By Daniel W. Burnet • Special to The Current
Briggs Farm Blues has put together an eclectic lineup for its 22nd annual festival that opens with a 50th anniversary Woodstock tribute, aptly called BriggsStock.
Held about 45 minutes from Jim Thorpe on the lush grasslands of the family farm in Nescopeck, Luzerne County, this year’s festival runs four days, July 11-14.
In keeping with Briggs Family tradition, the event offers 21 acts featuring international, national and regional bands of various genres, including electric blues, delta-style blues, Americana roots music, soul and a bit of funk sprinkled into the mix. The family-oriented festival, just a few miles off Interstate 80, also offers camping, vendors and plenty of good things to chow on.
The Briggstock concert opens on the festival on Thursday, July 11, with Bret Alexander & Friends playing the enduring sounds from the iconic Woodstock Festival in upstate New York in 1969.
Alexander, a founding member of the Badlees who regularly plays in Jim Thorpe, has put together a host of guest musicians familiar to Carbon and Luzerne County music fans. They include vocalist Ellie Rose, violinist Nyke Van Wyk, AJ Jump on the drums, vocalist Ed Randazzo, guitarists Rob and Tim Husty and keyboardist Cliff Starkey. Count on these road-tested troubadours to honor the Woodstock spirit in an entertaining and respectable way when the concert kicks off at 7 p.m.
“The volume of incredible music coming out of the Woodstock festival is unparalleled in live music history. What we’ve been doing at Briggs Farm over the past 22 years is in many ways an outcome of that festival … The seed was planted in my soul way back,” festival founder Richard Briggs said.
On Friday and Saturday the two-stage festival transitions back into a blues venue, and Jim Thorpe music patrons will recognize some players from their past performances at the Mauch Chunk Opera House and Jim Thorpe Inn. They include Donna the Buffalo, Vanessa Collier, Clarence Spady, Bobby Kyle and Alexis P. Suter Ministers of Sound.
While the setting is bucolic and peaceful, the entertainment is anything but. Foot-stomping tunes by musicians who know how to get an audience on its feet traditionally journey to the 250-year-old farm, and this year’s cast will not disappoint the 8,000-plus fans expected.
“Good festivals, such as Briggs Farm, are all about the total lineup from start to finish, artists that you not necessarily come to see initially but will blow you away by their performance. This year is no exception. Don’t miss James Armstrong, Annika Chambers, King Solomon Hicks and Southern Avenue among many others,” said Michael Cloeren, founder and producer of the Pocono Blues Festival and now venue manager at Penns Peak.
The Saturday night headliner will be 20-year-old blues prodigy Christone “Kingfish” Ingram This young man’s guitar skills have caught the attention of greats like Buddy Guy, who has taken him under his wing on the touring circuit. Rolling Stone magazine called Ingram “the latest blues savior.”
The Sunday, July 14, Gospel Show starts at 11 a.m. with another appearance by the internationally known Slam Allen, who peppers his set with a spicy flavor of blues, soul and rock-and-roll to deliver a stirring performance.
The show closes with Alexis P. Suter’s Ministers of Sound band. To say Suter’s vocals are powerful is an understatement. Her raw, robust style will deliver the message of hope and salvation clearly, forcefully and gracefully.
IF YOU GO
Destination: 88 Old Berwick Highway, Nescopeck. Site is four miles off Interstate 80.
Tickets: Single-day ticket, multi-day packages and camping options available on website, www.briggsfarm.com.
To bring: Coolers and food allowed (food vendors also on site). Lawn chairs and blankets recommended.
Prohibited: Glass bottles, pets, fireworks, sky lanterns.
Parking: Free.
Service dogs: Permitted, but owners must present training certificate from the training facility. Therapy or comfort dogs not permitted.
LINEUP:
Thursday, July 11: Briggstock by Bret Alexander & Friends, 7 p.m.
Friday, July 12: Donna The Buffalo, Southern Avenue, James Armstrong, Annika Chambers, Lonnie Shields, Clarence Spady, Miz, Robert Kimbrough Sr., Bobby Kyle & the Administrators. Music starts at 1:40 p.m.
Saturday, July 13: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Slam Allen, Vanessa Collier, Cedric Burnside, Heather Gillis, King Solomon Hicks, Mikey Junior, Nate Meyers, Scott Pemberton. Music starts at 1:10 p.m.
Sunday, July 14: Gospel Blues Show starts at 11 a.m.
Questions: Call 570-379-3342 or email inquiry to briggsfarmblues@gmail.com
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