Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Harper and Midwest Kind September Blog

Hey Everyone,

We are getting ready to head West next week to Colorado for the Trinidaddio Blues Festival in Trinidad. Really looking forward to this one. July was festival month for us. After the Ottawa Bluesfest we performed at the London Blues Festival, also in Canada. This was another great event. The weather was picture perfect, the sound incredible and the artists were amazing. We caught up with Cassie Taylor, Daughter of Otis with her band "Girls with Guitars" who put on a great set. We also saw the amazing Thornetta Davis belt out a few tunes. The Michigan Beer Festival in Ypsilanti was a nice show and the beer was flowing. Thankfully this year we actually got to play. Some of you may remember that last year our show was cancelled due to the torrential down pour which engulfed the festival. The temperature was soaring in the low 90's, we were very happy to perform in the air conditioned comfort of Guy Hollerins in Ann Arbor that evening. We celebrated Bobbi's birthday (our manager) at Flint town's Scooters Bar. Bobbi was blown away by some of the music fans giving her birthday cards and a birthday balloon. It made her day! The next week we headed north to the Cheboygan Music Festival which was followed by shows at The Eagles Lodge and The Cabbage Shed in Elberta, Michigan.

The first week of August we performed a fun show at the Crossroads Music Festival in Downtown Ypsilanti, Michigan then we headed to The Kitchener Blues Festival in Canada. Kitchener was a blast. A huge event held in downtown Kitchener. We had a minor hiccup getting to the Clock Tower Stage, the mini van which was provided for us by the festival, simply would not fit in five people, guitars and didgeridoos. So the guitars and didgeridoos got to ride and the band walked, which wasn't so bad since the stage was only a couple of blocks away. We had a fabulous show, the crowd really dug the set. Edgar Winter followed with a rockin set which had the crowd on their feet. Brother Johnny Winter also performed on another stage, close by. We managed to catch Jimmie Vaughan's set, which was very cool to see. We performed an afterfest show at McCabe's Irish Pub which really went off. Three encores and much happiness! After the show our driver Al surprised us with a huge white stretch limo which promptly took us back to the hotel. We all felt like rockstars! Kitchener we love you! The next week was an all Michigan tour with a show for the kids at The Williams Syndrome Camp in Grand Rapids. If ever you feel depressed, doing or should I say giving to these wonderful kids just makes your heart glow. It was such a wonderful experience. The next day we headed to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a packed house at The Blackstone Pizza Company in Iron Mountain. The next day we performed at the amazing Grand Marais Music Festival. Grand Marais is simply stunning. Situated right on the blue waters of Lake Superior. We visited water falls and sat with our toes in the fresh water of the lake. It was fantastic. The festival was alot of fun and the audience were super cool! The next day we drove south to the Cow Pie Blues Festival in Grand Rapids. The weather turned for the worse, we were pelted with heavy rain for a full six soaking hours. As we drove into the festival we visualized a calm blue sky with warm sunshine and were eventually rewarded with both. Unfortunately our good friends- the Rusty Wright Band had to cut their set short, to the disappointment of many. The good news is that we will be doing a double bill with the Rusty Wright Band on Saturday October 2 in Linden, Michigan at the Janelle's Event Center. This should be a great show. Another amazing festival we have coming up in September is Michigan's Rootenanny presented by our talented friends "Rootstand" (September 23-25) in Ellsworth, Michigan. Great camping, music and good times at the Rocky Top Farm.

September will also see us heading East to Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island.

We hope to see you out on the road this Summer and Fall.

Harper & Midwest Kind

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