Bluesfest: Day Four

There was an obvious tempatation to swing by the main stage and satisfy my rock jones with The Stills, Matt Mayes and El Torpedo and Sam Roberts. But I figure those folks will come through town again, so I went over to the MBNA Stage to see Roxanne Potvin, Mia Dyson and Rickie Lee Jones. There was a good-sized crowd by the time I got there. Of course, they were all sitting down so perhaps that made it look larger.

Roxanne Potvin's latest album was lauded far and wide performed a couple of Solomon Burke songs, including Cry To Me. Roxanne and her sidemen - drummer Tom Bona, standup bassist Paul Matthew and Quarterlife pianist Tyler Kealey - were joined by The Texas Horns for a powerful blues set.





Australian singer Mia Dyson has a husky voice and a very rockin' take on the blues. That's bassist Wayne Freer at right. Incidentally, her dad Jim Dyson is a very skilled luthier; that's one of his guitars she's playing.





Rickie Lee Jones . She also covered David Bowie's Rebel Rebel. I particularly liked the playing of guitarist Peter. His appearance made me expect Stevie Ray Vaughn; his reverbed sound actually reminded me of Robert Montgomery and mid-80s British indie rock. Bassist Jose also had a certain sartorial flair. Unfortunately the lighting meant I couldn't get a good picture of either man.







As 10 p.m. rolled around it started to rain - first a sprinkling, then heavier. With thunderstorms moving in, Jones came back on for an encore of Chuck E's in Love and wished the crowd farewell.