22ND ANNUAL CAROLINA BLUES FESTIVAL
Festival Review

22nd Annual Carolina Blues Festival
By Grant Britt
News & Record

They came together under the big tent to celebrate the blues and mourn the passing of a kindred spirit. 1100 dedicated blues fans gathered downtown Saturday at Festival Park for the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society’s 22nd annual Carolina Blues Festival. The festival was dedicated to the memory of Atlanta guitarist Sean Costello, who passed away April 15.

Blues World Order is a well-seasoned bar band, hitting the blues hard, heavy and big on the bottom end. Their version of “Little Sister” was a rough and tumble rockabilly one like Elvis’, and Chuck Berry’s “Nadine” was slowed down from a gallop to a big foot stomp.

Chick Willis put out a high-energy set of r&b-laced blues. A last-minute replacement for Sean Costello, the 74-year-old Willis turned in an eclectic mix of tunes ranging from a moving version of Hank Williams’ “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” to his 1972 hit “Stoop Down Baby,” featuring lyrics raunchy enough to make Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts blush.

Norma Jean Bruso roared through most of her set as a Koko Taylor clone. But on John Lee Hooker’s “Doin’ the Shout,” she revealed her gospel roots with some sanctified, soulful screams in the high registers. On “Members Only,” she once again briefly abandoned the lower register rumble for some gorgeous falsetto.

During sound check, Terrance Simien was nearly unrecognizable in his beret and sunglasses. His former long-haired, happy hippie persona seemed to have been obliterated. But as he was introduced, he whipped off his beret, kicked off his shoes, and a big grin spread across his face.

The accordionist won a Grammy last year for Best Zydeco/Cajun album for 2007s “Live Worldwide.” Simien’s trophy doesn’t gather dust on a shelf at home, however. He brought it with him onstage, flashing it briefly over his head several times before tucking it back beside his accordion amp for safekeeping.

Simien sounded more ethnic than in past appearances, forsaking rock covers for Louisiana fare. But there was plenty of rocking rhythm in his cover of Buckwheat Zydeco’s “Zydeco Boogaloo” and the Meters’ “Hey Pocky Way.” Simien rekindled Mardi Gras for the evening, hooking one strand of beads at a time from a pile at his feet with his bare toes and kicking them into the audience.

Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials’ raucous Chicago blues is usually enough to get a crowd up on is feet. But by the time Ed came on, Simien had drained most of the crowd’s energy. They seemed content to sit and listen, nodding along with the guitarist’s slide work as Simien sat at the autograph table signing CDs, shirts and posters well into the Imperials’ set.

Even though Simien’s merchandise effort was impressive, Blues World Order had the best potential t-shirt slogan, courtesy of a compliment paid to the band's Mike Wesolowski by a six year old girl after the show. “You guys are better than Hannah Montana,” she told the harpist. That’s a statement any bluesman would be proud to wear on his chest.