End of winter blues festival draws a crowd

BELLEVILLE, Ont. (10/03/2012) Johnny Max of the Johnny Max Band performs at the eighth annual End of Winter Blues Festival at Loyalist College on March 10, 2012. Photo by Dan Pearce

By Dan Pearce

Mike Logan and Brenda Turcotte had the best seats in the house at the End of Winter Blues Festival.

They weren’t afraid to show their affection as they kissed during a performance by the headlining act, the Johnny Max Band.

Mike and Brenda were two of the 200 to 300 people who came to enjoy the Loyal Blues Fellowship’s eighth-annual festival at Loyalist College last Friday and Saturday.

“We’re having a blast, man, and this is my woman and I love her to death. This is the best blues music,” Logan said. “We’ve got the best table in the house and everybody’s cool. This is just a great event.”

Logan has been attending the festival since it began and said this year he was particularly impressed by the younger performers.

“The performances have been very progressive,” he said. “I’m very impressed. I’ll definitely be coming back next year.”

Blues fan Paul Stacey was attending the festival for the first time and was very pleased with the local talent. He said the music and the performances were fantastic and Kim Pollard was his favourite performer.

“There are some very good acts. Kim Pollard is fantastic,” he said. “I’ll be coming back next year.”

Loyal Blues Fellowship president Peg Voigt agreed the Kim Pollard Band was the standout act.

“Everyone was really impressed with her performance. She’s a relative unknown, but she was our representative in Memphis, Tenn., for the International Blues Challenge,” Voigt said.

Voigt said the festival has always been a great event to show off local acts and give them an opportunity to get some exposure.

She said proceeds from the event go back into the fellowship and support its Blues in the Schools program.

Johnny Max, the lead singer from the headlining act, the Johnny Max Band, was really happy with the show, and in particular, the crowd.

“A great crowd, a very receptive crowd, a great Canadian crowd,” Max said. “It’s great playing to people who enjoy live music.”

If you’re craving more of the blues, you can check out the fellowship’s fourth annual Frankford Island Blues Festival this summer July 13 and 14 at the Frankford Tourist Park. For more information, visit www.loyalblues.ca.