‘Crossborder Blues’ regroups for fourth season

Niagara Frontier Publications, May 17, 2007

The Coup DeVilles

“Crossborder Blues”, a bi-national alliance of six not-for-profit organizations that present blues music at several venues spanning both sides of the CAN-AM border, announced details of its fourth collaborative season at a kickoff event held Saturday at the Lafayette Tap Room in Buffalo.

The group, which formed in January 2004, remains comprised of its original sextet, which includes Artpark, the Lewiston Council on the Arts and the Blues Society of Western New York on the American side of the Niagara River, while “Blues in the Park,” the “Canal Bank Shuffle” and “Steve Burnside’s Summer Blues Series” serve as Canadian counterparts.

Led by Artpark’s “Tuesday in the Park” concert series, “Crossborder Blues” drew an estimated 60,000 patrons from early June to late October last year, an increase of approximately 67 percent from its initial season. Previously, the cooperative promotional endeavors of the alliance have consisted of a full-color tri-fold brochure highlighting each venue’s upcoming events along with an online presence – all of which were bankrolled by a collective pool of funds from the not-for-profits.

However, after showing marked results over three seasons, “Crossborder Blues” was awarded its first grant, a marketing subsidy provided by the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission. These moneys will greatly assist in subsidizing – and expanding upon – the alliance’s publicity materials.

“It has taken a great deal of ‘grassroots’ efforts to provide ‘Crossborder Blues’ with the visibility and steady attendance increases over the past three years, and we feel that with the newfound (addition) of the Bridge Commission, our hard work is being actualized and our marketing has the potential to be that much stronger,” said Rich Schneider, publisher and editor of Blues Beat Magazine, and a Western New York Blues Society member. “I’m confident that we’ve shown how successful we can be with a very limited budget and with a little bit more funding, I’m sure we can do a lot more.”

As always, the series opens up at Creekside Grove in Cheektowaga with the Western New York Blues Society’s ninth annual “Super Jam.” This year’s event on June 3 features eight hours of musical entertainment beginning at 1 p.m.

The Lewiston Council on the Arts hosts “Blue Mondays,” every week from July 9 to Aug. 27 (from 7-9 p.m.) in the village’s Hennepin Park Gazebo (corner of South Fourth and Center streets). The octet of free performances opens with Harmonica Dean and the Blue Lights on July 9, and includes 12 Pack Jack (July 23), the Patti Parks Band (Aug. 6), Gregg Juke and the Mighty No Stars, and concludes with Joe Beard.

Steve Burnside, who provided the assembled crowd at Saturday’s kickoff event with a wide selection of his signature tunes, is the weekly emcee for the aptly titled “Steve Burnside Summertime Blues Series,” which gets under way on July 24. Niagara Falls, Ontario’s Firemen’s Park (Mountain Road at Dorchester) is the site of the free events, all of which begin at 7 p.m.

Artpark will expand its major outdoor concert offerings from one to two nights as “Wednesdays on the Gorge” joins the ultra-popular “Tuesday in the Park” series for another blockbuster lineup of free summer entertainment in the park’s scenic Outdoor Amphitheater. Molly Hatchet and special guests Blackfoot kick off the Tuesday evening series on June 5 while former Bluesbreaker legends Coco Montoya and Walter Trout visit on July 17. “Wednesdays” begin with Woodstock icon Richie Havens on July 11 before Kelley Hunt puts on another of her outstanding live performances on Aug. 1. All events begin at 6:30 p.m. and include hands-on art activities for children.

The cross-border celebration heads back to Firemen’s Park for the Stamford Volunteer Firemen Association’s ninth straight presentation of “Blues in the Park.” The two-day extravaganza (Sept. 7-8) features a variety of performers – and children under 12 are admitted free.

A three-day pass to the sixth-annual “Canal Bank Shuffle” (Oct. 18-20) features more than 25 acts at 11 indoor venues. Held in Thorold, Ontario, it is the only indoor festival on the “Crossborder Blues” schedule, while proceeds are donated to local charities, including the Thorold Community Activity Group Recreation Center capital fund.

For more information, visit www.crossborderblues.com.