Blues fans will head to the Filberg Festival in Comox on Friday, Aug. 3 for the traditional Blues Panel Concert.
Panel host this year is David Gogo, known for his cutthroat wit and virtuosic blues guitar technique. He will be joined by David Vest, a Southern-bred boogie-woogie piano pounder; Dave Harris, who is renown for his harmonica playing as well as his expertise on both acoustic and electric guitar; and the duo of Gary Preston and Anita Bonkowski.
The musical chemistry between Gary on harmonica, keyboard and vocals, and Anita on bass and drums is a force to be reckoned with in the blues. Each performer is an accomplished musician with their own individual style, but on Friday afternoon they come together to share their extensive knowledge of the blues with the audience. Each musician takes a turn as lead performer as they showcase the blues past and present.
• Dave Harris has developed his original one-man-band show to included two steel body guitars, 12-string guitar, fotdella (foot-operated bass), mandolin, banjo, two fiddles, harps, and a suitcase kick drum. The veteran musician performs his original tunes as well as many of the lesser-known blues classics and he is renowned for his harmonica playing as well as his expertise on both acoustic and electric guitar. www.myspace.com/daveharrisonemanband.
• David Gogo, one of Canada's hardest-working blues-rock guitarists, has garnered three Juno nominations, the Saturday Night Blues' Great Canadian Blues Award for a lifetime contribution to the blues in Canada, WCMA Musician of the Year, and has twice been named Maple Blues Guitarist of the Year. Over the years, he has performed with blues and rock legends B.B. King, Bo Diddley, George Thorogood, ZZ Top, and Johnny Winter. www.davidgogo.com,
• David Vest, a blues piano legend, played his first gig in 1957. Half a century later, he finally saw one of his CDs (recorded as co-leader of the Paul deLay Band) make it into the Top 10 on Billboard’s blues chart. David's obvious influences include Memphis Slim, Champion Jack Dupree, and Amos Milburn. Although he's a bluesman to the bone, his playing also reminds people of early Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. www.davidvest.ca.
• Preston and Bonkowski feature the highly charged musical chemistry of harmonica whiz, keyboardist and vocalist Gary Preston and talented bassist/drummer Anita Bonkowski, playing their unique blend of blues music with style and class. Their music is undeniably blues-based, yet shifts effortlessly between classic and original blues to jazzy blues, seasoned with a touch of Latin spice. www.garypreston.ca.
And if you haven’t had enough of the blues you can check these musicians out when they play their own solo shows Aug. 3 and 4.
For a full schedule, tickets and more information, check out www.filbergfestival.com.
This family-friendly festival celebrates excellence in all forms of arts and crafts and music with over 100 juried crafts booths, plus music on two stages, a Kids' Area, and yummy concession booths. The objective of the festival is to raise the money needed to restore and maintain the beautiful nine-acre Filberg property and Heritage Lodge.
— Filberg Festival