Only the passing of Garcia in 1995 has tested the group’s resilience. They have disbanded for short stints, but much like a mother walking her child through an amusement park, these four share an inseparable bond. With The Dead on hiatus, Lesh and Weir are currently touring and curating festivals as Furthur, while Kreutzmann and Hart continue their reputation as the Rhythm Devils.

Drawing their name directly from a Garcia jam-session joke, the Rhythm Devils agree there is an otherworldly chemistry when their creative minds are in sync. The duo first began expanding its sound during the Grateful Dead’s signature “Drums” segments, and Hart would continue developing his understanding of global percussive traditions, winning a Grammy for Planet Drum.

Much like Furthur, Kreutzmann and Hart have surrounded themselves with great musicians. The current lineup is completed by Nigerian talking drum master Sikiru Adepoju, Back Door Slam’s Davy Knowles (guitar, vocals), and Gov’t Mule’s Andy Hess (bass). Keller Williams (guitar, vocals) makes his first run as a Devil, joining the band during the first half of its newly announced summer tour. The second half will be fronted by The Mother Hips’ Tim Bluhm (guitar, vocals).

According to Hart, the 2010 incarnation of the Rhythm Devils is guaranteed to be unlike anything that’s come before. Several Dead tunes will be restructured, but expect for each member to have their opportunity to shine. The sets will also include new material written by legendary songwriter Robert Hunter, another extended Dead family member. As the consummate improvisor, Hart says of the upcoming shows, “There are places and sounds still unknown and unborn that we will no doubt visit.”

Looking at the current schedule, hopefully the Devils will visit places a little further East. Set to begin July 16th in Arcata, CA, all the summer dates stay far west of the Mississippi, except for an appearance at Gathering of the Vibes. But don’t fear West Virginia, New York, Vermont, or Tennessee. Part two of the tour will be announced during the upcoming weeks. The current dates are listed below, and we’ll be sure to update the list as more information becomes available. Tickets for all the announced shows are most easily purchased here.

Rhythm Devils 2010/2011 Tour Dates:
07/16 – Arcata, CA  @ Arcata Theatre
07/17 – North Plains, OR @ String Summit
07/18 – Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Festival
07/22 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
07/23 – Steamboat Springs, CO @ Steamboat Springs Concert Series
07/24 – Driggs, ID @ Spud Drive In
07/25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Garden
07/27 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theatre
07/28 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
07/29 – San Diego, CA @ Soundwave
07/31 - Bridgeport, CT @ Gathering of the Vibes
01/04-09 -Fort Lauderdale FL @ Jam Cruise 9
01/09 – Fort Lauderdale FL @ Revolution

Austin City Limits only sold out one day entirely this year, and that was Saturday, September 27th. With headliners like Beck and Robert Plant, along with buzz acts like MGMT and Fleet Foxes, which secured some of the biggest crowds of the festival, it was truly a fight to get through any of the crowds at the four big stages. But with great local acts on the smaller Austin Ventures stage all day, the main fare wasn’t the only choice.

Mugison, who came all the way from Iceland for his first U.S. tour, woke up early to perform on the AT&T Blueroom Stage at 11:45 AM. Usually a solo performer, Mugison brought a second member along with him to help perform their intriguing psych-rock for an evergrowing crowd. Serving as preparation for their late night aftershow later at Stubb’s, Mugison sure made a lot of new fans who would later see similar eccentric artists such as Man Man, MGMT, and Beck during the day.

Following the Mugiboogie, the AMD Stage hosted the harmonizing Fleet Foxes, a late addition following the cancellation of Ingrid Michaelson. The attendees didn’t seem to notice, as the field swelled for one of the largest early crowds of the entire weekend. Vocalist Robin Pecknold was humbled, and humanized the band with the stage banter, which included several comments about the WaMu bank crisis (jokingly proposed renaming it to WaMu Memorial). The band played mostly music from its outstanding self-titled release, and the middle-set back-to-back beauty of singalongs “White Water Hymnal” and “Ragged Wood” was probably my favorite of the weekend. The two led into each other beautifully.

The soft sounds of Jose Gonzalez soothed the crowd over at the Dell Stage. A repeat performer from two years ago, Gonzalez serenaded everyone with a haunting rendition of “In Our Nature”, and as the performance progressed, the crowd grew larger and larger. Each song gained a deeper meaning and respect, and he ended the set with a beautiful cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop”.

Over on the Austin Ventures Stage, Bavu Blakes and the Extra Plairs got the crowd jumping and waving their arms wildly as they ripped through tracks from the fantastic 2003 self-release Create & Hustle, including a passionate performance of “Overnight”. Highly-respected in the Austin hip hop scene, Blakes was gracious and humble as he integrated the crowd and brought out guests such as Austin blues musician Gary Clark, Jr. and the energetic multi-talented Dallas rapper Pikahsso.

The strangest conflict of the weekend, in my eyes, was Drive-By Truckers, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, and the young blues musicians from the Isle of Man. I chose Back Door Slam, who delivered a solid set, if not forgettable, on the Ventures Stage. Playing the usual cuts from its debut album, as well as covers like “Riding With the King”, the group should probably start doing something a little different. Its show is getting rather monotonous.

Another big conflict was for two eccentric indie buzz bands, Man Man and CSS. Despite complaining about the heat, the Brazilian outfit did deliver a raucous, wild, and energetic set under the blistering sun. Wearing a purple-and-blue printed jumpsuit, vocalist Lovefoxxx was all over the stage, which was decorated with balloons. You couldn’t help but smile.

And over on Dell, Philadelphia’s Man Man put on a percussion-driven quirky math rock set that at one point was reminiscent of a New Orleans funeral procession.  The music hit from all styles, focusing on precision timing for each of its oddball moments. The band themselves looked as if they were ready for war with electro-tribal face paint and white outfits that seemed more fitting for a black light show than an outdoor event.

Austin’s Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears were up next, bringing its groovy garage soul music to the Austin Ventures stage. A newly-assembled eight-piece band led by the charismatic Joe Lewis excited the crowd, and fans took in the overpowering sounds of different instruments. Lewis’ James Brown-esque voice and movements proved that he is a star-powered frontman capable of making dancers out of anyone.

But the soul music truly wasn’t done for the day. Eccentric Dallas R&B singer Erykah Badu took the AT&T stage and, backed by identically-dressed background singers, delivered her silk and enriched voice over groovy beats with tracks from her latest release New Amerykah Part One (4th World War). However, the true fan-favorite was Grammy-winning single “On and On/… & On”. She then introduced her amazing new single “Soldier,” prefaced with heartfelt banter about the current election. After shouting out My Morning Jacket, she led a crowd sing-a-long for “Tyrone” and closed off with “Honey”, before exiting to the soundbite of Lil’ Wayne’s “A Milli”. Erykah is a star, and she left everyone with a smile on their face.

One of the more anticipated performances of the weekend, MGMT played to an overwhelmingly large crowd and started things off slow with “Pieces of What”, but built the late afternoon up into an electro pop frenzy by the time “Electric Feel” was played. The addition of a second guitarist added depth to the songs as improvised solos were welcomed on favorites such as “Kids”. A frenzy of electro beats and glitter is a good way to describe the hour long set. It seems that the road has done this group some good as its stage presence was more confident, and experimentation began to make its way into the songs which could have otherwise been just carbon copies off their records.

Over on other end of Zilker Park, fans of Beck were speckled in with the devout fans of Bright Eyes as Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley took the stage and jumped right into a fist-pumping rendition of “Sausalito”. Oberst didn’t stray too much from the recently released self-titled album, but he did perform a new one called “Ten Women” and covered Paul Simon for a great version of “KodaChrome”. Never failing to please his fans as one of the more emotionally-driven performers in the business, the Omaha native also went intimate with songs like the closer “Milk Thistle”, which seemingly stole the show. The rest of the set was heavy-hitting and countrified, and he was bound to make new fans as well as please those who didn’t know who he was and why he had such a prime set time.

Over on AT&T Blueroom, the Black Keys were up next. The duo from Akron brought the dirty blues to Austin with a rousing set that did not hold back. Starting with tracks from its latest album Attack & Release, such as “Psychotic Girl”, the Keys were quick to dive into its strong back catalogue with cuts such as “Stack Shot Billy” and “10 a.m. Automatic”, both from Rubber Factory. With the sun now set, the addition of simple lighting turned Carney and Auerbach into the rock stars they were destined to become. The Black Keys made it look easy as they were with out a doubt one of the top highlights from the weekend.

“It’s freakin’ Robert Plant, man,” I heard someone say. And I’m sure that was a sentiment expressed by most attendees who chose this set over it’s opposition. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss were the first headliner of the night, and they began with the beautiful “Rich Woman”. Plant didn’t hold anything back as the two ripped into the Zeppelin tune “Black Dog”, but that’s about when they began to get overpowered by the sound on the opposite park. Krauss sounded wonderful on the exceptional “Wildwood Flower”, and special guest T-Bone Burnett sat in for a song mid-set. While sound problems marred some people’s first and only experience with Robert Plant, it was still overwhelming to see him on stage with one of country’s biggest stars.

The crowd seemed to be evenly split on this evening as Beck opened up the night with “Loser”. This set the pace and tone as a bit heavier than he has been before. Each of the tracks played from Odelay, including “Devil’s Hair Cut” and “Where It’s At”, had a distorted edge to them while later selections from Modern Guilt conveyed a folksier side to him. At one point the conventional instruments were ditched for handheld drum machines and synthesizers, including an iPod touch that had been converted to a turntable for selections form Guiro and The Information. “Hell Yes” was the first of the songs that saw Beck go from distant folk hero to nerdy emcee. It only proved Beck to be one of the many reluctant musical heroes born out of Generation-X. His performance solidified his longevity and his influence on most of the bands today, many of which were at the festival this past weekend.

Saturday of ACL 2008 was one of the most stacked days in history. But even though it was tough day to get through, it was off to Sunset Rubdown’s late night aftershow.

Davy Knowles (guitar, vocals) spent the day checking out the town with tour manager Todd Bradley, and once back in the hotel room, Adam Jones (bass) and Ross Doyle (drums) joined in on agreeing that this was a place like no other that they had been to. The trio from Isle of Man was set to open the festival that night, but until their 7pm load in, it was time to relax, adjust to the altitude, and answer some questions.

CoS: You mentioned an indie Influence for your drumming. What are some of the other influences and how does that affect the music?

Knowles: Clapton, Hendrix. A lot of stuff from the U.K. in the 60′s and 70′s. Also the early stuff from here.

Jones: I think we all bring something to the band, but the blues is the main one. I think all those influences are what make us Back Door Slam.

CoS: Most of your songs carry the classic blues themes, who or what was that source of inspiration to write some of these songs?

Knowles: I guess it’s the same as the musical side of it; you are influenced by who you listen to as well. When you talk about a deep blues theme, I guess that comes off because I have been listening to a lot of really straight blues with the same kind of themes coming through. Other songs are more based on situations that have happened, songs like “Stay”, “Too Good For Me.” Songs like that are inspired by moments or situations that you are in, or maybe it’s a catch phrase some one would say and you pick up on it.

CoS: One song that really stuck out to me was “Gotta Leave.” Is there a story behind that?

Knowles: Not really. I am a big Albert King fan and that was my attempt to write a minor blues song but with a few changes, and that is really how it came about. But I really like that song. It’s a song that will stay around a while for us in the set.

CoS: Lyrically though, the themes are classic but still so personal. It all seems so broken hearted in a way.

Knowles: Yeah. It is an aggressive, sad blues song in a way, and yet is optimistic at the same time. It’s really what came out. I’ll have a riff or a chord sequence and sing babble over it until it makes sense You find a theme for it that way, and that is how I have done it.

CoS: On your first EP, you sing, “I am the back door slam.” What does that phrase mean, and where did it come from?

Knowles: The whole “back door slam” thing is like you are running out the back door as the woman’s husband is walking in the front door. It’s an old blues theme though. Blind Boy Blake did a version, “Back Door Slam Blues”, I think back in 1928. The song we do is a Robert Cray song and is just a feel good, cool song to play.

CoS: You mentioned the 1920′s, any one else from that era that you guys have been listening too?

Knowles: Yeah, loads of people. Blind Willy Johnson, people like that really, Blind Boy Fuller. I really like that old delta stuff, then when it started moving into country blues like Mississippi John Hurt a little bit later. The great thing about the blues is that it’s so versatile. It is difficult to pigeonhole the stuff because it is so wide, it’s huge.

CoS: You guys have been on tour for some time now in support of your records. How is being here different then the other festivals?

Doyle: I really don’t know what to expect with this one especially with the altitude (all laugh), but this should be a great festival, we have heard a lot of great things about it.

Knowles: I spent the afternoon just walking around. It’s beautiful, just amazing. The mountains and the river down here, it’s all just really, really stunning. We have one mountain on the Isle of Man and it’s about ten foot.

Jones: Just shy of a thousand…it’s just freezing up there.

Knowles: Great town, and a lot of our influences playing here like John Hiatt. I am a huge John Hiatt fan and will see him tomorrow.

Jones: Warren [Haynes] and Gov’t Mule. We are supporting Gov’t Mule on our next tour.

Knowles: Susan Tedeschi…she’s fantastic (all gave a nod of approval). Canned Heat as well.

CoS: Are you guys sticking around the whole weekend?

Doyle: Tomorrow we are off to play a show in Steam Boat Springs.

CoS: So you guys are doing a whole Colorado spin?

Knowles: Just for a few days, after that we are off to Los Angeles to do some rehearsing of new songs to add to our set list.

CoS: How was the tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kid Rock?

Doyle: It was great! It was a lot of fun playing the big arenas. It wasn’t really full because we only played a half an hour set, but it was a great experience.

CoS: Did you get to meet and hang out with any of those guys?

Knowles: Yeah, we had the chance to hang out with those guys, they were really good to us. Kid Rock is actually a ridiculously nice guy.

CoS: You mentioned new material a little earlier, what are the plans with that?

Knowles: Nothing as of yet. I think we are all pretty eager to get back in the studio. Really though, all the stuff on Roll Away was tested live for a long time before we ever put it down. We feel much more comfortable testing this stuff out in front of an audience and seeing their reactions to it. It is also the way we play and the improvisational nature of the music that has us coming up with new parts by playing it over and over. So we will start rehearsing new songs and working them into the set, which will also be a nice change for us. It is difficult promoting an album for so long as proud of it as we are.

CoS: How long have you guys been touring together? How long have some of these songs been played live?

Doyle: Some of them about three years like “Too Late”

Knowles: Three or four years.

CoS: Getting tired of playing any of them?

Jones: It’s hard to find new ways to play them once you have been playing them for so long, but you always have the energy of the audience so you never get tired of playing them

Doyle: It’s nice to hear yourself get better at playing these songs since you play them so much and you can do other stuff on them that you couldn’t do before.

Knowles: That’s the nice part about playing the blues. You can do that, you don’t have to play to a backing track, which is good.

CoS: So where do you guys want to record next when you get to that point?

Knowles: It would be really nice to do it out here, but the business side may not like it too much.

CoS: From a business prospective, what is the difference between recording here versus back home?

Doyle: You are taxed for every song here, a kind of withholding tax.

Knowles: You have more choices here where as on the Isle of Man you only have one or two. We spend a lot of time here so it just feels more comfortable.

CoS: What were the first shows you guys went to when you were young and “inspirable”?

Jones: Wishbone Ash I think. My dad supported them so it was my first live show.

Knowles: My first show was seeing Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the backing band for Paul Simon’s Graceland album. They played the grounds of a castle on the Isle of Man, and my parents took me when I was about eight or nine. That was really amazing for me.

Doyle: My first one I think was Mark Knopfler with Davy when I was 19. It was my first show and was fantastic.

CoS: You [Jones] mentioned your dad supported a few bands, what was his career like?

Jones: He played around on different albums. He’s kind of the local blues man, a very, very good bassist. There are a lot of good bands that do the local pup circuit on the Isle of Man.

CoS: Was he the one who inspired you to pick up the bass?

Jones: Yeah definitely. He’s played bass since before I can remember so that has been a huge part of my playing.

CoS: Can you guys play each others instruments?

Jones: I can play both their instruments better then they can (referring to his band mates sarcastically). No, but I can play drums and base.

Doyle: I can play drums. That’s really it.

Knowles: I can get by on base and mandolin as well. I also play a bit of lap steel. I once worked out a Jackson Brown song on piano.

CoS: Where did you pick up playing the mandolin and steel?

Knowles: I wanted to play lap steel because of Dave Gilmore and I just love the sound of it. I wanted to play mandolin because I saw Rory Gallagher play which then led me into the whole country music thing with people like Bill Monroe.

CoS: On a different note, how has the English influence on the blues rub off the on how the U.S. now listen and records it given that the blues was started here in American?

Knowles: It seems that you guys had it from day one and then kind of lost it, like you took it for granted. People like John Mayol and Alexis Korner and early Stones just really loved the old blues records and so they brought it over to the U.K. When it got really big in the U.K., and then got really big in the U.S., people around here starting thinking “well crap, we had all this stuff on our door step”

CoS: We have been talking a lot of old bands and musicians, so who are some of the new bands you guys are getting into?

All: John Mayer, the Trio especially, have a fantastic live album. Arctic Monkeys, Kooks, Ben Harper, A lot of indie bands since they are on the radio a lot back home. Oh and Oasis.

The list of newer bands trailed off from there as we talked about some of our favorites that have come out this year. The conversation went on to topics like Bonnaroo and Wakarusa, all the while their tour manager made everyone tea. They had a big couple of days ahead of them, not to mention a tour that would take them into October before their first break. It’s hard to play a festival full of legends and not be personally star struck. Knowles and the band spoke of being huge fans of Friday’s headliner. “I would love to meet John Hiatt,” Knowles confessed. “Although, I don’t know what I’d say”.

“Maybe… you’re a genius,” Jones chimed in. The guys from Man would later go on to bring down the Fly Me To The Moon later that night for an hour and half set that included covers and originals, as well as some of that new material they talked about. That same new material would also make it onto the main stage where even more patrons would be magnetically drawn in to see what their ears were trying to tell them.

Ears can be deceiving however, and starting off with this much talent only means that the road is endless for this trio. For now, they will be on tour with Gov’t Mule, including a Halloween show. While they would love to eventually find success at home, they will have to stick with the only number one they got from a northern territory in Croatia, not to mention all the fans here in the U.S. that continue to show up night after night.

Check Out:

“Come Home” (video)

The festival itself is situated in Telluride’s Town Park, and sits at just over 9,000 feet in the southwest Rockies. One stage is all that is needed, sitting as a permanent structure right at the base of the many dramatic peaks and hills that surround the small town, and thanks to the early snow, the views were picturesque to say the least. The feel of the festival is a complete u-turn when compared to the giants of the festival season as they choose to fill a line up with not only contemporaries, but cross genre legends such as this years appearances of John Hiatt, Warren Haynes, and Etta James. The stark contrasts continue in that this festival has a maximum capacity just shy of 10,000, and those that choose to attend are a healthy mix of locals, old timers, and college students who are all there for a good time, which means no drunken fights or obnoxious hecklers. Then there are the late night shows. Only in Telluride can you walk from the festival (one end of Main Street) to the bars along Main, then to your hotel/campsite at the other end of town, all in just over half a mile. Want more? How about this: for the low price of $55, you can go to each bar on a particular night to see any number of exclusive performances. Not only can you bar hop, but you can show hop as well! These late night events feature both bands from earlier in the day, as well as bands special to the night. They are unique chances to catch great live acts early into the next day (4am on Saturday), and even the headliners get in on the action by playing the larger venues around town.

The organizers of this event have done a great job over the years at getting things started off right, and this year was no exception. Hailing from Lake Tahoe and Colorado, Mama’s Cookn‘ knew how to turn on the heat at noon, and set the days standard with an hour long set of blues and funk with a hint of hip-hop in the beat. One of the more anticipated bands of the weekend, Isle of Man’s Back Door Slam, kicked into full blues force shocking most of the older attendees for how young they were, and how well tuned they sounded. Davy Knowles (front man and guitar virtuoso) has the voice of an old blues veteran with the guitar skills to match. Once the heat of the day set in, and the storm warnings faded into a cloudless sky, the legends stepped out as Canned Heat and Grammy winner Susan Tedeschi laid down the foundations for the nights headliner.

We have all heard the song “Ridn’ with the King,” as it has been covered countless times, most famously in a duet with B.B. King and Eric Clapton. With all those covers however, you forget the man behind it and John Hiatt showed the audience Friday night how it should be done as the sun faded behind the jagged peaks and the warm day turned into a cool fall night. His performance was once in a lifetime since the man rarely performs these days, but his voice was spot on as he ran through a set of classic originals and covers.

Day two for the weekend started early as many people were desperate to find a coveted day pass. The line up was stacked with popular acts, as well as the traditional Grand Tasting of all the micro brews featured. While this is a music festival, it is hard to ignore the 53 breweries offering a staggering 150 different beers, all for the low price of… nothing. Once entering the festival, you are handed a commemorative glass and from noon until three you can wander and taste all the hand crafted goodness you can handle. Pace yourself however, because this day has been known to induce hangovers. But this is not a beer blog, it is a music blog, and it was IBC competition winner, and Kansas City’s own, Trampled Under Foot that got things going with the perfect drinking soundtrack.

The lines for the free tasting were long, the complimentary shwag was endless, and it took Big Sam’s Funky Nation and its New Orleans flavor of funk, jazz and street to peel people away from the hops and barley. Big Sam, formerly the Trombone player of Dirty Dozen Brass Band (who would be there Sunday), delivered arguably one of the best sets of the weekend with his other band as they mixed up long and loud jams, with surprising hooks from Kanye West’s “Gold Digger”, and that T-Pain club favorite “Apple Bottom Jeans”. Big Sam danced and twirled his trombone around as Adam Matasar set the keys on fire with his fingertips. The energy flowed from audience to stage and back in a harmonious way seemingly only seen with bands from Bayou.

The Orleans flavor continued with Dwayne Dopsie and The Zydeco Hellraisers. This band was the perfect representation of what you would see on the streets around the French Quarter, using a washboard as extra rhythm and an accordion played with the furry of a guitar. This was further solidified as they covered Hendrix’s “Hey Joe” using the squeezebox in place of most of the guitar parts.

By the time John Butler Trio came on, most of the day’s earlier musicians were finding room in the audience to catch the performance. G-Love, who would be on next, was even spotted close to the front as he stood out being as tall as he is. John Butler owned his guitar, taking his acoustic twelve string to new heights. Soft gliding moments would erupt into a fury of distorted solos all on the same piece of wood and steel. Butler’s long nails plucked and strummed on multiple stringed instruments throughout a set that was fueled by Butler’s social awareness of world issues. The Australia/California native was the first of the weekends’ day acts to get the encore cry and would later return to appear with G-Love and Special Sauce.

The energy was at an all time high now at the festival as all the beer had been consumed, and G-Love answered the call as he brought his Special Sauce of blues and hip-hop to the main stage. Having been around for some time now, his set was a track list of greatest hits as he played for just over an hour. He too was no stranger to the “art of the cover” as “Booty Call” flowed appropriately into Paul McCartney’s “Do It In The Road.” The collaborations continued as well with Big Sam coming out on “Cold Beverages,” offering his musical talents as well as his pop-and-lock skills. It was impossible for anyone to just stand and watch as all the attendees were up and moving with the go with the flow attitude that is a major part of the festival spirit. Closing out the second night was Warren Haynes and his Gov’t Mule as they delivered a high energy set complete with classics and long improvisations that also included an appearance with Tedeschi. Haynes would go on to play a sold out solo set later that night making this day all about the Mule, and also the funkiest of the weekend.

Sunday at the Blues and Brews has always paid its respects to gospel and soul. Opening this day would be the southern legends, The Blind Boys of Alabama. Its long history of playing spiritually based blues and soul turned this small part of the mountains into a southern style church. Formed in 1939 at a school for young blind boys, the trio harmonized and held notes higher and longer than anyone could 50 years their junior. Jimmy Carter at times sounded as if he was in his 30′s, not late 80′s as they flew through a set that included the version of “Amazing Grace” sung to the tune of “House of the Rising Sun”. The feel of day three was more scattered musically, moving from traditional southern church to hillbilly blues as with The Reverend Payton and his Big Damn Band. Tedeschi would make another appearance during Derek Trucks’ set, making her the artist at large for the weekend. It was the closing set of Etta James and The Roots Band that made the perfect end for this exhausting weekend.

Now 70 years old, Etta James has seen it all in her lifetime and has been rewarded for her incredible talents three times by the Grammy board, as well as a number of life time achievement awards by various organizations. Her songs of life, love, tragedy and triumph have shaped soul and R&B into what it is today. What was performed and seen this past Sunday could not have been predicted by anyone in that audience as Mrs. James, who can now only walk to her seat on the stage, and deliver a passionate and highly sexual set with much credit given to her backing band. James sang one of her biggest hits, “At Last,” just as if it were 196, not missing a note as everyone swayed and looked for someone to hold onto for this romantic moment. “I’m very sexual, I have sexual undertones” she expressed as she wiggled and grooved in her seat, feeling herself up and down with the occasionally tasting the air as added punctuation. “You can take your clothes off, but you can leave your hat on” she sang during a cover of Randy Newman’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On.” The second biggest reaction of the night came when she began the opening words to Janis Joplin’s “Take a Piece of My Heart.” It was an all too short set, at just over an hour, and the audience begged for just a few more songs. James came out once more to say goodbye as she bent herself over her chair in a seductive manner drawing astonished cheers, the last for the weekend. It must have been odd being her sons and band members, watching their 70 year-old mother get down in ways that most women her age wouldn’t think of on stage, but I guess it comes with the territory.

This festival and its town are all there own. There is literally nothing else like it in this country as every band that played went above and beyond expectations. In a summer music season, filled with promoters trying to get the latest and greatest, Blues and Brews sticks to what they know is good, and it has worked year after year. And while those bigger events struggle with sound issues, late bands, and shaky performances, this one does not. It delivers what can easily be called a once in a lifetime experience every year. Thank god for the Blues.

While front man Davy Knowles, who also jams the mandolin and the steel lap guitar, is clearly who people will be watching when on stage, don’t be fooled into thinking Jones and Doyle can’t hold their own. According to the band’s own website, they all have been “Brought up on a potentially overindulgent appetite of Everything Blues”. To be blunt…they know their shit…and the proof is in their debut album, “Roll Away”. While Knowles’ voice is comparable to that of Jonny Lang, he manages to leave behind that fatal pop aspect that Lang and most other contemporary blues musicians bring to the table. Instead Knowles focuses on the heavy blues characteristic of the band’s sound, lending it more credibility and the potential for going the distance.

Now taking on Bonnaroo, BDS has yet another opportunity to blow a whole new audiences collective minds, with their Clapton’esque, Hendrix influenced, BB King sounding Blues tunes. I have total faith in these guys and can’t wait to see this show. My recommendation is to at least stop by and give a listen, but don’t be surprised if you catch yourself staying for the entire show, as their performance is likely to beguile you.

Check Out:

Back Door Slam – “Ain’t No City”