[Harp-L] Re: Santa Cruz Blues Festival

[Brad Kava <bradkava@xxxxxxx>]

It's early to be thinking about Memorial Day Weekend, but not too  
early if you are booking bands.
A lot of you know me as a harmonica fanatic and music critic...well, I  
have a new role. I took all my 401K money and invested it in beer and  
blues, a partnership in the 16-year-old Santa Cruz Blues Festival.

The Fest has brought in a mix of big and small acts, with headliners  
that have included BB King, Buddy Guy, Rod Piazza, the Ford Brothers,  
Ray Charles, Bonnie Raitt (with Pinetop Perkins and Hubert Sumlin).
We try to mix it up. As you know, so many of the older generation  
players are gone, so we have to be imaginative and sometimes stretch  
the bounds of traditional blues to bring in a crowd (but not too big a  
crowd). Los Lobos headlined one show, with John Hiatt and Dave Alvin.

So, what I'm wondering from my harp friends is if  you have  
recommendations for small and mid-sized acts, who are must-sees (and  
will bring in an audience). Jason, as always, is at the top of my  
list, but not sure about getting him to the West Coast then.
Who else would you suggest? You can make suggestions at our Facebook  
page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1044968938&hiq=brad%2Ckava#/ 
group.php?gid=42681487034
You can also buy merch and see the history of the Festival at www.santacruzbluesfestival.com

I'm extremely harp centric, and the other guys are guitar lovers...so  
any of your suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We're looking  
for not obvious players, who are great. One example comes to mind:  
Ruthie Foster (no harp content though).
Who do you love?

Thanks

Brad