The Chenango Blues Foundation has announced its Thursday summer concert series spanning from July 11th to August 29th at East Park in Downtown Norwich, NY, who will host free concerts every Thursday in the leadup to the Chenango Blues Festival on August 16th. These Summer concerts are free, allowing concert-goers to enjoy world class talent at no cost. 2024’s lineup provides a diverse array of genres, including blues, roots rock, and psychedelic.
Since 2003, the Chenango Blues Foundation has put on free concerts for Norwich residents highlighting blues talent. This aids in their mission to foster the appreciation of American musical arts through accessible performances. As part of this mission, the foundation has presented free concerts by American blues legends such as Shemekia Copeland in 2021. The Summer concert series has also featured legends of big-band jazz, and zydeco, including multiple shows by the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Eric Lindell will kick off the Summer series on July 11th with his trademark brand of Americana. Lindell’s strain of music mixes Southern R&B, West Coast Rock, and Soul to create an infectious sound. This performance marks Lindell’s third performance at the Chenango Thursday Concert Series, having previously played in 2007, and 2008.
New Orlean’s the Iguanas will grace the concert series with a July 18th show. The Iguanas have toured for three decades with few lineup changes, crafting a fun and almost brotherly attitude in their music. The band’s style of roots rock connects genres ranging from New Orleans jazz, blues, tejano rock, and Caribbean music.
The James Hunter Six will close out July with an evening concert on July 25th. MOJO magazine hailed Hunter as “the United Kingdom’s greatest soul singer.” Since starting his career over 30 years ago, Hunter has played guitar and backing vocals for Van Morrison, and received a Grammy nomination for “Best Traditional Blues Album.” Hunter will perform while in the US on a larger tour with Bonnie Raitt.
Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds will kick off the festival’s August lineup. Headed by singer Arleigh Kincheloe, the Brooklyn based band has made a name for themselves with their electrifying soul. For their headlining shows, festival performances, and residencies, NPR hailed them as “one of the biggest voices in rock music.” With very limited dates, this performance is sure to be one of the group’s only free shows.
August 8th will see a special performance by the Garcia Project. The Garcia Project is dedicated to faithful recreations of Jerry Garcia Band concerts from 1976-1995. These concerts are not covers, but thoughtful musical arrangements meant to evoke the emotions of classic Garcia concerts. This concert is perfect for enjoyers of Garcia’s classic work or those who enjoy psychedelic and jam band music.
August 15th will feature a special Blues Fest pre-show with Blood Brothers. The duo consists of blues guitarists Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia. Both Zito and Castiglia are renowned musicians in their own right. In 2022, Zito won the Blues Music Award for “Best Blues Album,” and Castgilia won the BMA for “Blues Rock Artist.” Together, the duo are more than the sum of their parts, featuring immensely collaborative performances and songwriting. This concert will kick off the weekend-long Chenango Blues Festival.
Following the Blues Festival, the Thursday concert series will return on August 22nd with a performance by Sam Bush. This legendary artist spearheaded the “newgrass” movement, creating a new progressive style of bluegrass. Bush’s sound melds traditional bluegrass with long rock jams, and even aspects of Bob Marley’s reggae. Bush is a Bluegrass Hall of fame inductee, 3x Grammy winner, and Americana Music Association lifetime achievement award winner. Since beginning his career, Bush has collaborated with legends like Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks, and Bela Fleck.
Musical innovator Keller Williams will close out the summer season with an August 29th performance. Williams is not bound by conventional notions of genre, seamlessly shifting between rock, funk, and blues. With this eclectic mixing of styles, no two shows by Williams will ever be the same. Keller will play solo, accompanying himself on guitar, bass, synthesizer, and drum sampler. Williams has dubbed this style “Acoustic dance music,” which is sure to make for an engaging and danceable show.
Summer Concert Series Schedule
7/11 @ 7:00pm – Eric Lindell
7/18 @ 7:00pm- The Iguanas
7/25 @ 7:00pm- James Hunter Six
8/1 @ 7:00pm- Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds
8/8 @ 7:00pm- The Garcia Project
8/15 @ 6:30pm- Blood Brothers
8/22 @ 7:00pm- Sam Bush
8/29 @ 7:00pm- Keller Williams
For more information on performers, location, and times, visit the Chenango Blues Festival website here.
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