2018 Doheny Blues Festival Preview

Buddy Guy "killing it" at Doheny Blues Festival in 2018.
Photo: Bob Steshetz

Editor's note: Robert Kinsler recently was able to chat with Rich Sherman, president of festival organizer Omega Events, about the upcoming Doheny Blues Festival, coming to Sea Terrace Park in beautiful Dana Point, CA the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20, 2018.

Jimmie Vaughan performing in
Dana Point in 2013.

Robert: "Doheny Blues Festival arrives in about a month. How is the planning coming along?"

Rich: "It's coming along great. Moving venues is not what we anticipated (the festival is coming from Doheny State Beach to nearby Sea Terrace Park). When we learned we couldn't hold it at our previous location, we met with the city right away. The city of Dana Point, area hotels and business leaders in town all wanted to keep the festival in the city.

"As it turns out, the venues (Doheny State Beach and Sea Terrace Park) are both about the same size. The layout will feel very similar. We'll have three stages with music, and all the craft beer locations and food booths that fans enjoy. Overall, the festival will feel very similar."

Robert: "I know the mix of artists has always been important. Talk a bit about this year's line-up of artists."

Rich: "When you start in January for a May festival, it's not ideal. We feel really great about the line-up given we got that late start. It's important to get great blues artists such as Buddy Guy and Jimmie Vaughan; we just felt to close the weekend with Buddy Guy was super important to us. We feel there is a great mix of artists. 

George Thorogood rocking at
Doheny Blues Festival in 2013.

"Even George Thorogood (whose blues album Party Of One was released in August 2017) extended his tour to perform at Doheny. 

Robert: "I'm a big fan of Larkin Poe (sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell); tell me a little about how you came to bring them to the festival?

Rich: "Larkin Poe has been around for a couple of years, but in the last year kept doing tributes and making viral videos; they have covered Buddy Guy and all kinds of classic (blues) songs. They have just released a new album (titled Peach, released via Tricki-Woo Records on April 20). The album is similar to their videos, with a mix of blues covers and original material. Their story kind of reminds me of The Record Company (who thrilled the Doheny faithful on the Backporch Stage in May 2016)."

The California Honeydrops performing in Dana
Point in 2014.

Robert: "Another great young group is the California Honeydrops. Talk a little about what they bring to Dana Point?"

Rich: "They're just a party. Have to break up all the guitar players with some funk. They're great; they make you want to dance and smile.

"Anders Osborne is making his first-ever appearance at Doheny; and with Kim Wilson's Blues and Boogie, Vol. 1 and John Németh's Feelin' Freaky (produced by Luther Dickinson), we are featuring two artists who released two of the best blues albums of the year." 

Nikki Hill in 2014.

Robert: "I know it's a big deal for people who have been long-time concertgoers to think about going to a new site. What would you like to tell fans of your event, which has been in Dana Point since 1998?"

Rich: "It would be for folks to trust us. For those who think 'My festival is gone,' it's not. It has just moved up the street, and we are designing and re-imagining the festival. We are rebuilding the festival for another 20 years. It's a challenge. But those are the challenges we take on with every festival we produce.

"Our goal is to produce the best festival for all the people who will be there."






Here is the line-up for the upcoming Doheny Blues Festival:

Nathan James in 2010.

Saturday, May 19, 2018
George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Blues Traveler
Jimmie Vaughan
Anders Osborne
Eric Gales
Larkin Poe
Knock-Out Greg
Chris Cain and the All-Stars
Mitch Woods
Nathan James
Dany Franchi
Artur Menezes
The Silver Kings

Buddy Guy at Doheny Blues Fest
in May 2013.

Sunday, May 20, 2018
Buddy Guy
Eric Burdon and The Animals
Beth Hart
The California Honeydrops
John Németh Love Light Orechestra
Nikki Hill
Kim Wilson Blues All-Stars
Curtis Salgado / Alan Hager
Quinn Sullivan
Santos Y Sinners
Mercedes Moore




For more information on the Doheny Blues Festival, including how to get tickets, visit the official website here.

A special thank you to Bob Steshetz for all his wonderful photography!

Doheny Blues Festival reveals more artists for 2018: Blues Traveler, Beth Hart, Nikki Hill and more!

Cool news for a Friday! Blues Traveler, Beth Hart and Nikki Hill are among the featured artists set to join George Thorogood & The Destroyers and Jimmie Vaughan at the Doheny Blues Festival in Dana Point the weekend of May 19-20, 2018. See the official media release and poster below...

BLUES TRAVELER & BETH HART ADDED TO THE LINEUP

DANA POINT’S DOHENY BLUES FESTIVAL, MAY 19 & 20, 2018

SINGLE DAY TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE!

[Dana Point, CA] – The DOHENY BLUES FESTIVAL is excited to reveal the second wave of artists performing at the 21^st Annual event, taking place May 19 & 20 at Sea Terrace Park. Joining this year’s impressive lineup of previously announced acts, such as George Thorogood and Jimmie Vaughan, will be Grammy-winning blues band BLUES TRAVELER, blues-rock powerhouse BETH HART and many others. Single Day tickets are on sale now!

BLUES TRAVELER has a proven reputation for their improvisational live shows and tireless touring. Their music includes blues rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul and southern rock. With a total of twelve studio albums – four gold, three platinum, and one six-times platinum – they have sold more than 10 million combined units worldwide, and played over 2,000 live shows in front of more than 30 million people. Their hit ‘Run-Around’ is the longest-charting radio single in Billboard history and earned them a GRAMMY^® for Best Rock Performance in 1996.

BETH HART is on fire right now. The Grammy-nominated blues rocker is riding a creative tidal wave, firing out acclaimed albums, hooking up with the biggest names in music as a head-turning vocalist for guitar heroes like Joe Bonamassa and Jeff Beck, and rocking the house each night with that celebrated burnt-honey voice. Every live performance gets a standing ovation because no one knows how to rock the house better than Beth Hart.

Joining Blues Traveler and Beth Hart is New Orleans’ ANDERS OSBORNE, blues-rock guitarist ERIC GALES, “The Southern Fireball” NIKKI HILL, and KNOCK-OUT GREG & THE JUKES. The full lineup will be revealed in the next few weeks and will include a very special guest announcement! The festival will feature three stages of alternating music with 20+ performances throughout the weekend.

2018 Doheny Blues Festival                                                                                 Page 2

The festival is also excited to release Single Day tickets before the full lineup is announced! Prices range from $80 (Single Day GA) and $140 (GA Weekend), to $160 (Single Day VIP) and $275 (Weekend VIP), to $260 (GOLD Single Day) and $475 (GOLD Weekend). Tickets are available online at www.dohenybluesfestival.com.

WHAT                         21^st Annual Doheny Blues Festival

WHEN                         May 19 & 20, 2018               Hours:            10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Saturday

                                                                                                10:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Sunday

WHERE                       Sea Terrace Park

                                    Pacific Coast Highway & Niguel Road, Dana Point, CA 92629

MAY 19                       George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Blues Traveler, Jimmie Vaughan, Anders Osborne, Eric Gales, Larkin Poe, Knock-Out Greg and The Jukes, Chris Cain All-Stars feat. Jim Pugh, Tony Braunagel, Larry Taylor & Nancy Wright, and more to be announced!

MAY 20                       Beth Hart, The California Honeydrops, John Nemeth & The Love Light Orchestra, Nikki Hill, Kim Wilson’s Blues & Boogie Revue, and more to be announced – including a very special guest!

WHAT ELSE               The festival will feature three alternating stages of music, an expanded selection of food & beverage offerings with participation from Dana Point’s top restaurants, an eclectic vendor promenade, VIP viewing areas and community booths with fundraising opportunities for local non-profits.

TICKETS                     www.dohenybluesfestival.com

FOLLOW US               Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, eNewsletters

###

2014 Doheny Blues Festival roundup: Gregg Allman, Buddy Guy, Nikki Hill, the Doobie Brothers, Vintage Trouble, James Cotton, more!

What follows is an extended version of the two reviews that ran in The Orange County Register earlier this week covering the 2014 Doheny Blues Festival (Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18, 2014) in Dana Point.

Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers perform at the Doheny Blues Festival on May 18.
Photo: Kelly A. Swift

ENTERTAINMENT

Up-and-comers enjoy spotlight at Doheny Blues Festival

Lesser-known artists take advantage of opportunity at first day of annual Dana Point bash.

BY ROBERT KINSLER / CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Published: May 18, 2014 Updated: May 19, 2014 12:13 p.m.

DOHENY BLUES FESTIVAL – DAY 1

Who: Gregg Allman, Buddy Guy, Nikki Hill, Matthew Curry, the 44s, Kid Ramos and more

Where: Doheny State Beach, Dana Point

When: May 17

Day 1 of the 2014 Doheny Blues Festival featured a mix sure to please all types of fans, with 11 sets spread across three stages. But for the first time in the event’s 17-year history, the best turns belonged to lesser-known artists playing the intimate Backporch stage.

Not that headliners Gregg Allman and Buddy Guy didn’t deliver strongly on the main platform, but there was an energy surrounding these up-and-comers that was mostly missing from the more high-profile sets.

Case in point: a night-ending performance from Allman that coincided with a blues jam anchored by the 44s on the Backporch. Both sets featured guests, with Allman bringing up renowned saxophonist Mindi Abair early on, although the audience near the front of the stage continued to chat away and party with little interest, despite a few cheers when Abair delivered a gritty solo.

A few minutes later at the Backporch, a considerably smaller but far more enthusiastic crowd tuned in as local hero Kid Ramos joined the Los Angeles blues-roots rockers commanding that stage. Johnny Main, the 44s’ frontman, was charged up as he sang, played guitar and led his band through a blistering set celebrating the power of the blues.

The highlight was a tribute to the late harmonica great Lester Butler (of the Red Devils), in a piece titled “Devil Woman,” which had a heavy and infectious groove further enhanced by Jacob Huffman’s sublime work on mouth harp. That performance blew away the first 30 minutes of Allman’s affair, including his staple, “I’m No Angel.”

Likewise, earlier in the day, Guy could be seen on the Doheny Stage while Durham, N.C., singer Nikki Hill took over on the Backporch.

The legend delivered his characteristic brand of Chicago blues, tearing away at his guitar and thrilling the crowd with humor-laced material. At 77, he remains a marvel, able to perform much as he did in his prime. Yet, a frequent presence in Orange County, his choices were almost identical to those at recent appearances at City National Grove of Anaheim and the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. As he did at one of those shows, he reiterated: “They don’t play this kind of blues on the radio anymore, (but) if they call me, I’ll bring it.”

For those who have caught him recently, a better choice was to check out the buzz-worthy Hill and her amazing three-man band. Her voice ranged from sweet on the ballads “Gotta Find My Baby” and “Don’t Cry Anymore” to gritty on rhythm and blues standards like Little Richard’s “The Girl Can’t Help It” and Sam Cooke’s “Twisting the Night Away.” Guitarist Matt Hill was particularly impressive during an extended take on the Chuck Berry classic, “Sweet Little Rock ’n’ Roll” as well as a set-ending, crowd-goes-crazy version of AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie.”

Guitarist Matthew Curry rocked Doheny.
Photo: Robert Kinsler

Another standout from the day was teen frets-master Matthew Curry, who scorched the Backporch with the force and intensity of Otis Taylor when he played that stage in 2012. The singer-guitarist served up an authentic blend of original Southern rock, British blues and Jimi Hendrix that earned the relative unknown spontaneous standing ovations.

High marks also must go to the Americans, whose spirited roots-rock kicked off the day; their lush “Foreign Land” was especially memorable. John Nemeth & the Bo-Keys, joined by singer Percy Wiggins, brought a nice taste of Memphis with a full-length set on the Sailor Jerry Stage. Key bits included the raw “Keep the Love a-Comin’,” featuring Nemeth’s stirring harmonica skills, and the soulful “Testify My Love,” during which he held a series of vocal notes that added to the song’s emotional weight.

Doheny Blues' second day outshines first

The heavier half of the Dana Point festival came capped by roaring sets from the Doobie Brothers, Vintage Trouble and Gov’t Mule, plus a heartening turn from James Cotton.

BY ROBERT KINSLER / CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Published: May 19, 2014 Updated: 4:34 p.m.

DOHENY BLUES FESTIVAL – DAY 2

Who: The Doobie Brothers, Gov't Mule, Vintage Trouble, Roy Gaines, James Cotton and more

Where: Doheny State Beach, Dana Point

When: May 18

The second half of this year’s Doheny Blues Festival clearly outdistanced the first for a number of reasons, though chiefly because every one of its 11 performances was sharp. Between simultaneous morning sets from legendary James Cotton and local hero Eric Sardinas to night-ending appearances from the Doobie Brothers on the main stage and guitarist Roy Gaines on the Backporch, it was next to impossible to take a break without risking missing something big.

A throat cancer survivor, the 78-year-old Cotton can no longer sing, so he has refocused on blues harp while members of his excellent backing band handle vocal duties. On Sunday, several potent songs off his just-released album, Cotton Mouth Man, were included, with “He Was There” and the title track showcasing his mastery. He often swapped one “Mississippi saxophone” for another, utilizing each’s tones to add different colors.

Ruthie Foster on May 18. Photo: Robert Kinsler

Variety was another key element to Sunday’s fast-moving roster. Cotton had no sooner ended when singer-songwriter-guitarist Ruthie Foster and her three-man band roused the crowd with more than an hour of originals and tasty remakes, blending everything from gospel to soul. A gifted singer, Foster’s ambition was evidenced by a thoroughly original interpretation of “Ring of Fire,” offered as a lovely jazz-tinged ballad, bolstered by Scotty Miller’s touching keyboard work.

The early afternoon offered concertgoers several hard choices, with Keb’ Mo’ and the California Honeydrops performing at the same time. (I missed the latter but heard many fans say it was their favorite.)

Keb’ Mo’, however, proved yet again why he’s a frequent attraction at this Dana Point bash. He’s an exceptional acoustic guitarist whose approach traces back to Robert Johnson’s, yet his singer-songwriter manner is his alone and has extended the lyricism of the blues genre as much as anyone in recent memory. Spotlighting classics from his 20-year discography as well as new material from his latest, Bluesamericana, the Los Angeles native’s 70-minute outing made room for fan favorites like “Suitcase” and “Shave Yo’ Legs” (the latter a prime example of how he mixes tender romanticism and comedy) alongside compelling fresh bits (“The Worst Is Yet to Come,” “Somebody Hurt You”).

Late afternoon and early evening sets continued to produce an impressive range of performances.

Gov’t Mule’s hard-edged jams were commanding on the main stage, with singer-guitarist Warren Haynes unleashing stirring licks on “Game Face” and “Inside Outside Woman Blues #3.” Meanwhile, on the Backporch, James Intveld and Rosie Flores were found reviving traditional country & Western songs and rockabilly with an authentic touch that recalled Buck Owens, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. Their harmonies were perfect and the group’s overall sound was a welcome departure from some of the day’s heavier fare.

Vintage Trouble flat-out stormed the Sailor Jerry stage with the flair and passion the retro-modern L.A. quartet exudes everywhere they play. With the audience singing, dancing and moving to the group’s rock ’n’ soul hybrid, frontman Ty Taylor led the outfit through more than an hour of great songs.

Whether kicking beach balls back into the crowd or mingling among them, Taylor’s presence could not be denied. The rousing rocker “Blues Hand Me Down” and soul ballad “Nancy Lee” were early highlights, while several as-yet-unreleased numbers such as “Lowdown Dirty Dog” and “Lo and Behold” revealed that guitarist Nalle Colt, bassist Rick Dill and drummer Richard Danielson continue to conjure something special as they seek out exciting ways to give ’60s R&B a contemporary style.

The long day ended with two more strong sets. The Doobie Brothers opened with an energetic one-two punch of “Jesus Is Just Alright” and “Rockin’ Down the Highway,” though the ensemble was particularly potent later on during the beautiful “Clear as the Driven Snow,” filled out by lush vocals and a textured arrangement.

Singer-guitarist Roy Gaines on the Backporch.
Photo: Robert Kinsler

And on the Backporch, guitarist Roy Gaines attacked with his fretwork and sang with feeling on a number of heady tunes, notably “The War Is Over,” during which he played like a hungry 21-year-old, and the swinging “Jump in My Cadillac,” which became a lively showdown with his supporting six-stringer.