Los Lobos stars at blues festival
HAMPTON TWP, Allegheny County — Blues band Los Lobos headlines the 15th Pittsburgh Blues Festival, which benefits the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
The festival will take place July 24 to 26 at Hartwood Acres on Middle Road.
The bands scheduled on July 24 are Eric Lindell, and Cyril Neville and Tribe 13.
Lindell is known for an eclectic style of New Orleans blues, and Neville is one of the famous Neville Brothers.
July 25's headliner will be Los Lobos. For more than 35 years, Los Lobos has pushed the limits of blues, rock and folk with their own blend of Latino instruments, lyrics and rhythms.
Other performers on July 25 include Shannon Curfman, Shawn Kellerman and Curtis Salgado.
At age 24, Curfman, has already been known as a blues performer for nearly 10 years. Reviewers call Kellerman a blues guitar wizard, and Salgado is a veteran who has played with the likes of Muddy Waters, Robert Cray and Bonnie Raitt.
The festival will close on July 26 with master bluesman and storyteller Robert Cray. The five-time Grammy winner has just released another live album following the success of 2006's "Live from Across the Pond," recorded in London's Albert Hall during his tour with Eric Clapton.
Other performers on July 26 include Deb Callahan and J.J. Grey & Mofro. Callahan released her latest CD, "Grace & Grit," just last year, and Grey's latest, "Orange Blossoms," represents funk, blues, rock and soul.
Interspersed in the lineup will be local blues bands, including Glen Pavone & the Cyclones, Jill West & Blues Attack, Eugene & the Nightcrawlers, the Jimmy Adler Band, Ron Yarosz & the Vehicle, and the local International Blues Challenge winners Felix & the Hurricanes.
The festival begins with Free Friday, when admission July 24 is free with the donation of a bag of nonperishable groceries.
Tickets on July 25 and 26 are $25 each day. Advance tickets, weekend passes, and family fun pack discounts can be found on the Web site, www.pghblues.com. Parking is free.
Admission for children younger than 12 is also free. The festival is family friendly, with children's activities planned all weekend.
The Pittsburgh Blues Festival reached the total fundraising milestone of $1 million last summer. Money raised goes directly to support the food bank's programs for helping the hungry.
Call the Blues Hotline at 412-460-2583 for more information.
