BluesFest takes over Old Town

Back in 2005 Keith Richards of TheRolling Stones offered up some simple musical advice during a BBCinterview – in short: learn the blues or go home. 

“If you don’t know the blues,” Richardssaid, “there’s no point in picking up the guitar and playingrock’n’roll or any other form of popular music.” 

Lansing musician Andy Wilson, who willperform with his duo Andy Wilson & Johnny D at Old Town BluesFest2011, shares similar thoughts on the blues.   

“I’m a professional musician, I play alot of different styles, but the blues is really the foundation of allthe styles,” Wilson said. “Any good jazz player has a lot of blues intheir playing. I’d say the same for a rock‘n’roll player, even folkmusic. You got to have the blues in it to have a solid foundation foryour musicianship.”

Along with other Lansing-blues fixtureslike The Green Door and The Capital Area Blues Society, the Old TownBluesFest showcases local talent like Wilson, putting them on the mainstage alongside regional and national acts. The free, two-day fest thisweekend is outdoors and spread across four stages in Old Town. 

This year’s fest includes performancesfrom The Hawktones, Mighty Medicine, Kerry Clark Blues Company, JohnnieBassett & the Blues Insurgents, The Hoopties featuring TwylaBirdsong, Jackie Scott & the Housewreckers, Paul Miles, andBenjamin Hall, to name a few. 

Produced and booked by the MichiganInstitute for Contemporary Art, BluesFest took shape in 2002 and drawsroughly 15,000 people to Old Town. Mike Skory, a MICA coordinatingcommittee member attributes some of this success to the accessibilityof the genre.   

“It’s easy to identify with,” Skorysaid. “Like country music, the topics are pretty straight forward.-You’re in love, or out of love. They’re story songs so people canidentify with them quickly.” 

Skory is also a Lansing-basedkeyboardist and member of Freddie Cunningham & the Root DoctorBand, which is performing at this year’s fest on Saturday. He said theblues is a diverse style and the MICA committee does its best to coverall bases at the festival.   

“We try to get a mix of local, regionaland touring acts,” explained Skory. “We try to bring in differentaspects, like traditional country blues with slide guitars,electric-Chicago blues, modern and contemporary blues with a funkyedge. We try to bring all elements to it.” 

Andy Wilson & Johnny D bring theChicago-style element to the fest’s lineup. Wilson, who specializes inthe harmonica and jazz trumpet, said his duo plays a mix of originalsand old Chess Records blues covers. 

Wilson is a busy performer. He alsoplays in local bands Steppin’ In It, Those Delta Rhythm Kings and BadGravy. He said events like BluesFest help pay his bills, especiallysince he became a full-time musician 10 years ago. When he’s notgigging across the state, Wilson plays steady shows every Sunday andMonday at the Green Door, and even plays jazz trumpet every Tuesday atStober’s with the Jeff Shoup Quintet. 

“I left my job at Elderly Instrumentsback in 2002,” Wilson said. “I’ve been playing for a living ever sincethen. You have to work a lot. I have to play five or six nights a weekin order to get by. I also teach lessons and things like that to make alittle extra money during the day. Studio work helps a lot, too.”  

Another local band on the roster is theKathleen Bolthouse Band. Dubbed “Lansing’s own Queen of the Blues,”Bolthouse sings a mix of contemporary and traditional tunes with noshortage of sultry ballads. 

Since becoming steeped in the scene backin 1996, Bolthouse said the Lansing blues crowd has become her secondfamily, and many of the gigging players help make it stronger — and-events like Old Town BluesFest demonstrates the area’s love of themusic. 

“It depends on who you ask, but myperception of the scene is that it’s pretty strong,” Bolthouse said.“The Capital Area Blues Society is really involved; they’ve workedreally hard to get national blues acts this way. It’s just a greatgroup of people. 

“What’s unique about Lansing is there’scomradery — a connection,” Bolthouse added. “I think part of it is thata lot of us go back 10 or 15 years. We encourage each other. There’s alot of friendship and encouragement in this scene. You hear BonnieRaitt talk about her ‘musical family.’ I feel like I have that here inLansing.”

Old Town  Bluesfest

FREE. Friday Sept. 16. (4 p.m.-12:30 a.m.) Saturday Sept. 17 (1 p.m.-12:30 a.m.)