Another Riverbend kicks off with incredible weather. First and foremost, kudos to Wally Burt for the opportunity to attend Riverbend this year.
For once being the designated driver pays off. The first act for this year was Deep Blue Sun at the Bud Light Stage. A good start from this 6 piece band
with interesting blues/rock originals. From there it was a climb back up the hill to the Unum(boo) Stage for local jazz quartet Smooth Flight. Singer India
Galyon has a wonderful voice and the three-man band offered terrific jazz standards. Next up was the "Great Lady of Soul" Bettye LaVette. The 63-year-old
veteran gave a high-energy and incredibly emotional performance with highlights from her 48 year career. Backed by a really tight band, LaVette poured out
her soul on stage for what will be one of the highlights of this year's festival.
More great weather for the second night of music. First up was the Brandi Robinson Band at the Tennessee Valley Credit Union Stage. The beautiful brunette
from Knoxville and her 4 man band belted out some wonderful modern rock. Next up was The Bowmans. Identical twins Clara and Sara originally from Iowa
presented acoustic stories with tight harmonies. Siblings just seem to deliver better harmony for some reason. The last show for the night was The Hard Lessons
from Detroit. Newleyweds Augie and Coco Visocci and their drummer gave a high-energy performance of hard rock originals with a couple of interesting covers
thrown in. During the Bowmans I went for a Coke and discovered the only concessions under the bridge was for beer, so I had to walk back up to the street
for a drink. I also forgot my camera for the second straight night, so there are no pics from either night. I guess I need to tie a string around my finger to remember
the camera.
More good weather and more good music. It was a night spent at the Tennessee Valley Credit Union Stage. First was the last half hour of Tin Cup Gypsy,
a four person bluegrass/alt country group with good harmonies with original songs and a few interesting covers. Next up was the duo of drummer Cedric
Burnside and guitarist Lightnin' Malcolm. Burnside, the grandson of legendary bluesman R.L. Burnside, is considered one of the top drummers in world, and he
and Malcolm provided a great dose of straight-ahead delta blues. The last group of the night was Davey Knowles and Back Door Slam. Guitar prodigy Davey,
from the Isle of Man, along with his bassist and drummer played a set of high-energy blues/rock of mostly originals from their new album produced by rock
legend Peter Frampton. I actually remembered my camera tonight and got some decent pictures of all three groups. The crowds this weekend seemed smaller
than usual, probably due to the economy. I would have liked to seen some of Three Dog Night, but as always there are choices that have to be made.
A return to the festival and another night of good weather. The night started at the Bud Light Stage for Simplified, and some good Dave Matthews-esque
rock. The four man band from Charlotte features easily digestible songs with story-telling lyrics and smooth musical hooks. After Simplified it was time for
King Crimson front man Adrian Belew and his power trio featuring brother/sister drummer and bassist. Guitar wizard Adrian pumped out progressive/experimental
rock songs including three parts of his new five-part album coming out in July. After that it was a hike back up the hill to catch parts of Dead Confederate
on the TVFCU Stage and most of Cornmeal on the Unum Stage. Dead Confederate played what Tim Wilson would call go-to-hell musiic that was downright
depressing. Cornmeal, from Chicago, offered up helpings of bluegrass and alt country jam music. When they stuck to instrumentals I rather enjoyed it, but the
twangy vocals were not music to my ears.
After skipping Thursday due to playing golf all afternoon and not having any must-see acts, it was back to the festival for more outstanding entertainment.
The night started under the bridge at the TVFCU Stage for the last half of the Ben Friberg Trio, which on the night was a quartet. The local jazz band features
solid work on guitar, keyboard, drum, and bass, but they could do a better job of connecting with the audience. I was surprised at the crowd under the bridge
since the crowds there have been smallish most of the week, but when I found out that the trio was local and the second act of the night used to play here regularly
it made since. The aforementioned second act was Alejandro Escovedo. Escovedo and his band cranked out solid Texas rock-and-roll and timely ballads with
high energy and swagger. After that it was up to the Unum Stage for one of the most anticipated acts of the festival, and it didn't disappoint. Wayne "Trombone"
Henderson and the Jazz Crusaders served up the highlight of the festival, with a jamming good time of instrumental excellence. Featuring trombone, sax, keyboards,
guitar, bass, and drum solos and incredible interplay, the band had the audience in its hand's from start to finish. They included a cover of the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby"
among the their six or seven selections in a show that ended too soon.
The final night began at the Bud Light Stage with part of the performance of local group The Stratoblasters. These local radio employees should stick to playing
songs on the radio. The Outlaws took the stage next and delivered one of the highlights of the festival. Their guitar driven Southern Rock from classics like "There
Goes Another Love Song", "Hurry Sundown", "Green Grass & High Tides", and "Ghost Riders in the Sky" to lesser known hits like "Knoxville Girl" had the large
crowd enthralled from start to finish. After the Outlaws it was back under the bridge to see Lookout Mountain songbird Jennifer Daniels. Jen and husband/guitarist
Jeff Neal once again delivered a top-notch set of excellent original songs highlighted by Jen's magical voice and Jeff's solid guitar and mandolin playing. A fitting end
to another Riverbend of strong musical performances. The annual fireworks spectacular ended the night and the festival.
Another Riverbend has come and gone, and while the lineup may not have been as strong as in some year's, but there was plenty of great music to enjoy
and remember. The highlight performances were The Jazz Crusader's with Wayne Henderson, The Outlaws, Bettye LaVette, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin'
Malcolm, Davey Knowles and Back Door Slam, and Jennifer Daniels. I unfortunately had to miss Three Dog Night, Barrage, and Walt Wilkins due to
scheduling. Last year I saw four headliners, a high for years, and this year I saw none, and I enjoyed both just the same. The crowds at least seemed smaller
this year, and I'm assuming it was due to the economy. As usual I will have to wait another 51 weeks for next year's festival to start, and until then I will have
to enjoy Nightfall and other cheap venues available. Due to storage space on my site, I have moved the photos from last year's Riverbend to my flickr account
Here