Monterey Blues Festival

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Monterey Blues Festival
June 29, 2009
Beeri Moalem
Go to Beeri's Home Page
Examiner.com

“These here-- some hard times,” sighs the singer on stage.

“Yea, sista! Sing it!” The crowd yells back.

“A lot of folks sufferin right now.” She wails as she breaks into song.

But when the shines bright, the cool Monterey breeze blows, long lines for $5 beer and $8 chicken legs crowd the lawns, and thousands pay at least $35 a pop to mill about the fairgrounds to enjoy live music, it’s hard to get a sense that these are “hard times.” That’s the point of it-- this music is intended to ease difficult times.

The Blues started out as one of the original uniquely American art forms, with negro origins in the deep south. Though by and large our sorrows in the 2009 recession are not as dire as theirs, the music remains a powerful healing force. The voices may not be as raspy, the strings not as twangy, and the horns not as rusty as those old-timey Mississippi Delta blues, but hey, this is California and it’s 2009. Synth pads, clean technique, and a up-beat popish rhythm characterized most of the offerings at the 24th Annual Monterey Blues Festival.

Yet whether it was Kenny Neal singing about the search for power to overcome tragedy Kaye Bohler singing about a wilted flower that will inevitably find the power to grow again, the legendary spirit of the blues was alive and strong. One highlight was Barbara Morrison, whose voice ranged from the hearty low growls through reedy mid tones, to a mellifluous flute-like song. Combined with a bouncy sense of rhythm, she had the crowed hopping and sliding naturally.

The more intimate (and less expensive) Garden Stage issued the best vibe from both the stage and the crowd, and frequently broke into spontaneous dance fests. The open-field Presidential Stage also featured some fine performers in a casual picnic blanket setting. The Main Stage, in the huge arena felt least powerful of all with the enormous distance between audience and performer. Perhaps some of the lost power is due to more than half of the seats being empty—blame it on the sun, the economy, the steep prices ($70-plus per seat[!]… or whatever you can scalp off the street), or the fine alternatives on the smaller stages.

In light of Michael Jackson’s passing, the restoring power of the blues held a little extra significance. Practically every performer that I listened to dedicated a song to Jackson along with a verbal tribute.

Another running theme was the festival’s commitment to education. Just like Classical music and the Blues’ sister genre, Jazz, some sense the decline of an art, and organizers made a conscious effort to fundraise for Blues in the School program, which was featured on the Garden Stage led by Dennis Murphy. These high-school aged kids wowed almost beyond belief and were on par with any of the adult ensembles. Especially impressive was the quartet of home schooled Sledge Grits sisters. The youngest, Bopa a sub-4-foot tall little girl mounted the drum set and rocked an amazingly crisp beat. Her sister, Mimi, only inches taller, sang with the natural stage presence and confidence of a true rock star.

I don’t listen to a whole lot of blues, but after 8 hours of meandering amongst the stages and booths, I will from now on listen to the genre with more interest.