Chris Johnson, who is a regular over at Calls Responses and Field Hollars, has his lineup complete for his second annual Deep Blues Festival. The St.Paul MN paper ran this story recently:


Turns Out Singing The Blues Makes Even More Folks Happy
By ROSS RAIHALA


Last summer, Chris Johnson founded the Deep Blues Festival because no one else was giving the music he loved enough attention.

Turns out Johnson's not the only one who digs deep blues, a catch-all term encompassing acts that take a more punk-inspired approach to the venerable genre. The festival was such a hit that not only is Johnson bringing it back for a sophomore outing but he's also expanding it.

Deep Blues is moving from a golf course across the border in Wisconsin to the Washington County Fairgrounds near Lake Elmo. And this year, it will include a whopping 45 bands over three days, July 18-20, as well as a film festival.

Scott H. Biram, Left Lane Cruiser and John Schooley will return from the first year and perform alongside International Blues Competition winner Richard Johnston, Th' Legendary Shack* Shakers, Bob Log III and the Black Diamond Heavies. It will be an international event this time, too, with acts from Canada (the Pack A.D.), the U.K. (Honkeyfinger and Mudlow) and Italy (Black Smokers) making the trip to Minnesota. And like last year, Johnson is encouraging bands to book other local club gigs while they're in the area - a rare move, as many festivals typically require exclusivity on the lineup.

Tickets will go on sale Thursday. For more details, see Deep BluesFestival which will also lead folks to the event's MySpace page with links to sample all 45 acts.

From Pioneer News

Aslo, Click here to view this year's Deep Blues Festival poster.

Tweed