BLUES FESTIVAL IS READY TO ROCK
ONE of the highlights of the year comes rocking into town this weekend as Enniscorthy tunes up and plugs in for the 22nd annual Blackstairs Blues Festival, with four nights of live music that is guaranteed to hit the right notes.
Founded in 1995, the Blackstairs Blues Festival is Ireland’s longest consecutively run Blues festival. The Enniscorthy Blackstairs Blues Festival guarantees all locals and visitors an exciting musical weekend each September.
The Blues weekend generates an open and friendly atmosphere in a town, which is famous for being the beating heart of music festivals in Ireland.
The festival boasts at least 26 live gigs over the weekend - all of them free of charge, from afternoon jams, workshops, school visits, to late night sessions.
Over the past 21 years Blackstairs Blues Festival has attracted the cream of local and international blues bands and solo artists entertaining us with the broadest spectrum of Blues from the Delta to Chicago.
One of the highlights of the Blackstairs Blues Festival is The Jam Session and over the past 21 years they have been nothing but epic. Showcasing talent not only among the bands, the Jam Session extends its musical collage to the part-time mu- sician, bedroom twanger and music lover alike. It has even introduced and bound together a few musical forces, and has been the launch pad of others. Blackstairs Blues Jam Session participants range from blues harp players, drummers, bassists, guitarists, vocalists (even a lil bit of rap has been known to turn up) and everything beyond,
So this is the stage to perform or just listen to some impromptu Blues/Roots music.
The virtuoso blues rocker Mike Brookfield will host this year’s jam.
This year sees the 22nd Blackstairs Blues Festival kick of with a blues guitar seminar from acclaimed Irish Guitarist Clive Barnes, who will give a talk on the history of the blues and play some of its comprehension in the surroundings of Enniscorthy Library. Other events include: Bluz 4 Skoolz, where an artist will visit a school and give a presentation on the blues as well as an acoustic performances.
Workshops consisting of an in-depth talks on blues style and form, a question and answer session and acoustic performances.
Gigs ranging from solo and Duos to powerhouse bands and rootsy acoustic-style acts playing in venues on both sides of the River Slaney.