The O-town Scene

Feelin' blues Contributed photos ABOVE: John Hammond will play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. RIGHT: Brothers Cody Dickinson and Luther Dick- inson of the North Missis- sippi Allstars will close the festival Satur- day. Annual festival attracts musical stars to laidback venue By Trevor Hayes Summer in Central New York is steadily wrapping up, as temperatures are starting to drop, and school is nearing. But this weekend, one large backyard party will hap- pen at the Chenango County Fairgrounds. The Chenango Blues Festival won't be a run-of-the-mill back porch blues jam. Eric Larsen, president of the Board of Directors for the Chenango Blues Associa- tion, said he is as proud of this year's lineup as any of the previous 18 years. "This year will be one long highlight," Larsen said. "A couple of artists who we've tried to get for a couple of years will headline our two main stages. But every band is great. They are all stars. They could all headline." Including Friday's free show, 14 acts will take the stage during the two-day event with the headlining acts playing at back-to-back sets at 7:30 p.m. and 8:40 p.m. Saturday night on the Nelson & Flanagan Acoustic Stage and the Sheffield Bio Sci- ence Infield Stage, respectively. Those two headliners are John Hammond and North Mississippi Allstar Duo: Luther and Cody Dickinson. Hammond is a Grammy winner and a 2011 Blues Music Hall of Fame inductee who has performed or recorded with Jimi Hendrix (who was discovered while playing in Hammond's band), Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Duane Allman, Tom Waits, The Band, John Lee Hooker and others. The North Mississippi Allstar Duo is comprised of brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson, who also play with other bands — Luther with The Black Crowes and Cody with the Hill Country Revue. The duo is the core of the group North Missis- sippi Allstars, which has had three albums nominated for Grammy Awards. Since 1993's inaugural festival, which was run by the Chenango County Council of the Arts, the Chenango Blues Association — a devoted group of blues enthusiasts – has had the task of bringing talented artists like Hammond and the Allstar Duo to rural upstate New York. For Larsen and the rest, it is an 11-month job carried out completely by volunteers. "We do have about 1,000 people each year now, but we liken our event to a giant backyard barbecue that is very different from the mega-festivals you have to pay a lot to get in to," Larsen said. "You can wander your way right up to front without having to cram and push and wedge yourself to get close." The first task of planning the event is to establish a budget by fundraising. Each year as popularity grows, more groups and businesses hop aboard to fund the nonprofit organization that runs the festival and a series of concerts throughout the summer, which build toward the main event. Once the funds are set, the Blues As- sociation begins the task of making asks. "Our mission is to make great artists accessible to as many people as possible," Larsen said. "Once we have an idea of how mush underwriting we have, we go out an check on the running list of artists we'd like to bring. 16 O-Town Scene Aug. 18, 2011 Continued on Page 17

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