Bowlful of Blues’ 23rd year promises another solid lineup

There are a ton of things that have to go well in putting together a blues festival — long before a vocalist sings about a lost love, or a guitarists bends chords to make a beautiful sound.

Mike Pender, president of the South Skunk Blues Society, is trying to keep those things lined up and happening in order as his organization gets ready to host its signature event of the year. The 23rd annual Bowlful of Blues, held at the Maytag Bowl, is set to begin at noon on Saturday, Sept. 5, with five different acts set to perform regular sets.

“We’ve been fortunate,” Pender said regarding the longevity of the Bowlful of Blues. “We have some very enthusiastic members, and some great sponsors who help us out.”

This year’s lineup includes Mississippi Heat, a Chicago-based band led by harmonica player Pierre Lacocque. Formed in 1991, the band has played in Europe, South America and Africa, and is set to play a 90-minute set at the Bowlful of Blues, beginning at 8 p.m.

Preceding Mississippi Heat will be Bob Pace and the Dangerous Band at 6 p.m. Pace has played live music for more than 40 years, and is a 2012 inductee into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame.

The Lamont Cranston Band — the 4 p.m. act — was started in the late 1960s in Hamel, Minn. The band will be joined with longtime artist Bruce McCabe on keys.

The 2 p.m. act is Des Moines-area saxophonist Del “Saxman” Jones — a 2001 Iowa Blues Hall of Fame inductee. He’ll be accompanied by “Final Mix” — the group he helped found in 1999.

The day will begin with a noon set by the James Biehn Band. Rob Lombard and Mike Woods will play music in between the day’s five sets.

Biehn is a central Iowa music teacher; Pender said many blues musicians teach music full-time or part-time.

“These guys aren’t making a killing playing gigs,” Pender said. “They do it because they love it.”

Coolers are welcome, although no glass containers or pets are allowed.

Good weather is always an important factor. So important, in fact, that the blues society has taken out rain insurance, which requires a meteorology student be on hand to monitor conditions.

“We can have up to 0.25 inches of rain per hour during the insured hours,” Pender said. “If it’s more than that, it triggers the policy.”

Pender said organizers learned the hard way to read the fine print in the policy, as a 2010 rainout ended up not being covered by insurance due to a mix-up.

“There were a few times this event was near death, and that was one of them,” Pender said. “We only had about $200 in the bank, but our sponsors really helped us get going again.”

Speaking of rainouts, the 2015 Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, scheduled to be held close to the Fourth of July in the Davenport area, was postponed due to weather, and a makeup date of Sept. 5-6 would have made the large event conflict with the Bowlful of Blues. However, the Mississippi Valley event ended up being canceled, and Pender thinks some hungry blues fans might make their way to Newton.

“We’ve had out-of-state visitors before,” Pender said. “I got a call just the other day from someone in North Carolina about tickets.”

The event’s attendance leaped when about 800 fans came to the 2013 festival.

Pender said it’s critical for the blues to be handed down to future generations — be it through South Skunk’s involvement through Blues in Our Schools or in the form of concerts.

“We all have one common goal,” Pender said. “And that’s to preserve the blues as an important part of American history.”

Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Mattingly Books $ Music, Newton Hy-Vee, Cadillac Jack's in Baxter, The Music Shop in Grinnell, Zzz records in Des Moines or online through PayPal here: http://bit.ly/1Kntv7t

An “after party” jam is set to take place at the Newton Elks Club on E. Second St. S. Admission is $5, or free to those wearing Bowlful of Blues wristbands. Breakfast will be served until midnight.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com