Crabb Bits: Irish Fest, Samantha Fish, Mike Swearingen

Well we are three hundred views away from 2,000 so maybe just maybe we might make it there for the first time ever.

To your left  this is the face of the new blues.  This up and coming woman has no interest in autotuned pop that is the flavor of the day.  This woman is Samantha Fish and her latest album Runaway (Ruf-Germany) has a connection that has her vocals like a Bonnie Raitt but her guitar playing is much in tune with Stevie Ray Vaughn.  Normally most of what I hear in the blues is okay but not earth shattering, but Fish's CD is a revelation upon itself.  From greasy bayou blues of  Down In The Swamp to the Delaney/Bonnie type of soul as guest Mike Zito adds a male counterpoint to Push Comes To Shove but she can also do a slow jazz number in Feelin Alright.  It's refreshing to say that not every girl wants to be a Lady Gaga.  Give Samantha time and she'll give them all a run for the money.  That includes the guys too.


I used to know Carol from Relics years ago and she told me about meeting her up at Irish Fest, which happened in Cedar Rapids, which was a cheaper alternative to the BBQ Roundup to which the locals were too happy about seeing no locals at the BBQ this year.  Personally I didn't think paying three bucks to get in and pay more for the BBQ stuff at the vendors was a good idea so I went to Irish Fest instead.  When I up there I didn't see Carol anywhere but they had some bands of note playing.  In the Acoustic stage inside they had Patchy Fog, a band that played some Eagles and Buffalo Springfield and had some bald dude with a Amish beard to boot, but they were not too bad.  Dennis (Daddy O) McMurrin was on the main stage and had some guest stars of note, T Bone Giblin on keys.  He plays some funky grooves and did a bit of James Brown and Charles Wright and the 103rd Street band Express Yourself..  Surf Zombies played earlier and some jam band came on at 7 but by then I went up to Sip And Stir to wish Mike Swearingen a happy birthday.

I've known Mike since he played in the band I was in back in 1980.  He'll go down as the main screamer for Cruise, a Iowa favorite in the late 70s (or Suede, Cruise was the band he was in when I first met him and we conned him into playing for us later on in Paraphernalia/Tyrus)  Today he turned 59.  So happy birthday Mike and hope you have many many more.  Cheers!