Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
By Steve Sloan

Each year we set out to experience the best Blues festivals in the world and together with our sister publication Blues Revue we select to sponsor some of the finest Blues festivals the world has to offer. Each year we add to the list of sponsored fests and this year was no different. We were looking for a festival north of the border this year and after several long conversations with Cam Hayden of the Edmonton Labatt's Blues Festival it became clear that Edmonton was the spot for good Blues and great Blues people.

Set in beautiful Hawrelak Park in the Heritage Amphitheatre just outside of downtown Edmonton, Alberta, The 2005 Edmonton's Labatt Blues Festival had everything working in its favor. The sun was shining, the temperatures were perfect for a weekend out of doors, and a lineup that screamed Blues!

Covered by a huge cone-shaped tarp, the Heritage Amphitheatre's seating and stage area is perfect for a Blues crowd. This tent area houses 1,150 fixed seats and a dance floor directly in front of the stage that can easily handle 500 people. The fixed seating is separated from the seating on the surrounding hillside by a pathway that allows easy access in and out of the dance floor area to the festival store, beer garden, and food alley at the top of the hill. Several artists remarked about the intimacy the hillside provided. When onstage you could literally see every face in the crowd and no one had a bad seat.

Friday kicked off with vocals and piano of Curly Bridges. Born in North Carolina, Bridges developed his love for Blues piano early on thanks to the likes of Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, and Piano Red. Moving to Toronto in 1966 and later to Barrie, Bridges has developed a strong following in Canada and his engaging set was a great jumpstart to the weekend. Highlights included his composition "Rock 'n' Soul," which was classic boogie and his version of "Caldonia" that brought Edmonton a little closer to New Orleans complete with Bridges blowin' out some great mouth trumpet! The Godfather of Blues in Austin, Texas, W.C. Clark, took the stage next and with the accompaniment of Leon Blue on keys we quickly switched gears from piano boogie and Swing to pure Soul/Blues guitar. It was a nice transition and Clark seemed in rare form playing flawlessly throughout his set with understated background from Blue.

Closing Friday was none other than the Queen of Blues, Koko Taylor. Taylor gave a strong performance with great tonation and the crowd of educated Blues listeners appreciated her vast experience and legendary voice. Her set was truly remarkable to witness and after relating her story about spending four months in the hospital that included a 28-day coma, we were all blown away by her spirit and many were moved to the verge of tears as she gave one of the most memorable performances in recent memory. It is truly an honor to witness the legends in such good form.

The festival line for Saturday meandered from the gate through Hawrelak Park like a lazy river on a summer day. The crowd was vibrating with anticipation for a full day of Blues and the scheduled acts were certainly ready for the challenge. The right hand of Mike Kindred opened the day and never seemed to slow down showcasing his mastery of piano styles from the great Chicago sound all the way down to a taste of New Orleans. Kindred has played with legends and deserves that respect and during this set he truly showcased his talents. Canadian David Gogo took the stage next and blew through a solid set showing his schooling by Albert Collins, B.B. King, Johnny Winter, and Otis Rush. His talent is certainly strong and hopefully we will get to see more of Gogo in the States.

Mem Shannon was next with his band the Membership and brought some Funk into the Blues. While Shannon's playing is solid it may be the lyrics and social commentary in his originals that really make his shows entertaining. The highlights included his "S.U.V.," about being sick of "S.O.B.s driving these S.U.V.s," "Ignant Stick," and "Phunkville." Backed by a solid backbeat and some really fine key work from Robert "Rhock" Dabon, Shannon provides crisp, clean, veteran guitar sounds that are real Blues that flirt with Funk and Soul.

As a rainbow-colored hot-air balloon crossed the sky behind the stage, festival co-producer Cam Hayden took the stage to announce that for the first time the festival had sold out. He went on to say, "We wanted to have a Blues party and invite 3,000 of our closest friends." And, boy did they! After the announcement the crowd was really set for a party and the homegrown Blues band Downchild Blues Band tore onto the stage. Playing a brand of Blues popularized in the States by the Piazzas and Hummels of the world, Downchild shows how they swing north of the border. The crowd, familiar with Canada's premier and most durable Blues band, immediately hit the front of the stage and the party began. Led by the harp of Donnie "Mr. Downchild" Walsh, and the swingin' vocals of Chuck Jackson, the years on the road show through in their live show with the highlight being the harp duet between Walsh and Jackson.

Closing the party on Saturday was the authentic Blues sounds of the Mannish Boys.With Kid Ramos on guitar, Frank Goldwasser on guitar, Richard Innes on drums, Randy Chortkoff on harp, and Tom Leavey on bass it is hard to argue with this lineup. Now throw in Leon Blue on keys, Finis Tasby as vocalist, and Johnny Dyer adding his legendary old-school harp and you suddenly have one of the most exciting traditional Blues projects to hit the Blues in a long while. Coming off their successful debut CD, That Represent Man, the Mannish Boys took the stage over and the crowd responded with enthusiasm and the dance floor became one mass of Blues loving power as the band tore through a set that included "I'm Ready," "Bad to the Bone," "Rolling Stone," and "Hoochie Coochie Man." A great ending to any Blues show!

Sunday opened with Bob Margolin saying to me, "I have to go watch Mary Flower, she's one of my favorites." Immediately my interest was peaked. I had never heard of Flower, but when Margolin says something like that one has to take a look. I am now embarrassed that I had never seen or heard of the wonderful Mary Flower! When she took the stage she was unassuming and understated as a librarian. Standing at the mike with her acoustic guitar, she seemed too nice to be Blues. Then she began to sing and play that guitar. Flying around the Piedmont and Country styles of Blues she turned the stage on end with some of the finest finger-picking I've ever witnessed. Whether it was her homage to Blind Willie Johnson or her Rev. Gary Davis medley or her "finger-picking adventure in the key of D," Flower proved time and again that she not only understood the power of the acoustic guitar and voice, but she was the Blues from head to toe. Look for her Yellow Dog Records debut CD, Bywater Dance; people need to know this powerful, socially conscious, and true-to-the-Blues lady!

Oakland-based Bluesman Craig Horton took the stage next with his brand of Chicago-meets-the-West Coast-via-Arkansas Blues. Heavy on inspiration from guitar greats Chuck Berry, T-Bone Walker, and B.B. King, Horton showed his chops throughout an inspired set. Next up was Zac Harmon and his band the Mid-South Blues Revue. Since first seeing Harmon at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis (Harmon won the 2004 band competition) I have tried to catch his act anytime I can. Playing some authentic Mississippi Blues with Chicago flavor, Harmon is a Bluesman with a great backing band and terrific vocals.

Next to take the stage was Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, and Mookie Brill. Originally slated to have Rev. Billy C. Wirtz in the lineup for some serious barrelhouse piano, Wirtz was sidelined before making the trip for medical reasons (the Rev. has since recovered and is doing fine, be sure to check his show out anytime you can). The set opened with Smith taking a couple of leads out in front of the kit and harp in hand. Before becoming one of the premier drummers in the business, Smith was a solid harp player and he showed his chops before returning to the drums and laying down that perfect time for the remainder of the set. Bob played through his set and then called up Kevin McKendree of Delbert McClinton's band and then Zac Harmon took the stage for a little guitar duo that really set the crowd on fire. McKendree can play piano with the best of them (and does!) and Harmon and Margolin playing off of each other was a true Blues delight.

Sunday closed with the voice of Delbert McClinton. McClinton's soulful voice and songwriting have provided a foundation and following inside and outside of the Blues community. His set with the piano sounds of McKendree and McClinton's own harp playing brought an end to a beautiful Blues-filled weekend.

To be consumed by the Blues is the only way to describe the atmosphere in Edmonton during this festival weekend. Cam Hayden and Carrol Deen have put together an amazing event with first-class volunteers, first-class artists, and, almost as important, a first-class audience. This festival is truly a gem and with full weekend packages available for under $60, an incredible Blues value. Do yourself a favor and mark down the third weekend in August next year and make your plans to check out what this special festival has to offer, we are!

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