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Arts & Entertainment

Santa Cruz Blues Festival Announces 2011 Lineup

Some of the world's finest guitarists will be on hand to salute guitar legend, Jimi Hendrix.

You won’t want to miss the 19th Annual Santa Cruz Blues Festival this Memorial Day Weekend and its amazing lineup of top names in blues and roots music and a venue that can’t be beat—Aptos Village Park, with its natural redwood amphitheater featuring state-of-the-art staging and sound production.

The festival will kick off on Saturday, May 28, with Mia Borders, whose blend of funk and soul comes with a Cajun flair. Borders has been compared with both Aretha Franklin for her rockin’ style and Tracy Chapman for her songwriting.  

Next up is Jackie Greene, a singer, songwriter and passionate musician who lights up the stage with his piano, guitar and harmonica playing.

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Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, a Santa Cruz favorite for four years running, joins the party Saturday to play some high-energy New Orleans-style music and to celebrate a recent Grammy appearance, a No. 1 album and a five-continent tour.

A star-studded lineup rocks the rest of the day in a tribute to Jimi Hendrix. Experience Hendrix includes guitarists Billy Cox from Jimi’s band; Chris Layton, who backed Stevie Ray Vaughan; Jonny Lang; Kenny Wayne Shepherd; David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas, from Los Lobos; North Mississippi Allstars Duo (Luther & Cody); Steve Vai; Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford; Living Colour; the Slide Brothers; Ernie Isley; and Mato Nanji, from Indigenous.

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But wait, the party isn’t over yet.

Sunday opens with Chris Cain, a blues guitarist who captures the spirit of B.B. King and Albert King. Highlights will be songs from his new album, So Many Miles.

Blues guitarist Tommy Castro hits the stage next. Castro has received many awards for his musical talents, and he’s on another hot streak with four more wins at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis, including Blues Artist of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Band of the Year and Contemporary Blues Album of the Year for Hard Believer.

“There are two types of folk music: quiet folk music and loud folk music. I play both.” So says Dave Alvin, and you won’t want to miss his show when he introduces a new band—Dave Alvin & The Guilty Ones—and songs from his new album.

Get ready for the redwoods to shake to the amazing sound of Tower of Power, which has played its own brand of funk, blues and soul for more than 40 years. Want to dance? Want to party? You won’t be able to sit still once Tower of Power hits the stage.

Boz Scaggs, with his instantly recognizable, rich, warm voice, tops off a great weekend with his unique blend of blues, soul, jazz and rock that always stirs his audiences and brings everyone to their feet.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Thursday and can be purchased at the festival’s website, Moe’s Alley and Streetlight Records in Santa Cruz and San Jose, and at Whole Foods Markets in Monterey, Capitola, Santa Cruz, Los Gatos, Cupertino and Fresno.

Gates open at 10 a.m. Music starts at 11 a.m. and continues until the early evening. Food, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages will be sold in a food court. An ATM is available inside the park.

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