Blues Festival

[ampersat]

Anybody make it down yet this year? I've seen some "tin boats" down in the harbor but haven't spotted an Ifish sticker yet.

I've been volunteering with the Oregon Food Bank since my birthday last year and when this event came up I signed up for two shifts: Independence Day and today (I took today as a vacation day from work to help out). I'm thinking of heading down and volunteering this weekend just for the heck of it since I've had such a good time.

Today I kind of stretched out of my comfort zone and took up the clipboard (I'm not usually so "in your face", believe it or not). The Food Bank would like to be a checkbox on the Oregon state tax return that folks could select to donate a dollar to when filling out their state taxes. Folks were quite hesitant at the "are you a registered voter spiel with clipboard in hand" but once I explained what it was all about I heard a lot of "gee, you'd think they were already on that list" as well as a lot of other enthusiastic responses (and signatures). I even ran into a few Ifishers down at the show today.

Outside of the charity aspect of it all, I have to say the music has been amazing. On Wednesday after my shift, I joined some friends and listened to Koko Taylor belt it out along with a host of other talented artists. Tonight I hung out at the A&E stage and danced with a few nice looking ladies to some awesome zydeco. Saturday features Marcia Ball (!) and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band; Sunday includes our very own Curtis Salgado and the Neville Brothers (!).

Admission to the show is a "recommended" donation of $8 and two cans of food; technically, admission is free but if you can contribute anything it is greatly appreciated. Every little bit makes a difference, no matter how small.

[wishin]

Ahhhh, da blues! Good thing you are doing for the food bank ampersat. I love the blues and will have Keb Mo fired up on the Ipod for the drive to the beach today.

One quick blues story for you to check out when you get a chance amp - Renee Austin. I just happened to catch "Blues Divas" on the satellite, and in the middle of show this small redhead walks out on the stage and belts this soulful tune called "Fool Moon". No kidding, 5 octave range and tone ranging from smoky/husky to pure light. I was floored! A quick google found that her CD's started selling around 2003, and folks thought that her career was ready to explode. Next google entry was a sad letter from her in 2006 that she had surgery on her thyroid to remove a small nodule, and she was one of the patients with the tiny chance that ended up with permanent paralysis of her vocal chords - she can no longer sing! Unbelieveably sad. Check her out.

Wish I could go to the show today.

[Danno]

I was down on the 4th and again last night (6th). Didn't stay long last night. I was giving boats rides to some frieds that were in town.

The 4th was crazy. That's the ugliest water I've been in since owning my boat (10 months). Good thing I launched at Cedar Oak and not Willamette.

The weather has been fantastic!

[ampersat]

The 4th was rather sloppy on the Willie. It was quite the show watching the big boats bounce off of one another as giant wake after giant wake washed ashore. I kept looking for boats uglier than mine out there so I wouldn't feel too bad taking the Army Boat down there next year. I even saw one boat doing some sturgeon fishing while enjoying the music. Gonna hafta give that a shot.

Just before the fireworks started going off on the 4th I looked south past the Marquam bridge and saw all the green bow lights on all the boats. I can only imagine what the Willamette ramp was like after the show. Cedar Oak was probably your best call of the evening.

[judyfish99]

One of my friends has a band of his own. I see him on occasion during a jam on Thursday nites that I frequent... His group, "Bolt Upright" played at 2:30 on Friday at the Jazz Fest....