{"id":1181,"date":"2012-08-25T21:16:01","date_gmt":"2012-08-26T02:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=1181"},"modified":"2012-08-25T21:16:01","modified_gmt":"2012-08-26T02:16:01","slug":"cincy-blues-fest-2012-day-3-up-close-and-personal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=1181","title":{"rendered":"Cincy Blues Fest 2012 Day 3: Up Close AND Personal"},"content":{"rendered":"

I slept in this morning again.\u00a0 I got up about 8:30 and started preparing for the day. Rich continued to sleep on though.\u00a0 Finally, he opened his eyes and started moving around.\u00a0 Time for a shower and then off to breakfast.\u00a0 That\u2019s two days in a row that we\u2019ve eaten breakfast late.<\/span><\/p>\n

We headed down to the coffee shop in the Carew Towers.\u00a0 We noticed this yesterday as we wondered around.\u00a0 It\u2019s a 50s type coffee shop where you can sit at the counter.\u00a0 We take a table in the busy room and get coffee right away.\u00a0 That\u2019s a good thing.\u00a0 We order and get our breakfast.\u00a0 I love being in the southern side of the U.S.\u00a0 I can have grits with breakfast.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The room is filled with all types of people.\u00a0 However, there is a large number from a family staying at the hotel for a wedding.\u00a0 We\u2019ve run into different members throughout the hotel.\u00a0 They gathered on Friday and had several events.\u00a0 A couple of girls in the elevator were exhausted by Saturday morning.\u00a0 I mention them because I hear them talking all around me about different aspect of the wedding.\u00a0 One set of the family are on their way out of the door.\u00a0 The two year old girl is telling everyone in the place good-bye as she is lead out.<\/span><\/p>\n

We then head out to look for the food court that has a Gold Star Chili in it.\u00a0 That\u2019s where we\u2019ll do lunch today.\u00a0 I noticed a souvenir shop and just have to buy a Pigs Fly sweatshirt. Two reasons.\u00a0 It\u2019s a good motto and I need something warmer for tonight.\u00a0 Pink was a good color for me, too.\u00a0 We get some more explanations of the city from the guy working the shop.\u00a0 Everyone is so friendly, which is another Southern trait.<\/span><\/p>\n

We decided to check out the Observation Deck at the top of the Carew Towers, which connects to the hotel.\u00a0 We rode up to the 45th<\/sup> floor and transferred over to the smallest elevator I ever saw.\u00a0 It was more like a large phone booth.\u00a0 Rich and I fit comfortably, but that\u2019s about all that could fit in it.\u00a0 This took us up a couple of more floors.\u00a0 From here, you walk up a couple of more floors.\u00a0 After paying the $2.00 admission, we stepped out onto the roof.\u00a0 From here, you can see all around the city.\u00a0 We walked all four sides.\u00a0 Jon, Rich\u2019s brother, called while we were up there.\u00a0 Kind of hard to say we can\u2019t help you find the liquor store back home in Schaumburg because we are on the 50th<\/sup> floor in Cincy!<\/span><\/p>\n

We decide to go to the Freedom Underground Railroad Museum today.\u00a0 This is located right at the bottom of Vine Street, which is about 4 blocks away.\u00a0 The morning is a little cool, but the sun is out. \u00a0We arrive at the back of the building and it takes a little while to find the front door.\u00a0 After paying the fee, we walk back to get our audio devices from the Tour desk.\u00a0 We found these very helpful in other museum and hoped it would help here.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We make it up to the first floor.\u00a0 There is a very large group of people (maybe 30 or so) wearing the same exact t-shirt.\u00a0 They are from a family reunion from what the shirt says.\u00a0 Pretty soon I notice there are other groups as well.\u00a0 These are all black families taking a tour of the museum.\u00a0 I feel a little out of place.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Rich and I start off at the same pace and very quickly end up going different ways.\u00a0 The history starts in the 1500s and runs to the modern day.\u00a0 In several places, a tour overwhelms me and I can\u2019t see the displays so I have to move on.\u00a0 We came in today to see the \u201cHymns, Blues, and Rock: Music of Change\u201d exhibit.\u00a0 It was small, but had some good displays tracing music from days on the farms and plantations to modern R&B and gospel today.\u00a0 At the end, there was a room where the kids could play different instruments and create their own music.\u00a0 There were a few adults in there as well and not with kids plunking around and banging on drums.\u00a0 I still think the Rock and Soul Museum in Memphis did the best job I\u2019ve see with the displays and music selections that you could listen to as you read through the exhibit.\u00a0 I highly recommend that you see this one, which was done by the Smithsonian.<\/span><\/p>\n

We finished the museum and headed back up Vine to lunch.\u00a0 We got into the mall and found the Gold Star Chili.\u00a0 I wondered around the food court, but didn\u2019t see anything better.\u00a0 So I settle for chili dogs.\u00a0 They were almost miniature dogs and so cute.\u00a0 Gold Star seems more Tex Mex than Skyline.\u00a0 I guess Skyline is what I\u2019m used to though.\u00a0 It\u2019s what we always ate when we came to Cincy.<\/span><\/p>\n

After lunch, we go out to the street again to try and find the Visitor\u2019s Center in Fountain Square.\u00a0 It appears that some sort of music festival was winding down.\u00a0 Probably the lunchtime concert in the square.\u00a0 We walk around and never find the Center.\u00a0 Darn.\u00a0 It\u2019s after Rich\u2019s afternoon coffee time, so we head into the Westin Hotel and to the coffee shop there.\u00a0 We decide to take the skywalk back across the street to the Hilton.\u00a0 Now we can say we were on the skywalk system.\u00a0 The skywalk\u00a0 is a series of glass walkways throughout the downtown area that take you from building to building without going down to the street.\u00a0 Great for a cold and snowy day.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s 3:00 by this time.\u00a0 Only a couple of more hours until the Blues Fest starts again for the night.\u00a0 We go back to the hotel to hang out.\u00a0 Every time I walk into the hotel, I see something different in the d\u00e9cor.\u00a0 It\u2019s amazing.\u00a0 The main hall into the towers built with the hotel has this amazing silver leaf ceiling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rich takes a nap and I finish Day 2 of the blog.\u00a0 By 4:30, we are packed down and hitting the sidewalk for the trek down to the park.\u00a0 It\u2019s pretty nice out.\u00a0 We head in through the Will Call entrance again, even though we have our tickets.\u00a0 There is no one in line and no performers waiting to check in either.\u00a0 We make our way to main stage and set up base camp.\u00a0 We head out for beer and water.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first act is the Blues in School group.\u00a0 The area school system has a program where they teach the kids to play the blues.\u00a0 There is a big concern that young people aren\u2019t learning the blues and there won\u2019t be anyone to carry on this tradition.\u00a0 The guys start off playing the Star Spangle Banner a la Jimi Hendrix.\u00a0 Bet you didn\u2019t realize Jimi was really playing the blues with a very electric sound.\u00a0 They break into \u201cRed House.\u201d\u00a0 They do a great job.\u00a0 A couple of girls join them for a song that not that strong on the vocals.\u00a0 Then they do Adele\u2019s \u201cRolling the Deep.\u201d\u00a0 The lead breaks out in full voice and does an excellent job.\u00a0 Too bad she doesn\u2019t use that voice for the blues songs!<\/span><\/p>\n

Then the Noah Wotherspoon Band takes the stage.\u00a0 Noah is this year\u2019s group finalist from Cincinnati to the International Blues Competition in Memphis.\u00a0 If he doesn\u2019t win it, that band is very, very, very good.\u00a0 He and his band are excellent and have such style.\u00a0 After the set, Rich headed out for beer and came back with a CD from Noah with a signature.\u00a0 Rich said Noah took the time to talk to him also.\u00a0 Now I have an early version of Noah\u2019s work.\u00a0 Thanks, Rich.\u00a0 Another up close and personal moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up was Southern Hospitality.\u00a0 This is a fairly new group created by some veteran bluesmen.\u00a0 Damon Fowler, Victor Wainwright, and JP Soars have put together this group to play a set of blues fests.\u00a0 They do a song from each of them and some standards.\u00a0 I was really impressed.\u00a0 I might have to add each of them to our collection.\u00a0 Rich did pick one and bought Victor\u2019s CD and got it signed.\u00a0 He had a little conversation with Victor also. Can you say, \u201cUp close and personal?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I chose to stay on instead of leaving today for tonight\u2019s fare to hear Trampled Under Foot.\u00a0 I had heard a couple of songs on Bluesville (XM).\u00a0 The sound was really great.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know anything about them, except they must like Led Zeppelin.\u00a0 I had gone to the concession area and came back to find a single guy on stage playing the guitar and the drums at the same time.\u00a0 He was doing a great job, but where was Trampled Under Foot?\u00a0 After the song stops, he climbs down to the stage and another guy and a girl come out.\u00a0 The girl is wearing a tiny hot pink dress.\u00a0 That got some attention from the guys in the audience.\u00a0 Turns out that Nick and Danielle are left handed guitar players!\u00a0 They start out and you get blown away by the sound of Danielle\u2019s beautiful voice.\u00a0 Nick is an award winning guitar player.\u00a0 Kris can bang the drums better than most I\u2019ve heard.\u00a0 Pretty soon, there is a large circle of people filing in from everywhere.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the set, the emcee asks for an encore and they come out and play Led Zeppelin\u2019s \u201cTrampled Underfoot!\u201d\u00a0 Danielle does Plant better than Plant!\u00a0 If you ever get a chance to listen to this band, do it!\u00a0 They are well worth any effort. <\/span><\/p>\n

NOTE:\u00a0 I looked up their website when I got home.\u00a0 They are also a Zeppelin tribute band.\u00a0 No wonder their encore was so cool!<\/span><\/p>\n

Then we hear Duke Robillard and his band.\u00a0 It was a nice and easy way to end the evening.\u00a0 Duke is a master guitarist and he does a great job with just about everything he plays.\u00a0 But by this time, I\u2019m tired and it\u2019s almost midnight.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the walk back to the hotel was hard.\u00a0 We were tired and just wanted to fall down.\u00a0 It was another great day in the Bluesville neighborhood though.\u00a0 One of the best experiences I have had in the music world in a long time.\u00a0 We were laying bed trying to go to sleep, but just couldn\u2019t quit talking about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our other up close and personal things for today were:<\/span><\/p>\n