Photos by Susan J Weiand //
The 22nd Annual Santa Cruz Blues Festival //
Aptos Village Park — Aptos, CA
May 24th-25th, 2014 //
Set in beautiful Aptos Village Park in nearby Aptos, Calif., the Santa Cruz Blues Festival has hosted many blues legends over years, including BB King, Albert Collins, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker and Ray Charles. This year, some talented new-comers and a couple of heavy hitters graced the stage during the two-day festival.
Great weather and enthusiastic audiences provided a backdrop to the music. Saturday saw performances by bluesy diva Nikki Hill, a rare appearance by Dave Alvin and his brother Phil Alvin, powerhouse funksters Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and rootsy bluesman Tab Benoit from New Orleans, and the legendary Gregg Allman and his band. Sunday brought guitar-playing rising star Ana Popovic, Black Crowe’s Rich Robinson with his own band, crowd-pleasing Jackie Greene, Vintage Trouble (who blew the crowd away with its powerful R&B and stage presence) and popular crooner Chris Isaak.
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