Labor Day Weekend Blues Views & BBQ Festival in Westport
The Labor Day weekend of Saturday and Sunday September 2-3 will bring the 10th year of the Blues Views & BBQ Festival at the Leavitt Pavilion in Westport, CT. With past acts such as Buddy Guy, Blues Traveler, members of the Neville and Allman families, The Spin Doctors and last year's closer The Revivalists, Westport is fast becoming New England's premier blues festival.
This time around the headliners are Galactic, a funk and jazz jam band from New Orleans on Saturday, finishing up a couple stops in the northeast before heading out west to the Red Rocks Amphitheater later in the month. On Sunday it will be Fairfield County's own funk band Deep Banana Blackout playing their first show since June.
BANDS ON MY RADAR:
Slam Allen - You will want to arrive at the pavillion early on Saturday to catch Slam Allen, a Best New Artist Recording nominee from last year's Blues Music Awards. He may be recognized for being new on the scene, but he has over 20 years of blues experience and is a New York Blues Hall of Fame Inductee. This isn't his first stop at the Blues, Views & BBQ Festival. Slam plays festivals throughout the region and has also performed at festivals in Argentina and all over Europe.
Brandon "TAZ" Niederauer & School of Rock All-Stars - TAZ won't be with the School of Rock this time, but he is an alum. The School of Rock All-Stars will be kicking off the day Sunday and 14 year old TAZ will be playing much later. It is always fun to watch the youngsters shred a guitar and sing with the pros. These kids will make your jaw drop in amazement. Maybe a couple of them will even move on to a solo career like young TAZ is well on his way to doing.
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About the author: In addition to Vokuhila, LLC, Jesse L. Medford is the producer/owner of Pour at the Shore, LLC and a member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. He also has a full-time telecommunications management job, volunteers with a few charities and owns a handful of other businesses. Jesse lives in Lakeville, MA with his wife and two teenage children. As a journalist, Jesse has been published in numerous publications. Mostly for sports writing, with a heavy emphasis towards NASCAR articles. Jesse also has a passion for the music industry. He worked at his first concert in 1999 at Marilyn Manson's Beautiful Monsters Tour. Jesse holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Bridgewater State University.
