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13th Annual Carolina Downhome Blues Festival is bigger and better than ever!
Camden-The countdown to the annual Carolina Downhome Blues Festival is on, and music lovers are ready to celebrate. Scheduled for October 1-3, in venues across historic downtown Camden, SC, the Blues Festival is an award-winning event recognized for featuring legendary blues artists from around the globe. This year's festival boasts 47 performances by 28 acts at 18 different sites. Produced and presented by the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County (FAC), this years celebration of the blues promises to be an exciting event, with a slate of new musicians coming to town, plus some popular favorites from past years.
In its thirteenth year, the Carolina Downhome Blues Festival continues to be a must-do weekend in Camden, drawing music fans from around the southeast as eclectic as the music itself: There will be blues for all tastes, from Carolina Lowcountry blues to roadhouse blues rock, to the best of acoustic blues and folk...and all points in between.
One of the features that make the festival so appealing is that performances are presented in a variety of intimate venues-both indoors and out.
"We offer the blues in its natural environment: small, intimate venues, just like the backwoods juke joints, the bars of Chicago's South Side, and New Orleans' funky shotgun speakeasies. Up-close-and-personal….the way it's supposed to be, says Gary Erwin, the festivals artistic director.
In addition to the FACs Wood Auditorium, this years performances will fill 18 intimate venues including The Venue on Broad, Kirkwood Books, the Kershaw County Farmers Market, Vittel Salon, Davis & Sons Guitar Shop, and the outdoor Clock Tower Stage (which made its debut at last years festival.) With so much going on, it wont be difficult to remember to eat, as there will be live performances at many local dining establishments, including Sam Kendalls, The Crescent Grille, Old Armory Steak House, The Boykin Co. Grille, La Fiesta, Gadgets of Camden, Indigo Jones, Fatz Café, Carolina Café, and The Pearl.
In addition to winning the S.C. Parks Recreation and Tourism award for festival of the year in 2003, The Carolina Downhome Blues Festival has gained recognition on a national level.
The Carolina Downhome Blues Festival has earned a great reputation among musicians & blues fans for presenting a full spectrum of blues and roots music, said Danny Riddick, festival technical director. Over the years we have been proud to present blues legends while also keeping an eye on the future of the blues with newer artists.
Along with annual crowd pleasers Shrimp City Slim and the legendary Drink Small, highlights will include performances by legends like folk artist Hilton Valentine, the original guitarist with The Animals (the British band that recorded House of the Rising Sun). Other musicians will run the gamut from the old school acoustic sounds of heritage artists Pop Ferguson and John Dee Holeman to the roadhouse blues rock of Andrew Jr. Boy Jones.
This years lineup will include several female artists including Barbara Carr (60s soul), Skye Paige (country blues rock), Veronika Jackson (folk blues), and the return of the soulful stylings of Wanda Johnson, a festival favorite.
Premier sponsorship for the 13th Carolina Downhome Blues Festival is provided by First Citizens Bank and Heritage Chevrolet Buick Pontiac GMC. Additional sponsorship support is provided by Alpine Agency, Flowers Heating & Cooling, SC ENT Allergy & Sleep Medicine, TruVista, The Chronicle-Independent, WACH Fox 57, and Budweiser of Columbia.
The artwork for this years poster is Big Daddy Bass, an acrylic painting by Columbia, SC artist Lee Breuer.
TICKETS
Wristband tickets for the Blues Festival are $10 for Thursday night, and $15 for Friday or Saturday night, which will admit blues lovers into all venues, including concerts at the Fine Arts Center. Three-day passes are $35. Armbands may be purchased in the FAC box office, or by phone using Visa or MasterCard at 803-425-7676, ext. 300. Armbands will also be available during the festival at most performance sites and the downtown Blues Kiosk near the outdoor stage. The Fine Arts Center will be open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Saturday, October 2, 12-4 p.m. for ticket sales and information.
KICK-OFF PARTY
The FAC will jump-start the three-day fest with a kick-off party on Thursday, October 1, 5:30 - 7 p.m. at The Venue on Broad, located at 1020 Broad Street in downtown Camden. Entertainment will be provided by festival favorites Wanda Johnson and the Shrimp City Slim Blues Revue, joined by Dr. Pickup, a Paris-based blues guitarist. Light refreshments will be provided. Afterwards, patrons will be encouraged to hit the town for dinner and more great entertainment at area sites.
The Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County is a not-for-profit organization which serves as a county-wide center for the arts. The FAC Campus is located at 810 Lyttleton Street in Camden, with office hours Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. More information is available at www.fineartscenter.org.
The Fine Arts Center is funded in part by the Frederick S. Upton Foundation and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
