It’s been seven years since the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium brought the last Bluesfest to Thunder Bay. This year, in a tribute to the history of celebrating blues in the city, and in conjunction with the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium turning 40, a new festival called Blues in the Ballpark will take place this August.
Blues, as a genre, has been foundational for many other popular music genres like hip-hop, country, and rock & roll.
“Thunder Bay has a long history of supporting the blues, even going back to the 60s,” says Robert Croves, the president of the Thunder Bay Blues Society.
The Thunder Bay Blues Society was formed in 1998, and its membership in recent years has ranged from 300 - 450 people. Its success further demonstrates that there is a passionate and active community of blues fans within Thunder Bay. The Blues Society puts on three ticketed shows a year, along with another free series that took place during February at Nortenos.
Rob says that the Blues in the Ballpark planning committee reached out to the Blues Society for some input on the upcoming two-day event.
“We’re pretty happy that the auditorium is interested in presenting the blues in a larger sense again,” says Rob. “Six of the acts are Canadian, so there is definitely going to be a lot of Canadian content.”
He is excited about the dynamic lineup of musicians coming in for the festival.
“For a blues festival, it has everything,” he says. “There are several younger musicians coming in, like Spencer Mackenzie and Marcus Trummer.
And on an international scale, Erja Lyytinen is from Finland and she came once before to the Bluesfest. So there is a great mix of veterans and newcomers. It basically covers most of the subgenres within blues, so it could be a great opportunity for someone who is not familiar with blues to get a good sense of all sides.”
Rob says that if people were more exposed to blues, they would likely appreciate it as a musical genre. “It’s not often played on mainstream pop radio, but anyone who likes country or classic rock could easily get into it.” Rob says the headliner on Saturday, the Texas Headhunters, is not one to miss. “It’s three Texas blues guitar slingers, so that’s going to be pretty exciting.”
Andrew Edwards, Acting General Manager of the TBCA, highlights the uniqueness of the venue.
“With a standout lineup of blues artists, the festival brings an exciting mix of talent to a setting unlike any other in town. There is truly not a bad seat in the house, you can enjoy the music from the stands or out on the field. Port Arthur stadium provides a truly unique backdrop for the experience. It’s something music fans and our community won’t want to miss.”
The lineup has been curated for fans who want the real thing, and seeks to revive the spirit of a purely blues event.
Weekend passes are on sale now at the TBCA box office.
