Southern Shore Music Festival grows
Filed in: Events
The main stage at the Cumberland County Fairgrounds on Saturday overlooked a sea of tents, umbrellas and chairs as more than 1,000 people came out throughout the day for the now-annual Southern Shore Music Festival.
The festival's second year outstripped its inaugural effort in both turnout and quality of performers, which included blues great Dr. John – with his band, the Lower 911 – along with some well-known local acts and a few break-out surprises.
The music itself was an eclectic mix of old-style blues and folk. Many of the festival folk had come from out-of-state, especially Pennsylvania and Delaware, but tickets have been sold to people as far as Florida.
While the primary draw was of course Dr. John, the biggest, and best, surprise of the day came from a family of blues performers from Tupelo, Miss., lead by a 16-year-old guitar player and singer. The bassist is his 14-year-old brother; the drummer, their 9-year-old sister. The father backed them on harmonica. Also worth mentioning: The two brothers had built their instruments out of car mufflers. If you're a bit skeptical, so were many in the crowd. However, by the end of their hour-long set, they were enjoying a standing ovation from the entire crowd.
For more information: www.southernshoremusicfestival.com
The festival's second year outstripped its inaugural effort in both turnout and quality of performers, which included blues great Dr. John – with his band, the Lower 911 – along with some well-known local acts and a few break-out surprises.
The music itself was an eclectic mix of old-style blues and folk. Many of the festival folk had come from out-of-state, especially Pennsylvania and Delaware, but tickets have been sold to people as far as Florida.
While the primary draw was of course Dr. John, the biggest, and best, surprise of the day came from a family of blues performers from Tupelo, Miss., lead by a 16-year-old guitar player and singer. The bassist is his 14-year-old brother; the drummer, their 9-year-old sister. The father backed them on harmonica. Also worth mentioning: The two brothers had built their instruments out of car mufflers. If you're a bit skeptical, so were many in the crowd. However, by the end of their hour-long set, they were enjoying a standing ovation from the entire crowd.
For more information: www.southernshoremusicfestival.com