Waterfront Bluesfest

KBOO is a proud media sponsor of the Waterfront Blues Festival, a benefit for the Oregon Food Bank. All Proceeds benefit the Oregon Food Bank.

KBOO will be broadcasting live each day from the festival. Stop by the booth and say hi.

PORTLAND, Ore., Updated June 4, 2010 – Imagine grooving to the best blues in the world while relaxing on the grassy banks of the beautiful Willamette River, viewing the glacial peaks of Mt. Hood to the east and the stunning Portland skyline to the west – all the while smiling at the thought that you are helping to fight hunger.

No wonder more than 100,000 blues fans from throughout the world will head for the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, presented by First Tech Credit Union, July 2 to 5, 2010, in Portland, Ore.

Now in its 23rd year, the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival is the largest blues festival west of the Mississippi and the second-largest blues festival in the nation.

Blues fans will enjoy more than 120 stellar performances on five stages, plus artist interviews and workshops, five Delta Music Experience Blues Cruises on the Willamette River, activities for kids, dances, after-hour events, fireworks and more.

Here’s a sneak preview of who’s playing when (more to come):

• Friday, July 2, 3 to 10 p.m.: Taj Mahal, John Mayall with his Bluesbreakers, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Walter Trout, Moreland & Arbuckle, porterdavis
• Saturday, July 3, noon to 10 p.m.: Booker T., Bobby Rush, Michael Burks Band with Lucky Peterson, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcom, Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks, Paul Cebar, NW Women in Rhythm & Blues, Zydeco Swamp Romp with Curley Taylor, Donna Angelle, Andre Thierry, Corey Ledet
• Sunday, July 4, noon to 10 p.m.: Fireworks! Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, Curtis Salgado, Janiva Magness, Mingo Fishtrap, Norton Buffalo’s Knockouts, Kara Grainger, Harmonica Blow-off
• Monday, July 5, noon to 9 p.m.: Galactic with Cyril Neville, Little Feat, JJ Grey & Mofro, Chris Thomas King, Baskery.  

All day of music not enough? When festival gates close, just walk across the street to After-hours Blues Jams at the Downtown Marriott where the music continues until 1:30 a.m. 

Touted as one of the best-run festivals anywhere, the Waterfront Blues Festival remains a grassroots festival, produced and operated by Oregon Food Bank, a nonprofit, charitable organization, with the help of a thousand volunteers. The festival raises food and funds to help people who are hungry throughout Oregon and southwest Washington.

“The need for emergency food remains at alarmingly high levels. The magic of this festival is that it brings people together from throughout the world and from all walks of life to not only enjoy great music but also to create hope for people in need,” says OFB CEO Rachel Bristol.  

Daily entry is a suggested donation of only $10 plus two cans of food per person, making this festival one of the great entertainment bargains of the summer.

The festival also offers four levels of special passes with special perks and access: Individual Sponsor, Blues Benefactor, Four-Day Festival Pass and Blues Buddy Pass. Blues Benefactor Passes are SOLD OUT.

Festival passes and Delta Music Experience (DME) Blues Cruise tickets are selling briskly at www.waterfrontbluesfest.com or www.ticketsoregon.com. Blues Cruises tickets are extremely popular and always sell out. Blues Benefactor Passes have already sold out. Order tickets now to avoid disappointment.

Purchase a Blues Buddy pass for just $75 and you’ll get:

• A four-day pass to the festival;
• Admission to all After-Hours Blues Jams at the Marriott Hotel Ballroom: July 2: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, and John Mayall with his Bluesbreakers; July 3: Booker T. and Bobby Rush; July 4: JJ Grey & Mofro, and Mingo Fishtrap;
• Guaranteed re-admission even when gates close;
• Early entry (30 minutes before general admission;
• PLUS, an official festival collectors button.

Visit www.waterfrontbluesfest.com for details.

The festival invites you to become a festival fan on Facebook and to follow the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival on Twitter.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Safeway-Waterfront-Blues-Festival/91183172684

http://twitter.com/waterfrontblues

About Oregon Food Bank: Oregon Food Bank distributes donated food throughout a network of more than 935 nonprofit, hunger-relief agencies serving Oregon and Clark County, Wash., and works to eliminate the root cause of hunger through education and advocacy. During 2009-10, OFB distributed 36-million pounds of food through its network to help people in need.