A beautiful day started with finding a parking space in Chicago.  Those of you who live in the area are probably laughing right now and for the rest let me explain the humor that there isn’t any parking, at least none in the general vicinity of the site.  You may turn down a side street and find a great spot only to see that it is only for those who live in the area with a permit.  I was lucky to find a meter fifteen yards from the front door (there was a time where parking next to meter was free on the weekends, alas not anymore), the only hitch was that I had to run outside every two hours to slide my credit card into a machine that would allow me to run back and do it again until nine at night.  This would be okay because I smoke and it isn’t allowed indoors. Every time that I had to run back in I would be searched by “eager” security officials.  Some newbies threw away my bagel, and confiscated three official FESTIVAL FAMILY key chain lights that I was giving away to spread the word and the love (not to worry, I had fifty-seven more that were distributed throughout the night).  One of the chief security officers pulled me aside and apologized to me about the bagel and lights, and chastised the rookies, which made me feel a little warmer on a cold morning. -Peter

So please allow me to intrude here a little bit!  As a guest to Peter's far away land of Chi-ca-go, I was lucky enough to have my friend Greg along for the ride.  
As a full disclaimer this was the first fest I went to all year where I did none of the driving!  Yay!  We got there early enough to miss the parking situation, scoring an unmetered spot on the street.  As soon as I finished checking in at the publicity desk, I heard someone saying they were on the list, that they had won a contest on...Festival Family!  Hey!  That's us!  I greeted Alli Vincint and her friend Savannah Jeannette As they were checking in and got some sweet shots of them throughout the day!  Check the gallery for some examples of Alli's mad hula skills! -Rex

   The Congress Theatre in Chicago is a historical artifact of sorts.  When you enter it looks like time briefly glanced over it, leaving a marble memory of cracked walls and ghosts.  Immediately to your right is a four foot makeshift stage with speakers stacked twice as high, creating an intimate pavilion.  A grand stone staircase leading to the VIP section centers the room and if you walk past it, you wind up in the grand ballroom main stage area. Vendors line the back wall, members of Greenpeace and Headcount are in attendance promoting a good that can only be attained if we all come together. Inside the theater is dark, a dusty dome encases us in the ceiling, rather beautiful, the center is a red light that basks the ground. The floor slants down toward the stage, at one time this was a movie theatre where people gathered to cool off in the blistering Illinois summers.  The seats have been removed, the floor is clean and The Great Divide were warming up their instruments to bring the heat to those in attendance.  -Peter

  I loitered back to the pavilion where a jug band was playing on the staircase.  Rex was working his magic by talking to everyone around him.  I didn’t know who he was until I passed him a flyer and we shared a happy moment of recognition and discussed the future day.  The tagline on this site is true, your family really is built one festival at a time.-Peter

     I have the easiest job in the world.  I go around and listen to the music that keeps me alive, and meet and hang out with the people who make it and love it as much as I do.  You will never hear me complain about my gig!   Meeting Peter and his girlfriend Amanda was another example of how wonderful music fans are.  They made me feel welcome in their city, and the fellowship and good cheer they showed were heartwarming.  I will return to their stomping grounds as soon as I can, and look forward to sunning myself in the warmth of their company! -Rex

     It’s a mixed blessing being fresh to the festival scene.  On one hand you never know the great bands that are out there or the people that they attract and on the other hand you see everything pure like a child’s eyes.  Besides Bela, I never knew a single band that played that day.  Now I want to champion each and every one of them like a knight in the crusades.  -Peter

     “Hey, Pete.  You must. I repeat must check out Chicago Farmer, I saw him over the summer and. . .”  All right, I was going to check out another band on the main stage, but I guess I could hang out in the pavilion area.  A lone man in a grey suit and black dress shirt took the stage.  Natural lighting bounced off one side of his face leaving the other half shrouded in darkness.  He picked up an acoustic and from it poured the most genuine sincerity that washed over the audience.  He never intentionally looked at us but stared a little above us channeling songs we knew all our lives but never knew to sing.  There were many times that I found myself singing aloud to his choruses and grinning.  His forty minute set ended and I became a convert and purchased his cd from him.  He was shy and good natured (and stayed along with his wife to listen to every band that played that day).  –Peter

     While Pete was meeting the Mighty Mr.Chicago Farmer I was finally getting a chance to see the newest permutation of the deadly Bluegrass outfit Sexfist.  Dapper in a fine array of suits, the band showed up way early and made omelets for everyone and anyone as part of their “Breakfast with Sexfist”.  I have to say that if I didn’t know what was up, and “Breakfast with Sexfist was a contest, I probably wouldn’t enter, but that would have been my loss. The food was good, but the band was dynamite.  A fiery, powerful Bluegrass ensemble that had me putting down my camera and putting on my dancing shoes!  I see great things coming from these gentlemen! -Rex

     Most of the day was spent running helter skelter between stages, catching one or two songs before tearing myself away to insure that another act wasn’t missed (if music were a buffet, my soul gained twenty pounds).  Bluegrass was heavy on the menu but there was another portion of the festival that was missing. . .the blues!  The Alex Wilson Band is a three piece that was setting up while a tall man dressed black strides confidently onstage grabs his guitar and starts playing.  When Alex Wilson started, I firmly believe that he shed his human form and turned into the devil.  A searing version of “Who Do You Love” steamed from the amplifiers like smokestack thunder shooting out and bouncing to every corner of the pavilion.  I stood slack jawed, and attempted to make some sort of comparison, this was pure white blues, Zeppelin, Stones, it was like watching Cream near their peak.  The music was twitching and jumping like an electric serpent while Old Scratch (Alex) smiled and played for the children that were dancing in front of him.  He is playing serious electric blues, no bullshit, while conjuring daemons.  Note to anybody reading this, GO SEE THE ALEX WILSON BAND and purchase their album (this has been a fun service announcement).  -Peter

     So many bands, so little time.  The fest itself was split into three stages, the main theater stage, a small stage in the lobby and a yet smaller stage overlooking the crowd from the balcony.  It must be said that the light and acoustics at the first two stages was splendid, but the music coming from the balcony was often muted and muffled, and the sight lines were horrible. The Giving Tree Band  had a lovely booth setup and were a fun and approachable bunch.  When they took the stage it was as if their many parts alternately spun apart and together, fragmenting and coalescing so many different ways.  Truly Impressive!  And while we’re on the subject of impressions, I would be doing a disservice to not mention The Right Now!  The one two punch of guitarist Brendan O'Connell and one of the most soul stirring vocalists I have heard, Stefanie Berecz.  With a horny section to punctuate their point, a rock solid band was in action, and a true front woman was in charge of the stage.  She smiled and spun, and dipped and twirled and made sure that all in attendance heard her words.  Amazing stuff! -Rex

    Whether or not Alex sold his soul, Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater  has earned every line in his weathered face and every creak in his aging bones.  He is the real deal.  He IS Chicago Blues, and Eddie knows how to give people a good time.  He deserved his spot on the main stage, and people were bopping and dancing perhaps against their own will, but the spell that was being cast was much too powerful.  Women with hula hoops twirled and rotated with precision in time with the chomping beats.  The highlight for me was when he finished with some blues style Glenn Miller that had us all swinging.  -Peter

     And now, I finally get a chance to see the Emmitt-Nershi Band.  Not a vanity project by any means, but a true collaboration, the two took turns with leads, but shared the smiling duty.  Seriously, one of the things that most moves me is to see the musicians themselves get lost in the love of what they’re doing, and that was so the case at the Emmitt-Nershi set.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen two musicians look like they were having more fun!  Their new album, New Country Blues, just came out, and I scored a copy from the guys themselves.  I did give Nershi a bit of grief for trimming his beard,(It was getting cool!)  I will never pass up the opportunity to thank him for his incredible gift of music to the world! -Rex

     Then it was time to give the most fun band oof the day their shot!  The Environmental Encroachment Magic Circus Band  is a twenty to thirty-ish odd piece band dedicated to bring a little madness to any and all situations.  A spectacle of whirling marching band jams, psychedelic uniforms and bunny ears, they brought such a good and majestic level of insanity to the day.  Solidly their own, the marched thru the crowd and serpentine their way thru each other while never missing a beat.  I will do all I can to promote their particular brand of weirdness and can not wait to experience them again! -Rex

     
     While Bela was on, I felt myself pulled back into the pavilion.  This is a strange occurrence because I love Bela. . . But I could not pull out of the orbit of The Holy Ghost Tent Revival.  They played with so much ferocity that I felt terrified to leave (this is a good thing, trust me).  The band jumped up and down on the stage throughout their set, implementing good gospel savagery to those folk who were in attendance. -Peter

     Then it came time for the main reason for my being in Chicago.  I have seen Bela Fleck  about twenty some odd times now, in so many different permutations, be it with the Flecktones or any of the amazing collaborators he collects thru his boundless love of creation.  A discussion with a friend led us to decide that they were the most accomplished band roster in music today.  Seriously, I will put Bela, Victor Wooten, Jeff Coffin and the Futureman up against any band in the land and feel good about my odds.  Since it was the Holiday season, Bela had a special treat in store for all of us, a return of the Tuva, Siberean throat singing ensemble .  Having seen this collective of the Flecktones and Alash perform together the previous year as a Christmas gift to my mother (A huge Bela fan!  Mom’s cool!) I knew how special this was to be.  Their tonal shaping and range added a human element to the proceedings, and it gelled into a Christmas miracle.  I credit their set with truly putting me in the spirit of the season! -Rex

     A man about six foot three takes the pavilion stage.  He was wearing blue jeans, a western style shirt and boots to match.  While tuning up two flying V acoustic guitars, one blue and the other natural (which was much worn with use, very worn with much love), he digs in his pockets and casually tosses his keys on the stage.  I remember thinking to myself, if he was more laid back he would be dead.  With a good natured smile he said “I didn’t know if you knew, but there is a real good band playing in there (meaning Bela in the main stage), I’m glad you’re here, my name is Jaik Willis”.  He then proceeded to open up his guitar and rock back and forth on the heels of his boots.  He is a man in motion, a man who stays in the supreme moment and pulls you along on his magic carpet fret board.  He opens up with his first song “Anything is Possible”, I felt as if I was a part of an intimate group of friends and we were hanging around a campfire realizing everything worthwhile is possible.  He twitches, contorts, and bleeds soul in a tetanus fury, pure passion escaping his every movement.  He appears that he is in pain, but he grins and laughs and his voice quavers and creaks reaching a multitude of pitches and swirls in a matter of moments.  Bela has ended and the main stage crowd starts pouring out while Jaik plays on.  Folks started sticking to our main group while many people (they didn’t know what they were missing) shuffled past into the deep chilly evening.  He closed with a powerful and sincere rendition of Led Zeppelins “Going to California” on the autoharp that brought a tear and perma-grin.  Outstanding show, and I WILL see him again and I encourage everyone to do the same (he travels a ton) he may be in your area, check back here and we will let you know.  -Peter

     The last act of the night for me was my biggest surprise. The Josh Phillips Folk Festival had been causing a buzz amongst some of my headier friends, and I was anxious to see what the hubbub was about.  Taking the lobby stage by storm, I was moved and grooved by Josh, his energy was positive and his songs were tight.  Smiling and bee bopping around with as much joy as anyone had all dy, Josh was indeed a festival in and of himself.  And just let me take a moment to mention the incredible talent of Debrissa McKinney on vocals.  She sings with a range and passion that comes seeming from nowhere and everywhere, and gets right into your soul.  A perfect end to the day! -Rex

     I so enjoyed the Chicago Blues and Bluegrass Festival.  It proved to me that you could have just as much fun in an indoor show as an out.  It really doesn’t matter where your hear the music that changes your life for the better, as long as you hear it! -Rex

Click on the images below to enjoy a photo slide show from The Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival 2009.

Please Enjoy some of the live music from The Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival 2009. Thank you to all the tapers capturing all this love.

The Giving Tree Band collection Live at Congress Theatre on 2009-12-12

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Live at Congress Theatre on 2009-12-12

Emmitt Nershi Band Live at Congress Theatre on 2009-12-12

Words by Rex Thomson & Peter David

Photos By Rex Thomson & Amanda Price