After a painful two-year hiatus the smells, tastes, and sounds of the Lilac Festival return to Highland Park in May.
Yes, there’s beer, cell phone sales booths, fried dough and some kinda cheesecake thing dipped in chocolate and served on a stick that I’d crawl over broken glass for.
But it’s really the lineup of live acts coming through that has me j-j-jittery.… This is just a partial list to light that rocket in your pocket.
Dig:
- Blues Traveler – May 6
- Zac Brown Tribute Band (double set) – May 7
- Driftwood – May 8
- Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears / Uprooted Band with Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root – May 12
- Blue Sky Brothers – May 13
- Low Cut Connie / 7 Wonders – May 14
- Workingman’s Dead / Into the Now – May 15
- Anders Osborne and Jackie Greene – May 19
- Aqueous / Ripe – May 20
- Bumpin Uglies / Big Eyed Phish – May 21
- Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad – May 22
Landreth and Cashdollar
Cindy Cashdollar and Sonny Landreth are coming to town.
Both have unique ways of getting there but the result is still the same: a staggering body count on stage. These two, well, they’ll slay ya.
South Louisiana guitarist done good Landreth is a monster on the slide guitar with his patented right-handed string blocking technique. In a perfect metaphoric world you could dump a whole lot of double clutchin’, tire squealin’, grizzly bear growlin’ along with describing Landreth’s Louisiana rave-ups. He could easily be labeled slydeco. Landreth is too fast to catch, man. So youse better just watch … and listen to the man Eric Clapton called the most underestimated guitarist on the planet.
Woodstock-based slide mistress Cindy Cashdollar was the first woman to be inducted into the Texas Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. She has also earned five Grammy Awards. Cashdollar has lent her polish and sky-busting tone to Asleep at the Wheel, Etta James, Ryan Adams, members of the Band and Van Morrison.
Cashdollar and Landreth play Friday, March 18, 6:30 p.m, Hart Theatre, JCC of Greater Rochester, $35-$40.
Frank De Blase is Rochester Beacon music writer.
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Here’s a comprehensive list of live shows in and around Rochester: Get Your Gig On