Now in its 23rd year, CPRO presents the Columbia Pike Blues Festival in cooperation with Arlington Arts – the presenting arm of Arlington Cultural Affairs. Admission is Free. Want to learn what craft vendors and food vendors will be at the Blues Festival?
CRAFT VENDORS
Curated by GRUMP, Arlington’s popular winter arts & crafts show, a select group of local makers has been assembled for your shopping enjoyment. Hand Painted cigar boxes, the absolute cutest ever handmade children’s dresses, plush made from old sweaters and so much more…
GRUMP artists include:
David Jay Blue
Tiger Flight
United Capital Blades
FOOD VENDORS
Suya to Go
Carol’s Concessions
The Annual Blues Festival features a multitude of activities for both adults and families beyond the Blues!
The Blues IS poetry… As such, Arlington’s 1st poet laureate Katherine E. Young makes a return appearance, reading “hush: unbutton sunset” – an original poem she composed to capture the essence of Arlington’s diverse Columbia Pike corridor, which she’ll read from the stage.
A 2017 NEA grant winner, The Arlington Art Truck embodies Arlington Arts’ mission to revolutionize the traditional model of an arts venue. Packed with digital and traditional creative tools, the Arlington Art Truck is a curated mobile toolbox for artists-in-residence.
Maryland painter and illustrator, Kate Samworth, will lead the Art Truck activities at this year’s Blues Festival. Inspired by her work ‘Going Native: Flora and Fauna of Arlington, Virginia’ — a folding, pocket-sized manual of some of Arlington’s native plant, mammal, and insect species of Arlington — Kate will lead visitors in a quick hands-on art project examining and recreating the shapes and patterns found on selected species of plants, insects, and butterflies by using collage, watercolor , and drawing. Learn more about the Arlington Art Truck.
The 23rd Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival features a full line up of blues, R&B and funk performers of national and regional note:
THREE MAN SOUL MACHINE
Blending the music of soul, jazz, blues and reggae, Three Man Soul Machine puts together a musical gumbo that stretches from Africa to the Caribbean and lands home in the USA. Three Man Soul Machine has honed their sound through dozens of gigs in the thriving Washington, DC jazz and funk scene with residencies at Bossa Bistro and Bin 1301 and recurring gigs at the Petworth Jazz Project and the DC Fringe Festival. Artist Site
CAZ GARDINER
She’s got the rock! She’s got the soul! She’s got the reggae! She’s got the moves and the band to deliver the grooves! Caz is a Washington, D.C.-based singer/songwriter who performs soulful rock and reggae with her own backing band. She has performed with the BandHouse Gigs, Newmyer Flyer productions and The Beat Hotel. She was the lead singer for The Ambitions, which was nominated for a Wammie (Washington Area Music Association) in the Best New Band category in 2008; and the rocksteady/reggae band Caz and The Day Laborers. In 2010, she was nominated for a Wammie in the Best Traditional Blues/RnB vocalist category for her work with Caz and The Commotions. Artist Site
KING SOUL BAND
Born of a mutual passion for the deep, down-home sounds of an earlier time, eight-piece band King Soul is bringing the excitement of real Southern Soul to a new audience. Featuring original songs, powerful vocals, soaring horn work and driving rhythms, King Soul has become a top draw at area clubs and events. The allstar band includes members of the Slickee Boys, the Rhodes Tavern Troubadours, the Recliners, the Grandsons, the Hula Monsters, the Thangs, and the J Street Jumpers. King Soul’s members hold more than 30 Washington Area Music Association Wammies and Austin Music Awards collectively. King Soul’s new self-titled album on Austin’s Freedom label was recorded live in the studio and features nine new original tunes that sound like lost Muscle Shoals sessions. Artist Site
NIKKI HILL
Raised in the church choir and steeped in R&B and garage rock rumble, Nikki Hill is a spitfire with the soul-drenched voice of Etta James and the tattooed, beehived-hair aura of Cramps’ guitarist Poison Ivy. Her latest album, “Heavy Hearts, Hard Fists,” is a showcase for Nikki’s unfettered versatility, whether it’s the debauched bluster of “Struttin’”, the Stonesy barn-burning blues of “(Let Me Tell You ‘Bout) LUV”, or the touching soul ballad “Nothin’ With You”. Just a couple years ago, Nikki Hill was a bartender with an affinity for punk and a deep love for classic R&B. At her husband (and now guitar-player) Matt Hill’s behest, she stepped out from behind the bar and onto the stage. The response has been ecstatic, and now the band tours the globe relentlessly, stunning audiences with their muscular sound, Matt’s volcanic leads, and, of course, Nikki’s inimitable charisma. Artist Site
DON BRYANT
Best-known as a staff songwriter under Willie Mitchell at Hi Records and as the husband of Hi star Ann Peebles, Don Bryant was also a fine, underappreciated singer in his own right. As a teenager he caught the attention of trumpeter and bandleader Willie Mitchell, through whom Bryant got his original composition “Is There Someone Else on Your Mind” recorded by the 5 Royales and made his first solo recording in 1964 with a cover of Chris Kenner’s “I Like It Like That.” Bryant co-wrote a number of songs with his wife, including her signature songs “I Can’t Stand the Rain” and “99 Pounds.” At age 75 he returns to the stage and recently released his own solo album in 2017 — “Don’t Give Up on Love.” Artist Site
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