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Oh, Look Out! The Second Annual East Village Blues Festival Is Right Around the Corner!
The heart of San Diego will beat a little bit louder and a whole lot faster on Saturday, June 10, during the 2nd Annual East Village Blues Festival. The Quartyard (1301 Market Street) in downtown San Diego is once again hosting a full program of blues from 3-9pm, featuring some of San Diego’s finest musicians.
Highlighting this year’s event are multiple Award-winning artists; Vocalist Whitney Shay, just back from her whirlwind European tour, told me straight up, “I’m always grateful to get to come home and play for people in my hometown, who’ve seen me grow in my career so much over the last 13 years. It’ll be a special show this year as there are so many wonderful artists performing that I call my good friends. I’m really looking forward to bringing my brand of high-energy soulful music and fantastic band to the East Village Blues Festival!”
San Diego’s favorite keyboard killer, Taryn Donath, voted Best Blues Artist at the 2022 SDMA’s says, “I’m very excited to play the East Village Blues festival!” Taryn says she has a lot of friends playing at the event this year, too. “It’s always fun to play in your hometown, always fun to have your music exposed to your fans and make some new ones! I’m looking forward to seeing the other musicians who I call friends as well!”
Finger-picking and slide guitar master, Brother Yusef is a California-born child, who shares his rural and urban roots with the intensity and emotion of a man who’s lived them. He calls his style of play “Fattback Blues,” and they have taken him around the world. From Belgium to Saskatoon and South Korea to South Carolina, Brother Yusef is on a mission…like the song says “I’ve got the blues and blues has got me!”
Have a listen to Brother Yusef singing “I’ve Got the Blues.”
All you can say about San Diego’s The Tighten Ups is…they come at you like a locomotive. They are a seven-piece, brass-infused, full-tilt rockin’ rhythm and blues band that is fronted by a live wire named Laura Jane Willcock. Bring your dancin’ shoes because it’s impossible to stay in your seat.
The Tighten Ups: “Mercy.”
Anthony Cullins, aka “The Fallbrook Kid,” is purely an old soul in a 21-year old frame. His six-string work is exceptional, and you can understand instantly why he picked up Best Blues Artist at this year’s San Diego Music Awards. “I am very honored to be on the line-up this year and can’t wait to play at Quartyard!” Anthony says. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about this venue so I’m excited! This is going to be one of my last shows in San Diego before I hit the road June 21st, so I am thrilled that it worked out for me to play a rad festival before going to Northern California. It will be very nice to see a lot of friends and to be a part of the bill with such nice people that just so happen to be amazing artists is a treat!”
Write it down, people! The East Village Blues, 1301 Market St. in downtown San Diego. It’s a full day of blues outdoors in sunny, Southern California; tickets are only $25, which breaks down to just $5 per band. Get tickets online at https://dosd.com/events/2023/6/10/east-village-blues-fest-tickets# to avoid missing out. The venue offers a full bar with craft beers and food. See you at the Quartyard for a fun-filled day of blues brought to you by our friends at Electric Playground.