Blues in the Greenery:
A Snapshot 20th of the Annual Santa Cruz Blues Festival

A Review by Kevin Reeves
Staff Writer

When things don’t go smoothly and you encounter several disappointments, on a trip or at an event, but you can still have a great time and count the experience as a blessing – this means that true quality still prevailed. I had a rocky time, to say the least, at the 20th Annual Santa Cruz Blues Festival, but regardless of all my misfortune: the jamming music, personable performances, and astounding venue would not be denied. Photo Coco Montoya, courtesy

Should I even elaborate on what went wrong? It was a combination of miscommunication and poor timing, resulting in a ticket mix-up, an interview stopped-short by the Festival staff, and a missed connection with my PR contact. But enough of that! None of those elements could stop any music fan or nature lover from moving to the tunes and praising the centuries-old trees standing guard around the event.

The combination of Aptos Park’s beautiful coastal woodland plus the back-to-back outdoor performances of rocking blues roots music was not the only noteworthy collaboration: as if the incredibly sweet guitar-playing of Coco Montoya wasn’t enough on its own to emotionally and physically move the ocean of attendees, guitarist Jimmy Thackery played alongside Montoya to add his unique style and really set the forest aflame (figuratively speaking, of course). Photo, Elvin Bishop, courtesy

From the Mexican-American rocking of Los Lonely Boys (who have earned the approval and collaboration of Willie Nelson, among many others), to the one-of-a-kind voice and sensational guitar styling of Grammy Award-winning Jonny Lang, to blues harmonica legend James Cotton and the iconic “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” song-writing guitarist Elvin Bishop (talk about famous collaborations: this guy’s worked with John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Bo Diddley, The Allman Brothers, members of Jefferson Starship, and more): every artist performed with natural ease and a relatable human touch. Photo, Los Lonely Boys, courtesy

The tone was definitely set early-on (for such a sincere connection between the performers and the crowd) when The Holmes Brothers (who have also recorded with Willie Nelson, in addition to Van Morrison, Peter Gabriel, Phoebe Snow and more ...not to mention the fact that they performed for president Bill Clinton) opened up about a dark chapter in their lives: a brush with cancer, for brother Wendell Holmes, who’s known for his soulful wailing. Thankfully, Holmes conquered the illness, and meshed the character-building experience into his art. Photo by Stefan Falke, Holmes Brothers

Leaning against a giant tree, I watched the blanket of fans sway like multi-colored grass in the clearing, and found my hips twitching to the bluesy beats, realizing: when adversity and mishap can be forgotten, you know the blessings around you are legitimate and longer-lasting. Festival producer Bill Welch has much to be proud of, from the star-studded line-up to the incredible choice of location. The personalities, smiles, and authentic emotions glowing from the stage clearly touched us all, to make this 20th annual installment truly memorable. Photo Jonny Lang, courtesy

Read the personal interview with Festival producer Bill Welch, HERE.

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