Following last years successful event, the Yakima Blues and Local Brews Bash returns to the Historic North Front Street district on Saturday, June 13th from 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Two separate stages will be packed with high-quality, non-stop blues throughout the festival. The Main Stage will showcase Too Slim and the Taildraggers at 3:45 pm, Curtis Salgado at 6:00 pm, and Nathan & Zydeco Cha Chas at 8:30 pm. The Opera House Stage will feature Brian Lee and the Orbiters at 2:45 pm, Shoot Jake at 5:00 pm, and Seattle-based The Wired! Blues Band at 7:15 pm.
Nathan Williams formed Nathan & Zydeco Cha Chas 30 year ago and has performed his unique style of southern Louisiana music around the world. In 2005 he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and in 2012 received the Zydeco Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Curtis Salgado, has been singing the Blues since the 1960’s and in 2011 signed with powerhouse blues label Alligator Records. Too Slim & The Taildraggers have recorded 17 albums and have received Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Washington Blues Society, the Cascade Blues Society and the Inland Empire Blues Society.
Eight craft breweries will showcase their beers at the Yakima Blues and Local Brews Bash. They include Bale Breaker Brewing Company (Yakima), Yakima Craft Brewing Company (Yakima), Icicle Brewing Company (Leavenworth), Iron Horse Brewery (Ellensburg), Horse heaven Hills Brewery (Prosser), Snipes Mountain Brewery (Sunnyside), Berchman’s Brewing Company (Yakima), and Hop Nation Brewing (Yakima). Lookout Point Winery, Gilbert Cellars, and Antolin Cellars, all based in Yakima, will also be serving their varietals at the festival.
Only people 21 years of age or older will be allowed on the festival grounds, but North Town Coffeehouse (32 North Front Street) will host a free family area during the event.
Tickets to enter the event will cost $10.00 in advance and $16.00 at the gate. The first 1,000 attendees will receive a commemorative beverage glass. Tickets for the festival can be purchased at the Capitol Theatre Box Office (19 S. 3rd Street), online at www.yakimablues.com, or by calling 853-ARTS. Scrip for beer (and wine) tastings, as well as for food prepared by restaurants from the Historic North Front Street district, will be sold at various locations on the festival grounds.
“I’m so glad that we are getting the opportunity to experience the best the blues has to offer right here in our backyard” said Seasons Performance Hall Executive Director Ben Johnson who is a co-founder of the festival. The Seasons will be hosting the semi-finals of the Washington Blues Society’s International Blues Challenge on Sunday, June 14th at 2:30 pm. “As a musician, I know that these events foster excitement in our local music community and will inspire the next generation of musicians and fans”.
The Yakima Blues and Local Brews Bash is being sponsored by the City of Yakima, Seasons Performance Hall, and the Historic North Front Street Merchants Association.
Video link: https://youtu.be/GYOtlldaooY
Downtown Yakima Blues and Brews Festival News Release pdf 4-09-15