Riverfront Blues Fest returns this weekend

An array of blues musicians are excited to rock out in Libby this weekend.

The Eighth Annual Riverfront Blues Festival is coming to Riverfront Park, featuring blues musicians from across the western U.S.

The lineup of performers includes the Austin Young Band, the Harlis Sweetwater Band, Jimmy D. Lane, the Chris O’Leary Band, Black Mountain Moan, the Hot Flash Blues Band, Cee Cee James and Phil Berkowitz.

The Austin Young Band of Colorado Springs, Colo. will be one of the headline performers at the Riverfront Blues Festival. The band includes three young musicians: 21-year-old singer Austin Young, 23-year-old bass player Alex Goldberg and 25-year-old drummer Kowan Turner. The band has released three albums, “Yesterday is Gone,” “Live Toad” and “Blue as can Be.”

Young, who turned 21 on Monday, has been been playing blues for over a decade and listened to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and Robert Johnson growing up.

Young said that his father was a blues drummer and guitar player for a band while Young was growing up, and he used to go to his performances to see him play. When Young’s father passed away earlier this year, Young channeled his grief into the band’s new album.

“I was interested in all forms of music, but blues was the one that I really connected to,” Young said.

Young is currently a senior at the University of Denver, majoring in marketing with a minor in accounting history.

Young’s advice to people in Libby who may be interested in blues music, “Just start at the roots of blues music,” Young said. “Trace it over the span of the 21st-Century to see how it evolved.”

While there will be some newcomers this year during the festival, some returning bands will perform as well.

The Harlis Sweetwater Band of Orange County, Calif. is another headliner this year, and the frontman, Harlis Sweetwater, is excited to return to Libby.

“We had a blast. It was so beautiful out there. Met a lot of good people,” Sweetwater said while recalling his first visit to Libby.

The Harlis Sweetwater Band is composed of four band members, including Harlis Sweetwater on guitar and vocals, Philaberto Clintero on saxophone, Eric Hartwell on drums and Bobbie O’Barka on bass.

Sweetwater, 47, said he’s idolized rock and blues music ever since his mother gave him her old Chuck Berry record when he was seven years old.

Sweetwater said that before he was a teenager, he and the neighborhood kids used to put on “shows” in his garage, dressing up as members of the rock band KISS and lip syncing to their records. Then, when Sweetwater was 10 years old, he said he would perform in talent shows. He said his main inspiration was Otis Redding, but he also drew from the originality of Muddy Waters, Buddy Walters, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

He started the band Barrelhouse O.C. in the early 1990s and released three albums with the band. In 2001 the band broke up, but Sweetwater kept playing music on his own. After 11 years, Sweetwater decided to form the Harlis Sweetwater Band in 2012, and has since released songs such as, “Like a Woman” and “Evil Spirit.” He currently makes a living as a touring musician. This year, the band is traveling across the western half of the U.S.

The festival will run from 6 p.m. to midnight on Friday and from noon to 1:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Food will be available at the festival with Bubba’s Texas BBQ smoke house barbecue, Saucy Dogs gourmet sausages, bratwurst and vegetarian chili, Whatz Up fried chicken and the Chamber of Commerce will sell ice cream sundaes. There will also be a beer and wine selection, Riverfront Blues Festival T-shirts, Cabinet Mountain Jewelry and Pottery and Yaak River Creations. Kootenai Pets for Life will be serving bottled water. Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness and the Montana Wilderness Association will also have booths.

The schedule for the Riverfront Blues is as follows:

Friday, August 12

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Black Mountain Moan

8 p.m. to 10 p.m. - Chris O’Leary Band

10 p.m. to midnight: Harlis Sweetwater Band

Saturday, August 13

Noon to 1:30 p.m. - Back in Five

1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. - Hot Flash Blues Band

3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. - Cee Cee James

5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - Phil Berkowitz & The Lucky Losers

7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. - Jimmy D. Lane

9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. - Austin Young

11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. - All-Star Jam

Advanced tickets are $20 for Friday, $25 for Saturday, and $40 for a Friday and Saturday full pass. At the door, tickets will be $25 for Friday, $30 for Saturday and $50 for a Friday and Saturday Full Pass.

Children 12 years old and under get in for free.

For more information, visit riverfrontbluesfestival.com.

Reporter Bethany Rolfson may be reached at 293-4124 or by email at Reporter@TheWesternNews.com.