3/11/10
RELATED EVENTS
(APRIL 15-18) |
"I don't care what anybody says. There ain't another festival like it in the world,"
-- Nan Hughes, one of Juke Joint Festival's key organizers.
"Where else can you see Monkeys Riding Dogs one day and hang out in old-school juke joints the next? I think it's the biggest little festival in the South."
The Juke Joint Festival itself is Saturday, April 17th in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Related events start Thursday and carry on through Sunday night. Last year's festival weekend drew fans from at least 43 U.S. states and 17 foreign countries.
"We call it 'half blues festival, half small-town fair and all about the Delta' for a reason," explained co-organizer Goldie Hirsberg. "During the day we have activities for both visiting tourists and local families. At night, well, that's throw-down time! That's for the adults."
Juke Joint Festival Weekend kicks off with a bang on Thursday night (April 15) when Grammy-winner Jimbo Mathus presents "Mosquitoville: Mississippi Songs & Stories" live on the Delta Cinema Stage (113 3rd St.). Sponsored by Clarksdale Revitalization, the presentation promises to delve into the Magnolia State's rich music and mythology. Doors open at 5pm with two free shows at 6pm and 7:30pm.
Friday's festival-related activities include monkeys riding dogs from Pontotoc, Mississippi, as well as Coahoma County's latest Mississippi Blues Trail Marker dedication. The noon dedication at the WROX Museum (257 Delta Avenue) will recognize an early location of Clarksdale's famous WROX blues/gospel radio station. The event will be following by a William Ferris "Give My Poor Heart Ease" book signing and live blues revue at Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art across the street (252 Delta Avenue). From there, additional events travel down the street and include "Conversations with Honeyboy Edwards" at the Delta Blues Museum and a "Theo The Boogieman" performance at the Rock & Blues Museum. More live blues follows that night at the clubs and jukes.
For many visiting tourists, it's the music that matters most, and Saturday will be a day for the history books. |
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Mississippi's juke joints are still the stars of Clarksdale's annual Juke Joint Festival & Related Events this April 15-18.
Deep Blues - a Mississippi journey | 2008 JJF Gallery
Musical acts include: Honeyboy Edwards, Big George Brock, Super Chikan, Big Jack Johnson, Watermelon Slim, Jimbo Mathus, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm, Johnny Rawls, Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band, Blind "Mississippi" Morris & Brad Web, Pat Thomas, Eddie Cusic, Gearshifter, Guitar Mikey, Stacy Mitchhart, James "T-Model" Ford, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, Terry "Big T" Williams, Foster "Mr. Tater" Wiley, Robert "Wolfman" Belfour, The Scissormen, All Night Long w/Mary "Ann" Action Jackson & RL Boyce, Josh "Razorblade" Stewart, Guitar Mikey, Robert "Bilbo" Walker, Cedell Davis, Terry "Harmonica" Bean, Cadillac John & Bill Abel, Stax Music Academy, Ol' Skool Revue, Delta Blues Museum students and dozens more. In total, over fifty Blues acts will play in town as a result of festival events.
Pre-sale wristbands are now on sale for the event at www.jukejointfestival.com.
"We're the only festival in the world where some raggedy old Blues clubs are as important as the festival's big headliners," explained Roger Stolle, music coordinator for the festival and owner of Clarksdale’s Cat Head blues store. "We offer the music, culture and history that no other Blues event outside of the Delta can match. Honestly, you could say it's one of the world's most authentic Blues fests."
"Juke Joint Festival truly lives up to its tag line," said Nan Hughes, president of the Clarksdale Downtown Development Association that puts on the popular festival. "It's half blues festival, half small-town fair and all about the Delta. From a student art show and racing pigs to a mini film fest and plenty of Blues music, it's got it all -- something for everyone."
The Juke Joint Festival itself is Saturday, April 17th, with related events on that Friday and Sunday. Kicking off on Saturday with a 5K/8K run at 8am, the vendor booths and live music fire up at 10 am. With the exception of music and education events on the Delta Blues Museum's outdoor main stage, most of the daytime entertainment will wrap up around 5pm. The main stage runs till 7pm.
At 9pm, the juke joints themselves become part of the action.
"This year, we anticipate having as many as seventeen nighttime juke joint stages," says Stolle. "From big clubs that hold two hundred and fifty people to tiny jukes that hold 30, we've got it all."
At press time, official festival nighttime venues include Ground Zero Blues Club, Red's Lounge, Sarah's Kitchen, Delta Amusement Cafe, Tricia's, Bluesberry Cafe, Stone Pony, Hambone Gallery, Club 2000, Messenger's, Pete's Grill, Delta Blues Room, Anniebelle's, Hopson Commissary (front stage and back porch), Juke Joint Chapel at Shackup Inn and Hick's Tamales.
"We want everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities," said festival co-organizer Goldie Hirshberg. "The official daytime events are free once again, and the nighttime wristband is still only $10 -- the same price it was seven years ago when the festival started."
MORE INFO: http://www.jukejointfestival.com
HOTELS & MORE: http://www.cathead.biz/guide.html
BUY WRISTBANDS today at the official JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL web site
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