International Blues Festival was fantastic
(Excerpts from Phuket Post March 6, 2009)

A record number of music fans turned out for the first night of the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival last weekend. The organizers said this year’s line-up was the best ever. Phuket’s ‘music king’, Ricky Zen, was the MC for the fourth year running and kept the action flowing. American George Cordeiro and the Fai Jang Band started the show on Friday and did a great job priming up the audience and getting the party started. George was followed by all-time local favorites, Sam Wilkinson and his daughter Miki who has a great voice and has become known as Phuket’s answer to Wayne Newton. Australian Corinne Gibbons was a last minute arrival and she added some real flavor to the night with her seductive bluesy strains. One of Phuket’s best-loved local bands, The Groove Doctors, did a stand up job with Tony ‘Chainsaw’ Wilson at the helm, and Jimmy Fame paid tribute to Jimi Hendrix and was last seen signing copies of his last book, ‘Chasing Jimi’. Rich Harper literally changed his tune and sat down with a hand-painted acoustic guitar to showcase a more intimate side of his talents. He broke the rock mould and the crowd loved him all the more for it. After three years of belting out power-house upbeat music, Rich, being the professional that he is, left the main performance to this year’s headliner, Eric Bibb. American Eric Bibb takes the cake, and how sweet it is. In four years the blues festival has never seen the likes of Eric Bibb. MC Ricky Zen summed it up when he said “this is as real as it gets”.
On Saturday Li’l Willie & Ko from Samui started the ball rolling and then there was the beautiful and talented Aussie songstress Kniki. Bert Deivert and Janne Zander from Sweden slowed down the tempo with a mandolin and single acoustic guitar set. The audience was ready for action when The Blues Machine from Pattaya hit the stage and Snowman and Mary electrified the night with their sheer presence and power. Bangkok’s Cannonball followed up with their magnetic pull and captured the audience with their energy and charisma. They were joined by Rich Harper and the sparks really started to fly. Last, but not least, came Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s from the U.S who closed the night and the festival with a superb rendition of Jerry Lewis’ ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’.