Grammy-winning singer will paint the town blue

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See Taylor, other acts under bridge

June 19, 2008 - 9:49PM

BY RINA PALTA

THE GAZETTE

Last year, the first Blues Under the Bridge wasn't so much a festival as an idea that worked, said promoter Amy Whitesell. Maybe it worked too well.

About 800 people showed up, four times as many as organizers expected.

"When people were dancing, you couldn't see the musicians, the sound wasn't good enough, we ran out of food," she said.

This year, Whitesell and her cadre of colleagues and volunteers have ironed out the details, constructing a 5-foot-high stage for bands, hooking up a professional-quality sound system, enlisting a spectrum of food and drink vendors, and capping attendance at 1,000.

"We're a full-blown festival this time around," she said.

Actually, it's more like two minifestivals, as the events will be spaced out over two days more than a month apart.

The first, on Saturday, features the Grammy-winning Chicago blues great Koko Taylor. The legendary, brassy-voiced "Queen of the Blues," has reportedly been in declining health since undergoing emergency surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding in 2003, but she nevertheless earned a Grammy nomination for her album "Old School" last year and has continued to perform live, albeit less often.

Whitesell said she received a promising report from a friend who attended Taylor's performance at the Chicago Blues Festival earlier this month.

"They said her voice was outstanding, she was standing up by herself, and she is getting a little frail," Whitesell said.

Local band Tribe kicks off the Saturday lineup at 12:30 p.m., followed by the gritty and poetic The Jack Trades. Boulder's Felonius Smith picks up his metal guitar at 3 p.m., and Denver's boogieing The Informants follow.

Colorado Springs' Jim Adam Blues Band, featuring Jim Adam's powerful baritone, and Ohio's indie bluesman Patrick Sweany play before Taylor takes the stage.

The second date, July 26, leans more toward the rock side of blues, when a differently spelled Coco headlines: Los Angeles blues-rock guitarist Coco Montoya. Tijerina, from Albuquerque, gentle-toned, Boulder-based The Jack Hadley Band, local George Whitesell and His All Stars featuring Jill Watkins, Ken Saydak Band from Trinidad, Southern California's The Wheel and the sultry-voiced, Philadelphia-based Gina Sicilia all perform.

Whitesell said that when the call went out for audition tapes, 40 bands responded. KRCC (91.5 FM), which hosts the event, whittled down the list to 14 - seven for each day.

"The selection process was difficult," Whitesell said.

But the level of interest is certainly heartening for blues fans. Part of Blues Under the Bridge is an effort to strengthen Colorado's blues community. Representatives from Winter Park Blues Society, which hosts Blues from the Top, Trinidaddio Blues Fest, and Belvedere Blues Festival, will all host booths at the event.

The Downtown Redevelopment Authority offered KRCC a $10,000 challenge grant to keep the festival going, and part of the revenue from concessions goes toward securing those matching funds.

"All I can say is, it's about time Colorado Springs has another blues festival," Whitesell said.

Looks like she's got one.