Doheny Blues Festival features famed guitar slingers

/Home/Blues Festivals and Concerts in the US/Blues Festival Articles and Reviews

Doheny Blues Festival features famed guitar slingers
May 12, 2009
by Robert Kinsler
OCregister.com

Music lovers who kick off the summer concert season at the 12th Annual Doheny Blues Festival have every reason to celebrate the event that arrives in Dana Point on May 16 and 17.

Singer-guitarist Brian Setzer is making a rare live appearance with the Nashvillains on Saturday, while B.B. King will headline on Sunday.

"Brian Setzer played on this beach (with his orchestra) back in 1995 and it has taken us 15 years to bring him back to Doheny," said Rich Sherman, president of Omega Events, the Lake Forest-based company that produces the annual festival.

"Between Brian Setzer, B.B. King and Derek Trucks, we have three masters of the guitar at one festival. This is a pretty darn special year," Sherman said.

"From blues greats to the soul of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and Cajun music from Buckwheat Zydeco; there is truly something for everyone."

Sherman is happy to bring back festival favorites such as B.B. King and Elvin Bishop, but is especially thrilled to showcase the Derek Trucks Band this year. Sherman noted that while Trucks has long been recognized as a musical prodigy – and has been playing lead guitar in the Allman Brothers Band for the past 10 years – he has risen to the forefront over the past year or so.

"The timing is perfect. Derek has done his time as a sideman, and now it's great for our festival to feature him," Sherman said of the acclaim and commercial success that has greeted Trucks' 2009 album "Already Free."

"Every once in awhile you have an artist in that regard; he has ascended to that top-notch level right now."

Trucks' sixth studio album "Already Free" (released by Sony Music/Victor in January 2009) debuted at number 19 on Billboard's Top 200 chart, number 1 on the Internet chart, number 4 on the Rock chart and number 1 on the Blues chart.

In addition to the strong response from AAA and rock radio formats, the Derek Trucks Band's live performances opening for a wide range of artists – notably Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton – have built an ever-growing following for the 29-year-old slide guitarist's blend of virtuoso musicianship and astonishing songcraft.

"You want to make music that will last," said Trucks, speaking from a Dallas airport on May 9, just before catching a plane to San Jose, where he was playing later that day.

"We've never set out to have it (our music) be news for a few years and then dissipate. You always want to leave something that has legs, which can go 30, 40 or 50 years."

"Already Free" features a blend of artistically reworked covers (Bob Dylan's "Down in the Flood"), expressive blues ("Maybe This Time") and gospel-tinged numbers ("Sweet Inspiration") that showcase his creative powers, as well as those of his longtime band (bassist Todd Smallie, percussionist Count M'Butu, drummer Yonrico Scott, keyboardist Kofi Burbridge and singer Mike Mattison).

"I think a huge part of it is as a musician, as a person, as a band leader – you kind of mature to the point where you don't feel like you have to show all your cards all the time," Trucks said of showcasing his incredible skills on his electric Gibson guitar within the context of strong songs.

"With this record, I didn't really feel the need to say anything outside of what we were saying (with the songs). We were just writing a record; wherever the music led us, we went with it. I never felt like 'What we're missing is a huge long solo, so let's force it in here.'

"It was much more (about) writing songs and letting the songs and the sound of the tune dictate what it needed."

Trucks will play right before the legendary King on Sunday night, and this writer couldn't help but ask Trucks about the possibility of him fulfilling his well-publicized wish expressed during a Rolling Stone Magazine interview earlier this year to appear on stage with King.

"I would be honored," Trucks said. "That's his decision. I'll be lobbying for it though."

One of the music scene's other rising stars is John Németh, a talented singer, songwriter and harmonica virtuoso. Németh's sophomore album, the wonderful "Love Me Tonight," debuted at No. 10 on Billboard's blues chart on Feb 4, and reached the number one spot on Roots Music Report's blues airplay chart on Feb. 13.

Since the release of "Magic Touch" in January 2007 and appearance at the Doheny Blues Festival later that same year, Németh's profile has exploded. His friendship with singer-guitarist Elvin Bishop has been one of the most notable developments, with the two artists performing together on "A Prairie Home Companion" in Tulsa, Oklahoma in October 2008. They will share the stage together during a full-length set in Dana Point on May 16.

"I think when he heard me he heard the sincerity in my music and the fact that I deliver a blues song the way a real blues singer would do it. We just kind of hit it off right off the bat … that was the fall of 2007," said Németh, 33, who lives in Oakland on a part-time basis, since he spends most of his life touring, playing more than 200 shows a year.

"Then we started recording his record almost immediately after that – I think November or December we started recording his 'The Blues Rolls On' record." "The Blues Rolls On" was one of the strongest comeback projects of 2008, on which Bishop was joined by Németh, as well as Kim Wilson, Tommy Castro and aforementioned Trucks and King for a project nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

"Elvin is just a real hell of a good dude and I think he has done a lot for me as far as including me on major shows and big-time radio spots; we did 'Prairie Home Companion' together," Németh said. "Elvin Bishop has probably done more for me than anyone else has ever helped me out. A tremendous cat, you know, he really shares the love with guys who play blues music."