In its fifth year, the Reading Blues Fest seems to have cemented its place as an annual event where fans can look forward to seeing the leading contemporary blues artists. Multiple BMA winners and nominees as well as Grammy nominees The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Eric Gales graced an impressive lineup of national headliners on November 17-20, 2022 in Pennsylvania’s fourth largest city. Some extended the usual view of the genre into other forms closer to rock, funk, or jazz, albeit with a heavy emphasis on guitar slingers.
Clearly, the best way to take in this festival which is held in The Doubletree Hotel in downtown Reading is to stay there, or close by during the weekend to take in morning panels and performances as well as the closing sets. (In other words, buy the VIP package).
Friday night’s show was all about Louisiana and neighboring Mississippi. It began with The Dirty Dozen Brass Band with frontman Gregory Davis proclaiming, “We didn’t come all this way to have y’all sitting down.” With the audience on their feet, where many remained for the full ninety-minute set, the DDBB did what they do, an unrelenting mix of funk, blues, and jazz that mixed improvisation with such NOLA standards as “Goin’ to the Mardi Gras” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
The set was filled with rhythmic hand clapping and terrific soloing from bari sax, tenor sax, trumpet, trombone, guitar, and drums while Kirk Joseph’s tuba was ever-present. While it seemed that the set had reached its climax with “Saints,” the band continued with Bobby Womack’s “It’s All Over Now” and when realizing they still had another four minutes until 9:30, they launched into a hilarious improv, simply chanting “9:30, 9:30.” What a blast!
Multiple BMA winner Tab Benoit followed, beginning on the drum kit in support of Hill Country guitarist Lightnin’ Malcolm, playing selections from Malcolm’s recently acclaimed release, Eye of the Storm. They began as a duo and were later joined by a bassist. After a short break Benoit, on guitar, led his trio through a blistering swamp blues set highlighted by his slow blues “Nothing Takes the Place of You,” which brought the alcohol-fueled crowd to their feet. Yes, Friday night was one of a packed and rowdy room.
Saturday afternoon saw the return of two of Reading’s popular acts, singer/saxophonist Vanessa Collier and former BMA Entertainer of the Year, Sugaray Rayford. Collier had established a robust Pennsylvania fan base and as emcee Keith Mooney concluded, “she never disappoints.” Fronting a quartet that included premiere blues guitarist Laura Chavez and no keyboards, Collier delivered a mix of her favorite live staples, leaning heavily on her most recent release, Live at Power Station, on which Chavez plays.
The set reached its peak in a stretched-out, Collier-playing-sax-while-wandering-through-the-audience version of “Love Me Like a Man,” drawing a full standing ovation midway through her set. Collier has that ‘it’ factor. Audiences adore her and Chavez’s ability to deliver some of the most evocative solos heard on the weekend was pure icing.
Sugaray Rayford, fronting a seven-piece band with a bari sax and tenor sax, presided over a disjointed set filled with several bright moments. Part preacher, part Howlin’ Wolf, part James Brown, to say that Rayford can bring the power is a severe understatement, as evidenced by a moment when he removed his ski cap, only to wring out a bucket’s worth of sweat, only to follow with room shattering versions of “Grits Ain’t Groceries” and the closer, “You and I.”
Saturday evening began with the eight-time Maples Blues Award winner, Montreal-based Dawn Tyler Watson, leading a seven-piece band with identical instrumentation. While the first part of her set was mostly standard blues shuffles, the set took a major turn with her sultry ballad sans horns, “Why” and then had the less predictable dynamic shifts with the horn-infused “Don’t Make Me Mad.” She brought out Rayford for a defiant duet between the two of them and literally kicked (like those Van Morrison kicks from “The Last Waltz’) into sultry fare with “You Have to Go” which got the crowd standing, bringing the set to a close with a hand-clapping gospel-like tune that had the whole band at their explosive best.
Sunday afternoon featured the blues rockers, The Blood Brothers – Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia for an exuberant, exhilarating two-hour plus set following brunch. The two guitarists were supported by twin drummers, a bassist, and Zito’s keyboardist, Lewis Stephens (Freddy King Band). The guitarists/vocalists did an excellent job mixing their own solo material with classic blues rock from The Allman Brothers Band, Bob Seger, The Rolling Stones, CCR, Chuck Berry, and Neil Young as well as standard blues such as Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Help Me.”
They traded vocals and licks with the familiar fare being somehow just ideal for an early Sunday Afternoon. Here is a sample of the set list (we missed a few, but you get the idea) “What the Hell Was I Thinking” (Castiglia), “Make Blues, Not War” (Zito), “Thirty Days”, “Tell the Truth,” “Gone to Texas” (Zito), “Trouble No More,” “Sunspot Baby,” “Fortunate Son,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Soulshine,”and “Keep On Rockin’ in the Free World.” Zito often played slide while Castiglia picked with some of the harmonics and call and response sequences riveting.
We should also give kudos to Artistic Director John Ernesto, the over 300 volunteers, the Doubletree staff, and the other performers who made for such an enjoyable weekend – Peter Rogan, Clarence Spady, Bev Conklin and Joe Mac, The Bluesmasters, Benny Turner and Davell Crawford, Dave Keyes, Dave Mell Blues Band, Dave Keller Trio, panel host Michael Cloeren, and emcee Keith Mooney. Circle your calendar for the weekend prior to Thanksgiving in 2023. The Reading Blues Fest is an enduring Pennsylvania institution.
Photos by Tina Pastor
