo Diddley, and collaborated with Memphis area musicians that same year on the movie Black Snake Moan, on which he served as the guitar tutor to actor Samuel L. Jackson. In 2011, Hart was nominated by the Blues Music Awards for Best Acoustic Album for his work with The South Memphis String Band.

The John Bull Band (with Sheffield Walker):
Blues harpist and vocalist John Bull, along with guitarist Sheffield Walker, recently qualified for the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, where they competed in the solo/duo category against hundreds of musicians from all across the world. Bull has toured extensively across the South and has recorded several CDs.



Nine Days:
Nine Days is an alternative rock band from Long Island, NY, that had a Top 40 hit in the late nineties entitled Absolutely (Story of a Girl). The band recorded several CDs before their mainstream debut The Madding Crowd.

Jess Meuse:
Texas native Jess Meuse is a singer/songwriter from Slapout, AL, who plays guitar. She describes her music as a blend of rock with a southern twist of country. She was inspired by Coldplay, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Stevie Nicks, Bruno Mars, Death Cab for Cutie, and others.

Newsletter

Last updated on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

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Rick Estrin and The Nightcats to perform June 20

It is almost too much talent for one stage!

The California-based blues band, Rick Estrin and The Nightcats, will perform in Montgomery on June 20 at 7 p.m. at Kiwanis Park in Old Alabama Town.

Estrin, a long-time figure on the national blues scene, is considered one of the best blues harmonica players in the world. He is accompanied by three highly talented musicians, including Chris “Kid” Andersen of Norway, who at the age of 18 was backing most of the American blues stars who performed in his home country; J. Hansen, who is the only singer/songwriter standing drummer in the blues business; and Lorenzo Farrell, an accomplished jazz and blues musician who plays piano, organ and bass.

Blues Revue Magazine recently wrote: “Estrin has created some of the finest blues songs of any artist on the planet. His carefully wrought lyrics penetrate human weakness with the precision of a boxer, though more often than not, he chooses to leave you laughing after the blow’s been struck.”

He has won a Blues Music Award for his song My Next Ex-Wife and three of his songs have appeared on Grammy-nominated albums by Koko Taylor, Robert Cray, and John Hammond.

Estrin fronted the band Little Charlie and The Nightcats for more than 30 years and through nine albums. The band was nominated four times for the Blues Music Award’s Band of the Year.
After Charlie Baty retired in 2008, Estrin moved forward with his songwriting and worked with Hansen and Farrell to keep the band alive.

Estrin now ranks among the best blues singers, songwriters, and performers. His original songs have been compared to the work of Cab Calloway, Louis Jordan, and Willie Dixon. His major songwriting influences were Dixon, Lieber and Stoller, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Percy Mayfield, and Baby Boy Warren.

The Nightcats have had successful tours in Europe, South America, and Turkey, and have released two CDs, including the most recent One Wrong Turn. The band was recently named to The Alternate Root’s Top 30 Roots/Soul Artists.

Admission to the June 20 show is $2 per person, with children under 12 admitted for free. Bring your lawn chairs. Concessions will not be available on site.

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