At around 11am en route to Pomeroy I thought there was no way in hell that the Blues Bash was going to happen. It was just pouring down rain and there appeared to be no end in sight. This, coupled with the fact that it drizzled for the entire bash last year did not give me a good feeling.

Upon arrival in the town of opportunity (for blues) the rain continued to come down in sheets and there was a mild buzz of activity just like last year. The port-o-lets were lined up, the many vendors were setting up, and there was even a sand volleyball court set up. Also like last year, Court Street was closed off, the stage was fully constructed, and huge pyramids of speakers were willing and able to pound out the blues. What a shame the rain might not let it happen.

Well Mother Nature smiled while Ma Rainy was wailing and said "have at it Pomeroy." The rain let up and it didn't sprinkle another drop for the rest of the day. The sun came out and the amps blared on a beautiful day in Pomeroy.

Ma Rainy got the Bash started at around 12:20pm. They are a four piece with two guitars, bass, drums, and occasional harmonica. Upon hearing Ma Rainy I was reminded of Sister Hazel, with their catchy guitar leads and nice harmonies. Ma Rainy is from Columbus but I heard that they got started at OU. They were tight and even though there wasn't a good crowd yet, they still managed to engage those of us who were listening. They pulled off some rockin' blues on a song titled 'Sugar', off of their new album. They also threw in some extended guitar jamming along with an interesting cover of 'Shama Lama Ding Dong'. The weather had turned, the boats were going by and Ma Rainy was a great choice to get the things going.

Steven Moc of Ma Rainy playing harp

Phil & The Thrill (previously known as Phil & The Blanks) is a Pomeroy based five piece with all the usuals and harmonica. Phil and company caught my attention with a nice cover of Stevie Ray's 'Couldn't Stand The Weather'. Nice funky rhythm displayed by Phil on this one. They also tore up 'Stormy Monday', Susan Tedeschi's 'Little By Little' with Kelly King on lead vocals, and Hendrix's 'Voodoo Chile' with guest appearances from previous members and current Liquid Crystal members Adam Krawsczyn on bass and Nate Sisson on drums. But without a doubt the highlight of Phil & The Thrill's performance was a rocking version of Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone' to close out their set. The crowd had been picking up and this one really got them going.

Jackie Welker, Brad Hoffman, and Phil Ohlinger of Pomeroy's own Phil & the Thrill.

Next up was the Slater Brothers Blues Band. This band has brothers Dave and Mark Slater sharing guitar duties along with other great players and front man Kenny Valentine on lead vocals. The Slater Brothers play some smart blues with lots of chord variations and jazzy sounding arrangements. Don't let that fool you though because these guys can really tear it up and Mr. Valentine is a great singer and front man. Some highlights were a cover of Johnny Lang's 'Matchbox' (with a guitar solo that drew some serious applause), BB King's 'You Upset Me Baby', and an original titled 'Shiver'. These guys are always gigging and it shows. They are seasoned and confident, and the crowd knew it. You can't go wrong with these guys.

Kenny Valentine belting it out while backed by the rest of the band.

Following on the bill was The Carpenter Ants, from Charleston, West Virginia. I had never heard them before and boy was I surprised by their sound. They threw everything into their set except the kitchen sink. There was blues, there was country, jazz, gospel, twang, swing, and even some rapping. Well sort of rapping. Maybe it was just fast lyrics. Whatever it was, these guys were having fun. The guitar player was superb with his chicken picking and twangy tone. What sets these guys apart though are the harmonies. Sometimes I thought there should have been an entire congregation up there on stage. A lot of singing coming from these four gentlemen. And speaking of congregations, the Carpenter Ants had a good deal of songs about the lord and salvation along with some novel, funny songs. They said their song 'Big People's World' is about midgets. They were definitely all over the map.

The musically diverse Carpenter Ants getting' down at the Blues Bash.

What can you say about Joanna Connor? Jackie Welker told me about her a while ago and said that she is just incredible. Well Jackie, you were right. Joanna Connor was amazing! Before she even got started I have to say that it was a really neat moment when she told her daughter, who was in the crowd, to "get off the chair" through an on-stage microphone. She strapped on a Les Paul and ripped up the stage with ferocious riffs and blues-style shredding galore. She started with a bluesy instrumental where she played mostly slide. I was really impressed with the arrangements of her songs and how the band was so tight on such complex arrangements. As a guitar player, I can say that Joanna Connor is an incredible talent with loads of chops and touch not seen in most players. Oddly enough though, it wasn't Joanna's playing that moved me the most, it was a harmonica solo by Jack Douglass that made me shiver. It was a slow blues number and he blew an amazing solo that had people standing in ovation. Other memorable numbers included a cover of 'Statesboro Blues', an original called 'Tell Me Something Good' where Joanna got the crowd singing along, and a reggae number where bass player Jesse Cross took lead vocals. Throw in a little 'Kashmir' Zeppelin break, a drummer who shakes the kit because he's so big, and an encore where each player has a virtuous solo, and it equals an explosion of a set.

Joanna Connor tearing it up.

[ video ] Mpeg Movie of Joanna (344 kb)

Johnny Rawls Revue was slated for the 8pm start. "If Joanna Connor is the Queen of Court Street, then Johnny Rawls is the King of Court Street," the MC quipped. Johnny was a throw back of sorts, playing numbers such as 'Chain of Fools', 'Got My Mojo Working', 'People Get Ready', and a medley of 50's tunes. Johnny was joined by his daughter Destiny on stage. She could really sing and Johnny worked the crowd I tell ya. He was able to get the whole crowd to sing Happy Birthday to his daughter. He could also get away with tunes like 'Lucy Pop That Coochie' because of his personality. It may have been a cement parking lot but that did not stop everyone from dancing. They were eating it up and begging for more. 1,000 people plus joined in on an encore of 'Stroke It'. Johnny was a great choice for the bash.

King of Court Street: Johnny Rawls

Scott Holt is a showman! Here is a guy with Stevie Ray and Kenny Wayne chops but also a guy who also doesn't rely on just his playing during a show, when he easily could. Three sets of amps and Fender strats were poised to do his bidding. He was relentless! He played effortlessly while running all around the stage. He could also blues it out with slower numbers like BB's 'The Thrill is Gone' and Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight'. During the song 'I Just Wanna Make Love To You' Scott left the stage a la Albert Collins, where his tech traveled closely behind lugging the extremely long guitar cable. All through the dense crowd he roamed, lighting it up all the while. But he was sharing the wealth on this one! He put his strat into the lap of an older woman and let her jam while he went back to the stage for some water! She rocked! That wasn't all. Scott went out onto route 33 and played in the middle of the road. I don't want you to get the idea that Scott is all gimmick and no musicianship. He is a player to be reckoned with but a little showmanship doesn't hurt. The crowd, at it's largest by now, was ready to ignite. Pomeroy was crazy I mean to tell you. Mr. Holt closed out an amazing Bash.

Scott Holt on Route 33.

[ video ] Mpeg Movie of Scott Holt (344 kb)

This Blues Bash has a lot of potential. I'm no event planner but I have a feeling that we're going to see some very big people here in the future. A real shame is that not enough local people recognize the current talent that plays at this Bash. I know that won't be for long though. Something this good does not go unnoticed.

Kudos must go out to Jackie Welker and the Pomeroy Blues and Jazz Society for putting together this top-notch Blues extravaganza. If you consider that there was sponsorship from Labatt's, the raffling off of a Rolling Rock Telecaster guitar, superb sound techs, a great stage, bands sharing bass rigs and drum kits to cut down on set-up time, and talent that you just can't see everyday, I know you'll wonder why you didn't go. I guess I'll just have to see you there next year.