The
Chris O'Leary Band
9th Annual Caroline Street Arts & Blues Festival (and Chili Cook-off)
Thursday May 21, 2009 - Monday June 8, 2009 from 8:00pm - 12:00am
Caroline Street
Saratoga Springs,
New York
Get Directions
For Immediate Release
Contact
John Baker 518.587.9791
George Fletcher 518.542.9985
Annual Arts & Blues Fest Set For Sunday, June 7
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The annual Caroline Street Arts & Blues Fest (and chili
cook-off) is back again and will take place on Sunday, June 7, Noon to 7 p.m.
The long running event, now in its 9th year, is a tamer and more family oriented
affair established as an alternative to the now defunct Caroline Street Block
Party. That yearly event fell out of favor after public beer drinking led to
unruly behavior.
With blues music courtesy of nearly a dozen area bands and solo artists ranging
in style from event headliner blues harmonica maestro Chris O’Leary to acoustic
artists such as LB Walker to the blues rock Bourbon Renewal and Big Johnson
Blues Band, the Caroline Street Arts & Blues Fest (and chili cook-off) has the
participation of many Caroline street businesses. Restaurants and bars will host
live blues, compete in the Chili Cook-off, or both.
In addition to blues, look for many other bright colors. Saratoga Arts (formerly
Saratoga County Arts Council) will host the work of many area artists and
crafters. This year the artists’ booths will be set up along Putnam, Caroline,
and Maple streets.
The Children’s
Museum
of Saratoga will be occupying the Saratogian parking lot with activities such as
face-painting, tambourine making, chalk drawings, a jump rope challenge. In
addition, Price Chopper supermarkets has donated the use of the “Price Chopper
Hopper Bouncy Bounce.”
Rounding out the event is arguably Saratoga’s most popular food event, the Chili
Cook -off, with many Caroline street establishments vying for the top prize of
bragging rights and one year’s possession of the Cook-off trophy.
Each year, the trophy is dedicated to the memory of multiple Chili Cook-off
winner, Kevin Doyle. Doyle was a long-time participant in the popular Caroline
Street event, who passed away in 2006.
2008 Trophy winner John Baker, proprietor of Gaffney’s Restaurant and founder of
the event says it’s a fitting tribute to Doyle, a familiar downtown fixture.
“The contest was named after him for being a great Caroline street character.”
He said. “And he made a hell of a chili.”
Headliner Chris O’Leary will perform on the main stage which will be located
near the intersection of Caroline street and Pavillion Row. O’Leary has toured
the world as front man for classic rock icon Levon Helm’s popular blues outfit,
The Barnburners, and has recently set out on his own road to blues stardom.
O’Leary, who maintains a home in Saratoga County with his wife and son, has
performed and recorded with many greats of the blues genre, including Hubert
Sumlin, James Cotton and the late Bill Perry (who headlined the 2005 Arts &
Blues Fest). He has also appeared on bills around the world with blues greats
such as Kim Wilson, Rod Piazza and Pine Top Perkins.
A late afternoon all-star jam at Saratoga City Tavern will help close the
festival, as many of the participating musicians from throughout the day join
headliner Chris O’Leary and George Fletcher’s Bourbon Renewal in some bluesy
fun.
Chris O'Leary and Chris Vitarello
Under a tent in the middle of the street, festival headliner Chris O’Leary and
his band launched a powerful, horn-driven set marked by his harmonica’s wail ‘n’
howl. O’Leary - an alum of Levon Helm’s blues group the Barnburners, as well as
the bands of such blues legends as James Cotton and Hubert Sumlin - sang and
played the Mississippi harp through an hour-and-a-half set that criss-crossed
the modern blues landscape from Muddy Waters to Johnny Winter.
Review and photos by Andrzej Pilarczyk
Breathless was the entire Barn.Chris O' Leary ( BarnBurners ) & his tight band of Sicilian Frankie Ingrao on bass, the true Ayatollah Rock&Roller bluescat,, & the always amazing Chris Vitarello on scorching blues gitar & Bruce Katz on Organ & blues piano fantastically, Chris had two sax players also, brilliant additions & he did all those BarnBurner tunes i loved,,, Water's Rising,, Heyyyyyyyy Mr Porter, some Muddy tunes, Mystery Train, his USMC tribute Dress Blues ( Chris was a SGT in the USMC during Desert Shield ),,BIG FUN for me & the other Barnburner fans, there,,
Review straight from former The Band road mgr & Levon Helm friend Butch Dener
Chris O'Leary was recording a live album last night, so he asked the audience not to hold back our enthusiasm and we let out some whoops and hollers. He played real blues harp and boy could he bend and twist those notes! You really missed quite an entertaining performance. At one point the lead guitarist broke out a resonator and the band played an acoustic Delta blues style number. Don't worry, I will post more Chris O'Leary band meetups because he found a fan in me, for sure!
Review from The Valley's Blues and Rock Roots Group website.
11/21/09
The Chris O’Leary Band, Mr. Used to Be (self-published). Mr. O’Leary spent many years working in Levon Helm’s band, often fronting when Mr. Helm’s voice was not working. In forming his own band, he has assembled a cast of premier musicians from New York’s Hudson Valley, and the fun they have playing together comes through on this debut CD. So does Mr. O’Leary’s talent as a songwriter on clever and original songs that could have come from a 60’s soul catalogue. Water’s Risin ’ (5) features some fine piano work and gospel style vocals. The Grass is Always Greener (6) crams in several stories on that familiar theme. King of the Jungle (10) is a rollicking romp through a child’s bedroom. – NAD 05/10/2010
Review from Nick Delay
Blues Director and Faculty Adviser
WVKR Poughkeepsie
O'Leary, who has the crewcut-and-muscles appeal of the former Marine he is, is a forceful harp player, a powerful singer and a natural frontman
Kay Roybal -Blues Review Magazine
Lead by an intensely talented muscular mansteak of a
lad, Chris O'Leary The Barn Burners ripped through the two sets without
breaking a sweat. O'Leary lended smooth vocals and stylized harp to every tune.
Emily Blunt - Freelance Reviewer /Writer/ Critic