Albert Castiglia, Anthony Gomes headline Suncoast Blues Festival in Sarasota
Last year, the Sarasota's Suncoast Blues Festival was a one-day event. It was so successful that it has already, in just its second year, expanded into a two-day festival, with national acts playing Friday evening and all day Saturday.
The Suncoast Blues Festival fills the void left by the Sarasota Blues Fest, which was a perennially popular event until its owner, Barbara Strauss, sold it to a Houston-based company. That company staged a festival in 2012 and talked about plans for the future.
But as it turned out, 2012 was the last year for the festival. (The old festival's website still has a notice that reads "We have decided to take the year off. That means unfortunately there will not be a Bluesfest in Sarasota in 2013. We appreciate your continued interest and look forward to 2014!")
"In 2014, the Sarasota Blues Festival went away, and so did Giving Hunger the Blues, although Giving Hunger the Blues came back in 2015," said Greg Herndon, one of the Suncoast Blues Festival's organizers. Herndon and partner Paul Benjamin, the famed blues festival producer who also books the acts for the Bradenton Blues Festival, stepped in to bring the blues back to Sarasota. (Herndon runs Bradenton-based Mojoe Productions, which provides the staging and other services for the Bradenton Blues Festival.)
Among the big names at this year's festival are Albert Castiglia, who played at the Bradenton festival in 2013.
"I remember that day really well," Castiglia said. "I got to play with Trampled Under Foot." Castiglia keeps busy with club dates, but he said blues festivals are something special, for musicians as well as fans.
"Everybody loves playing festivals," he said. "When you play festivals you get to play to a greater amount of people. And it's like a reunion. You get to play see all these other musicians that you've known for a long time but don't get to see very often."
Guitarist Castiglia heads a three-piece band that plays blues-rock influenced by Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy and Luther Allison. They have a new album called "Big Dog" coming out in May, produced by Mike Zito, who played at last year's Bradenton Blues Festival.
Bradenton blues fans are familiar with Sean Chambers, who's based in Fort Myers and plays in clubs in this area regularly.
He has a new drummer and a new B3 player in his four-piece band, and the Suncoast Blues Festival will be its first festival gig and its Bradenton-area debut.
"The band is really tight," he said. "We've never sounded better."
Chambers is working on a new album that should be out in August or September. His last one, "Rock House Sessions," was nominated Best Blues Rock Album of the Year at the 2014 Blues Blast Music Awards.
One difference between the Suncoast Blues Festival and the Bradenton Blues Festival, no doubt merely coincidental, is that the Bradenton festival always has a strong female presence. In fact, women have headlined all four years.
The 2016 Suncoast Blues Festival features only one band fronted by a woman, Nashville's Markey Blu
Here's the lineup:
Friday
Gates open 5 p.m.
6 p.m.: JP Soars & The Red Hots
7:15 p.m.: Andy T -- Nick Nixon Band
8:30 p.m.: Anthony Gomes
Jam to follow
Saturday
Gates open at 11 a.m.
Noon: Kettle of Fish
1:15 p.m: Markey Blue
2:30 p.m.: Sean Chambers Band
4 p.m.: Brandon Santini
5:30 p.m: Howard & The White Boys
7 p.m.: Albert Castiglia
Jam to follow
Details: Feb. 26-27, Sarasota Fairgrounds, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. Hours: 5-10 p.m. Friday, Noon-9 p.m. Saturday. Tickets: $15 in advance/$20 at the gate Friday, $20 in advance/$30 at the gate Saturday, two-day passes $30 in advance/$40 at the gate. Information: 941-758-7585, suncoastbluesfestival.com.
Marty Clear, features writer/columnist, can be reached at 941-708-7919. Follow twitter.com/martinclear.
This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Albert Castiglia, Anthony Gomes headline Suncoast Blues Festival in Sarasota ."