Blues festival is on point
Mississippi 1903 to Monaco, Nelson 2024 is quite a stretch in time and space.
When WC Handy heard the eerie sound of a knife on a guitar string at Tutwiler railway station, he didn’t just wake up from a late-night nap.
He woke up to the commercial possibilities of the strange music of the lone guitarist. It needed a name. I guess that’s why he called it the Blues.
Handy, a young writer and publisher, went on to be known as the “Father of the Blues”, laying the foundations for a whole new musical genre and industry that has cascaded down the decades, influenced almost all forms of music and spread to all corners of the globe. One of those corners is Nelson, Aotearoa.
No-one, not even WC Handy owns the blues. But for generations, plenty have claimed them as their own, loved them and built a life or career around them. Or, indeed, a thriving club.
Paul Nickless (CORR) had a passion for blues music. Being a wonderfully generous soul, he was determined to share it. Moving to Nelson, he spotted a gap
With the help of Marcus Roebuck, singer with local favourites Boogie Train, a plot was hatched.
On October 20, 2021, the Tasman Bay Blues Club opened its first meeting with a massed jam on Sweet Home Chicago, that party favourite from The Blues Brothers film. It was fun.
There were smiles all round among the healthy number of musicians and bumper audience who had come together to declare a common bond through the blues.
New club president Paul Nickless was pleased. They were up and running.
Since that night in October 2021, there has been a Nelson Blues Boom.
“We just took off and never looked back,” says current club president Warren “Wozza” Houston. “Our Jam Nights are sellouts, and performers queue up to play. There are over 140 club members. We are very happy victims of our own success.”
Houston doesn’t have a problem with that. He ran blues clubs in the North Island, and thrives on the vibes.
“There’s a great camaraderie and atmosphere – it’s as if we’ve all found something to call our own. The quality of the music constantly amazes me. There is so much talent here in Nelson.”
It’s that depth of talent that has prompted the club to host its first ever Blues Festival - moving out of The Barn, its home behind The Honest Lawyer pub in Monaco, into the waterfront gardens of the venue to showcase the best of Tasman Bay Blues.
The Blues on the Point Festival on Saturday, March 2 will feature seven bands, all with their own take on the blues.
Dem Blues Boys favour an old-timey, laid-back acoustic style, steeped in the authentic sounds of Handy’s era.
Both Jukejoint and Rich & The Poor Boys point to the dance floor, mixing 1950s Chicago classics by icons such as Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters with songs from the British Blues Boom that produced the Rolling Stones, Cream and Fleetwood Mac.
Ivan Outram (CORR) of The West Coast Blues Band has the skills to tackle the guitar heroics of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix and hold his head high.
The Scintillators come in from the fringe, with original songs, funk-soul grooves and twin guitar jams. Marcus Roebuck leads The Rubber Biscuit Band through a hard-edged “Blues & Beyond” set.
The Barnstormers were born on that opening night. The house band for the club, they back jammers and visiting musicians, and have taken the Tasman Bay Blues to venues around the South Island.
But one of their number will be missing from the festival. Paul Nickless saw his vision fully realised, and was rightly and quietly proud of what he had created. Sadly, the club’s own founding father of the blues passed away just a few days ago.
This year’s festival will become an annual highlight of the club’s calendar. In the meantime, it will be back to The Barn, fully transformed into a music venue by club volunteers.
There will be more sold-out Jam Nights, more local musicians being drawn to the blues flame, and more visiting artists. So, what is the enduring appeal of the blues?
“The secret is in the simplicity.” says Houston. “You can quickly learn the basics and make the music your own. There’s also a huge variety of blues styles, and they’re all very easy for audiences to enjoy and understand. That’s why it’s been around for over 100 years, yet we all keep coming back for more!”
The Blues On The Point Festival is a family-friendly event. The venue will open at noon, with music from 1pm until 8pm, and entry is by cash donation.