SATURDAY JUNE 20, 2009
The Blues Picnic supported by Dane County Cultural Affairs
The Madison Blues Society had its 7th Annual Blues Picnic Saturday, June 20, 2009 held again at beautiful Warner Park. The event continues to be FREE and OPEN! Friends and family enjoyed another great day of music, food, beer and fun in the sun!
We had another great lineup of music from the stage with plenty of room for dancing. If just hanging out is your style, there's lots of room for blankets and chairs with shade under the trees. Again, there was an interesting variety of ethnic and traditional food vendors to give you lots of options. Joe Nosek's Blues Kids were back again this year and the MBS tent offered Blues merchandise and memberships. And many enjoyed the Prize Raffle!
click for full size poster
We continue to work with the East Madison Community Center (EMCC) again this year to host Joe Nosek's Blues Kids program teaching kids how to play harmonica and write songs and lyrics. The Blues Kids performed again at the picnic backed up by the Cash Box Kings. EMCC sold food and soft drinks again this year to help fund their many great programs for Madison's youth.
We kept our raffles going again this year to give Blues Fans more chances to win! Check out all the contributions from our great supporters for the Prize Raffle. Many took home a Great Gift when they picked up tickets to giving them a chance to win a Prize.
Some folks preferred the 50/50 Cash Raffle. Tickets gotten at the Picnic made for some very lucky winners of a bundle of cash and helped the Madison Blues Society keep bringin' you the Blues.
We held another Pro Jam this year. Great artists from the Picnic gathered at a Madison club after the picnic to keep the Blues goin'! These Jams really make for some great music and support our local musicians and clubs.
We also collected non-perishable food items for the Food Drive. This really helps out hungry people with donations to Lakeview Lutheran Church's food pantry.
We had
Joe Nosek's Blues Kids again this year
singing and blowin' harp with the
Cash Box Kings backing them up.
Then we had the
Cash Box Kings do their own set of real Chicago-style Blues.
Born in Mississippi and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Linsey Alexander discovered on Chicago's south side a down to earth city that truly understands and appreciates music. In much the same way as many great blues artists before him, he grew up in a poor but honest and hard working family, learning early on that music has the power to lift the spirit and comfort the soul. In Linsey's own words, "Blues music is not hard- it's just a documentary about life."
His first guitar - a gift from a family friend who played on the front stoop of Linsey's home in Memphis - was never retrieved from the pawn shop where he left it almost 50 years ago. Using the money to help pay his way to Chicago, he now plays a variety of Gibson and Epiphone guitars, and since 1959, Linsey Alexander has been perfecting the art of entertainment blues for the sheer and simple pleasure of it. His easy smile and unpretentious personality define a charismatic entertainer who loves to perform; and perform he does!
We got a terrific band lined up to finish out a really great day in the sun. This top notch act really showed how it's done! We had a spectacular finish for the 7th Annual Blues Picnic.
The Groove Hogs - a band of 9, blazing a trail through the "what's hot, what's not" music scene of the 21st century. In a market inundated with cookie cutter, wanna-be, bands, The Groove Hogs have retained artistic integrity and melded the sum of their individual influences into something that is truly fresh and exciting. The Hogs have created a sound that is uniquely their own.
- 12:00PM to 12:55PM - Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo
- 1:15PM to 2:10PM - The Karri Daley Band
- 2:30PM to 3:00PM - Joe's Blues Kids
- 3:00PM to 3:55PM - Cash Box Kings
- 4:15PM to 5:10PM - The Jimmys
- 5:30PM to 7:00PM - Linsey Alexander
- 7:30PM to 9:00PM - The Groove Hogs
We had another promotional exchange with WORT-FM community radio this year. Tune in for broadcast interviews with MBS "picnic people" and members of the picnic bands as well as lots of great Blues music.
Don't miss these WORT Blues Shows:
- Every Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 PM
"Blues Cruise" hosted by Dave Watts - Every Saturday from 8:00 to 10:00 AM
"The Dusties Storm (R&B)" hosted by Lady P. - Every Saturday from 8:00 to 10:00 PM
"Two for the Blues" hosted on alternate Saturdays by Art Schuna & Dave Leucinger
Check out these great prizes! Tickets were sold at the white Madison Blues Society tent. Only $10 or 3 for $25 and we put groups of prizes together to each prize a big one! Madison Blues Society members will got the chance to buy tickets in the mail.
- (1) night in an AmericInn Whirlpool Suite
- Stack of CD's from 105.5 FM
- Baseball tickets for party of 6 from the Madison Mallards
- Gift certificate for Orange Tree Imports
- Cut-and-style gift certificate for Ultimate Spa and Salon
- $100 gift basket from Whole Foods
- $50 gift basket from Trader Joe's
- $50 gift certificate for the Shoe Box
- Harmony Bar merchandise
- (2) tickets for the Overture Center for the Arts
- $20 gift certificate for Mad City Music Exchange
- Dining gift cards for
- Madison Blues Society
merchandise packs
with T-shirts, flashing beer mugs, maps, posters and more!
Besides hours and hours of live Blues, we had Blues merchandise for sale at the MBS booth. We had MBS T-shirts of all kinds. Those who missed their chance to get their own Wild Women T-shirt, had another chance! We also had the flashing beer mugs - a real crowd pleaser after dark! Another favorite was the Mississippi Delta Blues maps that show where all this great music got started. A limited number of Luther Allison CD's were also available. Lots of Blues fans brought something back home with them after a great day of music.
We had our usual
Great Selection of Food!
-
East Madison Community Center
Brats, burgers, hot dogs, chips, soft drinks -
Jamerica - Delicious Jamaican dishes
Jerk pork, jerk chicken, rice & beans and more -
HMI Catering - Southern soul food
Fried catfish, shrimp, chicken fritters & okra,
french fries, seafood gumbo, sweet potato pie -
Buraka - East African and Ethiopian meals
Dorowot, chicken peanut stew, coconut curry chicken,
misir wot, vegetarian peanut stew -
Santa Fe Trailer - Treats from the Southwest
Red chile tacos, blue corn enchiladas, black bean chili,
green chile stew, chips & guacamole, chips & salsa
Picnic blankets and camp chairs completed the picture for a really comfortable day in the park with Blues and fun.
And this year we had
Akarim African Products
bringing you all kinds of interesting African items
- African clothing
- Musical instruments
- Wooden lazy chairs
- Mucloth wall hangings
- Straw baskets and hats
- Rasta bags, belts and bracelets
- Costume jewelry
And don't forget to enjoy all the great beers from
Capital Brewery.
Folks enjoyed:
- Island Wheat
- Capital Amber
- the new Pale Ale
- Wild Rice Summer Seasonal
For those who wanted something else to drink, we also had soft drinks and bottled water at the EMCC food stand.
And, YES, this year we had Porta-Potties. Last year, the crowd clearly overwhelmed the facilities at the Warner Park shelter. This year, NO PROBLEM!
Lots of folks brought non-perishable food items for the Food Drive. THANK YOU! This really helps out hungry people with donations to Lakeview Lutheran Church's food pantry.
