Porquis Blues Festival - July 12, 2003

The pictures here were mostly taken by Hank Melong and are used for showing what it's all about and can be used if his name is put along with the pictures of these sites!

Please let us know if you are using them and if you are in the pictures then let us know if it's okay to be on these pages or not?

It's for the fans of the blues and the ones who go to the festival too!

It's another new festival, great music to be heard and seen. At the start of the festival we saw rain and gave it a dull look for the rest of the day. The first band up was the Hurtin' Blues Band, which gave thier fans true blues of the north and lent thier talents to a couple of artists that night. They showed a love and respect for the Blues! The second band up was called, Dylan Wickens Project. They have a big Texas Swing style to the music and the band leader does a good job in sharing the stage with a fine bunch of players who put his music out with no gimmicks needed. When thier set ended I bought the CD and got Dylan to sign the inside of it. I gave him my card to check out the web site for the Porquis pictures. I'm very sorry for not getting any pictures of the band to put on this web site but got there a little to late to find the camera, but I got to see you do a few songs and the sound makes me think of Anson Funderburgh or Smoking Joe Kubek for sure! Maybe next year if you come again to the longest running blues festival in the north I'll get pictures.

Now, the Fundamentals prove to me, agian this year, to be a band to watch and keep track of in the future. I've been a fan since the first time I saw them. Thier set had some old standards and a new one or two. An Allman Brothers staple song, "One Way Out", is done in fine form and has shades of the Allman's but they do put thier own stamp on the song aswell. It's a great Elmore James song and I always love hearing his songs from any artists whom loves Elmore James stuff. I hope they keep this song in the act too. The piano player told me that they will be having thier own web site out very soon, and will look out for the link and put it in my links page too. The Fundamentals are going to try for Jan/Feb. 2004 for the new CD. "Can't wait fellows!"

-- The Fundamentals Dancers --

Maybe the name of the CD, will be "Rental of the Blues" or something like that, because that's what they do best is rent the music and give back to the fans with the cost of sweat 'n' tears! "LOL" Jake Thomas plays his axe like tomorrow may not even get here, so it makes it all worth the watch. When he plays with others too, he gives depth to the music and the songs, respect too. The piano player is a hell of a singer which matches the music to a tee. The songs they do blend well with his voice and style for the band too. I will be always looking forward to see this band live more in the future and buying their cd's too.

Now the next guy had the Hurtin' blues Band backing him up and the guys did a great job too. This singer/mouth harp/guitar player just blew me away with the music he does and power behind the man himself. Sonny Fournier is another guy to watch from the north, one guy told me he's been in the closet to long and it's about time he burst out. I heard he's out of Sudbury and if he's there when I visit my sisters then I hope he's playing in some club too, because I'll be sitting down at the closest seat open. Sonny's guitar playing is heavy handed on the rock/blues thing which I love the most, which reminds me of the British blues sound from the 60's. When he puts the mouth harp between his teeth and lets the air flow like the strong winds from the north. He musters up all the devils breath and thows it thru this instrument and makes the blues come alive for the crowd. I wish now that I would have gotten his CD but there's alway another time for that, the music live, means more to me then the music on the disc, live is where it's at for me! This group has been making thier way around the north together and have become another great band to be heard and seen for anyone that's a fan of the blues.

" Maybe they will put out a CD together who knows what they'll do, it's an idea guys! LOL "

-- 2 Kirkland Lake Fans Watching--

The next act has been around since the beginning of the Porquis Blues Festival. Sab has been instrumental in getting the talent to this festival. He also helped showcase some local talent.

" SAB ", our northern ICON! Mr. Showman-ship puts on a grand show and never lets up from the start to the finish. He started with an old Canadian rock AM radio classic called, "Mama, Let Him Play", from Jerry Ducette. He does a great job on the song and let's it rock into the audience with what the crowd wants, music to let the blood flow and get the feet a movin'! He also, throws in a Downchild Blues Band tune. He always lets others get up on stage and do a song or two along side of him. He sure likes to share the stage and spread the love of the music with others! SAB always gives the crowd a great show and gives us a taste of what to expect at the Midnight's Blues Jam to come.

Sab, always shows his admiration for the artists who he shares the stage with, a true performer! I sure hope he puts out a CD, which sounds like his live shows! That's it SAB !! A LIVE CD !! It's your true self as a musician and performer of roots music. the music is to the point with no gimmicks, overdubs, nothing but heavy blues with a touch of rock for good measure. Now start taping your live shows for a year and see what you get, my ears don't lie! Your spontaneous stuff is really good! Just an idea Sab?

When a woman sings and plays the blues, she gives it all because the roll is tuff to stand up to in the first place. Maureen Brown does this with out a hitch or twitch to the grand show she puts on the stage, either sitting behind the drum kit or out front on the mic, it's first rate. The songs she did were all great and the musicians backing her up were the same as last year and made her sound great too.

My wife, Sarah, didn't come this year and so missed the component of this festival that won her over in the past. The energy of Paul James. He delivered 200% blues power! This year the band came along and played thier asses off. He digs out the tricks and wow's them. Playing on his acoustic and electric guitars gave the show many shades to the music, along with jumping off the stage and into the crowd while spinning around with the guitar behind his head. All the while playing top notch music to a tee! He pulls no punches with Chuck Berry, Bo Didley, and Bob Dylan style songs to get the crowd jumping! I have all his music on CDs and hope to see a new one out soon or within a year or two, come on Paul it's been a little while. I spoke to him while he was signing some Cds for fans and told him one song which he does to a "T", is "Sweet Litttle Angel", man he makes that song his by adding little nitches in the songs, if you had your eyes close it would sound like angels flying around the night's sky. I think it wasn't in the set because the white Fender Strat never seen the light. He just look at me and winked his eye, next time guy! I know that he'll be here agian in the future maybe not next year but the year after for sure!

Fathead? Whom, where, when did these guys come from a great Canadain band to watch and keep a close eye on for the future to come and further too.

They have the heart and soul of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues to a hilt. I was in for a treat and a half when they hit the stage, showed the crowd why they were there and living thier mark for many more to come. The focal point of the band is the singer but he shares the stage with the whole band, such has the horn player.

Winning awards in Canada gives them a name to place them in many shows around the world and puts the music forth to the fan and says "fell this or else!". The drummer for Fathead with nothing but smiles for the evening!

They have three CDs out and I'm getting them all this year by ordering them from thier site or when i vist a music store near me! LOL The crowd kept up the dancing since Paul James hit the stage and when thru the whole set of Fathead and on to the coming Midnight's Jam ...

Now it's time for the end of the night which a lot of fans wait for is the JAM. Which as different artist from the bands of the day and other that just came to the festival for the special ending for the fan and the artists enjoyment aswell too. On the bill it's called, SAB's Jam, so most came oput to show why it's called the BLUES! I love to see the interaction of artist whom share the same feeling for the music and show the audiences how well they know each other thru the music.

--- Midnight's Blues Jam ---

Sab get the band going with a staple song of the blues and turn it into a force which keeps the people dancing without a pause for break or rest. I just stood back agianst the hockey rinks wall and watch while two drummers beat till thier arms would fall off any moment,

The back beat was steady and striaght ahead with the help of Sab's musical brother on bass! The piano player been in the business for a long time and makes his part of the music whole and full for the night's never ending jam. After the song Sab's invites more artist to the stage Mrs.Brown to the stage and the bass player from the Downchild Blues band to play some music which is entended to be hear, live! Now Jake Thomas does a great job and lets out a song of his own to the jam, slow and easy he plays and then lets the turnbins kick in gear. The guy sure plays a mean guitar and share's the duties right along side of Sab's own guitar playong too! What a show and even gets better a the next song is being belt out of the speakers. Sonny, blows some bad-ass harp for the music of the night, this guy is good and hope to see Sonny agian next year, which I think will happen if he's out playing with The Hurtin' Blues Band.

Now when Sab hits the mic agian he does his talking , rocking, blues for the north tribute to the fans of the north! I just love when he does this style of song and it shows how the real jam should go. Singing on the spot and making words up his hard for anyone and he makes it easy for the ones with him on stage and says what the crowd needs to be heard and telling us all why we are all here tonight and always come out for more! It's the fans that keep the music for the festivals and buy the CDs to support the music at hand. it even sparks a artists from the crowd to the stage in the future to come, it's the music which brings us all together,. Maybe it's the Blues now but it goes for all styles of music which keeps the food, drinks and feedom to hear the music of our own choosing to enjoy fully at a giving time and place!

The night is comming to an end and like all good things they do come to an end! When we are all in the mood it sure feels like it should go on and on but thier are regulations we or the people must follow, what we get is enough to do till next year or the next live show we see as a fan of the Blues! This is a great thing for my tastes buds and the northern fans of the BLUES, which come out of the woodwork to see what they would only be listening to in the cars or homes.

Please e-mail me at renaudj@nt.net