Bluestock Music Festival

THANK YOU, BLUESTOCKERS!

Bluestock — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:06:56 +0000

As promised, the inaugural Bluestock Festival fused the best elements of the Blues Cruise and the 1969 Woodstock Festival into one blues-saturated weekend at Hunter Mountain! Despite the threat of Hurricane Irene, festival attendees, artists, and organizers were treated to a jam-packed two days of music featuring nearly all of the bands originally scheduled to appear, including all three of the Festival’s headliners: Elvin Bishop, Robert Cray Band, and Buddy Guy! The spirits were high, the vibes were unparalleled, and the music was world-class from the first note (Friday at 5pm with Lionel Young) to the last (Sunday at 3am with Mitch Woods and Billy Gibson’s all-star Club 88 jam session).

Bluestock would like to send its sincerest “THANK YOU” to everyone who braved the impending storm and celebrated with us this weekend. To the Festival’s production staff, volunteers, vendors, and artists: we could not be more impressed by your ability to mobilize, improvise, and organize what will truly be a most memorable of hurricane parties! Irene struck the Catskill Mountains as hard as she could (read about it in the New York Times!) and we were ready.

Stay tuned to Bluestock.com for photos from this past weekend, connect with us on Facebook to share your memories and pictures, and keep your eyes and ears open for news about Bluestock 2012!

From Steve Simon: “BLUESTOCK 2011 will stay in our hearts forever for it was truly the most memorable Blues experience any of us have ever had. Every single artist played their hearts out for us………every single person in attendance showed such love, grace and kindness to each other………I will always remember each and every moment for it was the Blues adventure of a lifetime. I love you all so very much!!!!!! Steve“

Updated Saturday Schedule!

Bluestock — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 02:14:08 +0000

Due to inclement weather, changes to the performance schedule have been made. Below reflects the most current version of the schedule. Please plan accordingly!

Saturday
	Stage 1		Stage 2
12:00pm	Robert Cray Band
		1:30pm	Buddy Guy
	Colonel’s Hall		Club 88
3:00pm	Shemekia Copeland
		4:00pm	Ronnie Baker Brooks
5:00pm	Curtis Salgado Band
		6:00pm	Bruce Katz
7:00pm	Shakura S’Aida
		8:00pm	Moreland & Arbuckle
9:00pm	Tommy Castro & The LRBR
		10:00pm	Albert Cummings
11:00pm	Alexis P. Suter Band
		12:00am	Port City Prophets
Late Night: Club 88 Hosted By Mitch Woods & Billy Gibson

Sunday
All Sunday programming is cancelled due to inclement weather.

All bands have been confirmed, however, acts are subject to change without notice.

Saturday Double-Header! Sunday Cancelled.

Bluestock — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 00:04:20 +0000

FESTIVAL HEADLINERS BUDDY GUY AND ROBERT CRAY BAND TO PLAY BLUESTOCK DOUBLE-HEADER ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SUNDAY PROGRAM CANCELLED DUE TO HURRICANE IRENE

After careful consideration and monitoring of the impending storm, Bluestock has decided to cancel Sunday’s performance schedule. On Saturday, Bluestock attendees will be treated to a very special afternoon double-headlining bill featuring sets by both the Robert Cray Band (12pm-2pm) and Buddy Guy (2pm-4pm) on the two outdoor stages. Performances will continue in Hunter Mountain’s indoor Colonel’s Hall stage late into the evening on Saturday night featuring many of the world-class bands already scheduled to perform.

Bluestock will be honoring Sunday Passes and Sunday VIP Passes for Saturday’s performances. Unused Sunday Passes and Sunday VIP Passes will be automatically refunded.

For campers, Bluestock will offer indoor camping on the lower level of Hunter Mountain’s Learning Center on Saturday night.

Camping Update – Fri 2:30pm

Bluestock — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:37:43 +0000

In the event of inclement weather on Saturday night and Sunday, campers will be relocated into the lower level of Hunter Mountain’s Learning Center. Campers will be permitted to carry sleeping bags and coolers into the building, but no tents, grills, or stoves will be allowed.

Weather Update – Fri 12pm

Bluestock — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:16:54 +0000

8/26 – 12:00pm

The show is still on! All performers are scheduled to appear!

Come on out to the Pre-Storm Party!
We are now selling a Friday Only Pass for $35 plus service fees. The ticket is available at the Box Office.

Can’t make it on Sunday?
All Sunday Only Passes and Sunday VIP Passes will be honored on Friday or Saturday for single-day admission.

Coming up on Sunday?
All Sunday performances will take place indoors in Hunter Mountain’s Colonel’s Hall

It’s a beautiful day up at Hunter Mountain! Let Bluestock begin!

Weather Update – Thurs 8pm

Bluestock — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:32:49 +0000

We are very closely monitoring the weather on the east coast, communicating with local meteorologists here at Hunter Mountain. The safety of our guests, artists and staff is our Number 1 focus. We have contingency plans in place in the event that Mother Nature gets the Blues up here and we will reach out to everyone via email, Facebook, Twitter as well as updates on our bluestock.com website if there are any changes. Decisions regarding any changes to our schedule will be made the day before each performance day. BLUESTOCK 2011 is all set to go on as scheduled and we are ready to party!

-Bluestock Management

Robert Cray Band replaces ailing Gregg Allman

Bluestock — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:42:10 +0000

Hunter, NY – Bluestock is excited to announce the addition of the Robert Cray Band to the festival’s inaugural lineup, following the cancellation of the upcoming Gregg Allman tour.

5-time Grammy Award winner and Blues Hall of Fame member, Robert Cray, will bring his own band to the Mountain following his latest studio release imprinted on his own label, Nozzle Records (distributed by Vanguard Records). 2009’s This Time, marked a creative renewal for Cray and a key reunion with an old performing partner, bassist Richard Cousins.

“I’ve known Richard for 40 years,” Cray says. “We go back to 1969, and we grew up in the same area together.” Rounding out the consummate blues professional’s four-piece band is Jim Pugh on keys and Tony Braunagel on drums.

Cray has recorded and shared the stage with the best of the best in the blues world, including Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker and Bluestock’s Sunday night headliner, Buddy Guy, and has sold out venues both small and large with his band.

Upon his doctor’s orders, Gregg Allman is unfortunately being forced to cancel his August 26 through September 15 concert dates due to an upper respiratory condition. Treatment is going to involve several days of hospitalization and 4 – 6 weeks of bed rest at home. Allman continues to recover from his successful liver transplant and expects to return to touring in support of his highly acclaimed “Low Country Blues” album in the late fall.

Killing Floor – Robert Cray (w/ Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, and Jimmie Vaughan)

Robert Cray – Right Next Door (Because Of Me)

Robert Cray – Smoking Gun

Robert Cray – Consequences

The Robert Cray Band

Bluestock — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:27:42 +0000

Bluestock adds Shemekia Copeland

Bluestock — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:15:10 +0000

JUST ADDED TO THE BLUESTOCK 2011 LINEUP – SHEMEKIA COPELAND

At a young age, Shemekia Copeland is already a force to be reckoned with in the blues. While still in her 20s, she’s opened for the Rolling Stones, headlined at the Chicago Blues Festival and numerous festivals around the world, scored critics choice awards on both sides of the Atlantic (The New York Times and The Times of London) and shared the stage with such luminaries as Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Taj Mahal and John Mayer. Heir to the rich tradition of soul-drenched divas like Ruth Brown, Etta James and Koko Taylor, Copeland’s shot at the eventual title of Queen of the Blues is pretty clear. By some standards, she may already be there.

Copeland’s passion for singing, matched with her huge, blast-furnace voice, gives her music a timeless power and a heart-pounding urgency. Her music comes from deep within her soul and from the streets where she grew up, surrounded by the everyday sounds of the city – street performers, gospel singers, blasting radios, bands in local parks and so much more.

Copeland will perform on Saturday August 27th from 7:15-8:15pm

SHEMEKIA COPELAND
Bio
At a young age, Shemekia Copeland is already a force to be reckoned with in the blues.
While still in her 20s, she’s opened for the Rolling Stones, headlined at the Chicago
Blues Festival and numerous festivals around the world, scored critics choice awards on
both sides of the Atlantic (The New York Times and The Times of London) and shared the
stage with such luminaries as Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Taj Mahal and John Mayer. Heir to
the rich tradition of soul-drenched divas like Ruth Brown, Etta James and Koko Taylor,
Copeland’s shot at the eventual title of Queen of the Blues is pretty clear. By some
standards, she may already be there.
Copeland’s passion for singing, matched with her huge, blast-furnace voice, gives her
music a timeless power and a heart-pounding urgency. Her music comes from deep
within her soul and from the streets where she grew up, surrounded by the everyday
sounds of the city – street performers, gospel singers, blasting radios, bands in local parks
and so much more.
Born in Harlem, New York, in 1979, Copeland actually came to her singing career
slowly. Her father, the late Texas blues guitar legend Johnny Clyde Copeland, recognized
his daughter’s talent early on. He always encouraged her to sing at home, and even
brought her on stage to sing at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club when she was just eight. At
the time, Shemekia’s embarrassment outweighed her desire to sing. But when she was
fifteen and her father’s health began to fail, her outlook changed. “It was like a switch
went off in my head, and I wanted to sing,” she says. “It became a want and a need. I had
to do it.”
At only 19, Shemekia stepped out of her father’s shadow with the Alligator release of
1998 debut recording, Turn the Heat Up!, and the critics raved. The Village Voice called
her “nothing short of uncanny,” while the Boston Globe proclaimed that “she roars with a
sizzling hot intensity.” A year later, she appeared in the Motion Picture Three To Tango,
while her song “I Always Get My Man, was featured in the film Broken Hearts Club.
Her second album, Wicked, released in 2000, scored three Handy Awards (Song of the
Year, Blues Album of the Year, Contemporary Female Artist of the Year) and a
GRAMMY nomination. Two years later, New Orleans R&B legend Dr. John stepped in
to produce her third recording, Talking To Strangers (2002), which Vibe called “a
masterful blend of ballsy rockers and cheeky ballads.”
Copeland released The Soul Truth in 2005. The album was produced by legendary Stax
guitarist Steve Cropper (who also played on the CD), and featured generous doses of
blues, funk and Memphis-flavored soul.
She joined Telarc International for the February 2009 release of Never Going Back. This
new chapter in the Shemekia Copeland story represents a crossroads on her ongoing
artistic journey – a place where numerous new avenues are open to her. While she will
always remain loyal to her blues roots, Never Going Back takes a more forward view of
the blues, and in so doing points her music and her career in a new direction.
“I’ve had success in my career, and I’m happy with that,” she says. “But that doesn’t
mean I don’t want to continue to grow. In order for an artist to grow – and for a genre to
grow – you have to do new things. I’m extremely proud to say I’m a blues singer, but that
doesn’t mean that’s the only thing I’m capable of singing, or that’s the only style of
music I’m capable of making.”
She adds: “I want to keep growing. My main goal when I started this was that I was
going to do something different with this music, so that this music could evolve and
grow. I got that idea from my father. He didn’t do the typical one-four-five blues. He
went to Africa and worked with musicians there. He was one of the first blues artists to
do that. I want to be the same way. I want to be innovative with the blues.”

Shemekia Copeland

Bluestock — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 20:49:00 +0000