Ellnora 2013 in review

This past weekend, September 5^th-7^th  2013 was the Ellnora Guitar Festival. Every two years Krannert Center for the Performing Arts puts on this festival that showcases fantastic performances of blues, jazz, rock, flamenco, folk and roots, and of course incredible guitarists. Performances occur through out the Krannert Center in the Follinger Great Hall, Tyron Festival Theater, Colwell Playhouse, Stage 5 and Stage 6 in the lobby, the outdoor amphitheater, and a tent on the south side of the facility (called the Sonic Garden) where this year major performances were shown live via television. Past year’s line ups have included: Taj Mahal, North Mississippi Allstars, Ani Difranco, The National, Adrian Belew, My Brightest Diamond, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and countless others.  The festival also includes an autograph and merchandise room, which in past years has contained a guitar museum.ThursdayEach year the festival starts with it’s Opening Night Party, well known as the party of the year. A $5 cover for top quality performances in a personal and upbeat atmosphere. I was able to catch some of the acts:The Lee Boys – Stage 6 (Lobby)The Lee Boys are a funk and gospel band out of Florida, whose performance couldn’t possibly be watched while sitting down or standing still. Their groves and energy was captivating and perfect for a party. Their music comes from religious roots, giving a completely emotional and exciting performance. They were joined on stage by Cindy Cashdollar, a bluegrass musician best known for steel guitar. The collaboration of genres and sounds was definitely something to see.Sam Bush and Del McCoury – Stage 5 (Lobby)Sam Bush and Del McCoury performed as a duo following The Lee Boys. Although they performed without a full band, they were able to take on and add to the energy of the festival. Sam Bush completely captured the audience with his mandolin playing. The guy can shred like no other. The duo’s folk songs and vocal harmonies were exciting and well taken by the crowded room. The entire performance reminded me of the recent Geico commercials with a mandolin duo on a small stage. “How happy are folks who save money on car insurance?” “About as happy as Sam Bush fans at Ellnora.” I was able to have a word with Sam after his performance.AW: What does it take to be at your caliber of a musician?SB: Practice, dedication, direction, and performing with great players.AW: What is the impression that you’ve taken of Champaign-Urbana from your performance?SB: Ellnora is an amazing experience. You have a fantastic line up playing back to back, like The Lee Boys and Johnny Lang in the same night. This is an incredible opportunity.Stephane Wrembel and His Band – Krannert AmphitheaterI was completely blown away by Stephane Wrembel and His Band. Their music can be described as gypsy jazz straight from the streets of France. This band is for fans of Django Reinhardt, because I felt as if I was watching Django when I saw Stephane perform.  The band refers to each of their songs as “compositions”, and most of them are based off scientists. One composition performed was based of Carl Sagan, famous astronomer. Stephane describes the music portraying the Voyager flying through the sky, along and lost. The band does a lot of work with film scoring, which makes perfect sense after seeing them set a scene in real life.FridayJ. Spaceman – Follinger Great HallJ. Spaceman may be from the same planet as Thom Yorke. His music was a combination of every sound and function you could think of coming from a guitar, and maybe more.  His performance was interesting and hypnotic, but after twenty minutes I felt that I had already seen all that he could offer. I left and got a sandwich at the Intermezzo Café.  (It was really good)The John Scofield Überjam Band featuring Andy Hess, Avi Bortnick, and Tony Mason – Colwell PlayhouseThere was a lot of build up to this show, almost every student in the UIUC jazz department was buzzing about it. The band was fun and energetic, and mixed some electronic sounds and beats with their music. This was a fun twist on their music, but as a musician it was a slight let down to see them perform with pre-recorded beats that acted almost as a click track. Each musician in the band had an obvious role for the sound of the group and did not deviate much from the plan. The rhythm guitarist played rhythms, the drummer drummed, and John Scofield sang through his guitar. It was a great performance, but lost my attention after a while.Buddy Guy – Tryon Festival TheaterBuddy Guy, one of the festival’s biggest headliners this year, put on an incredible show. His ‘have fun’ and ‘go lucky’ attitude is sensed through not only his personality but also his sound and musicianship. He’s almost like a class clown with his music, playing tricks on the audience and installing good vibes. Buddy Guy may be one of the biggest blues legends of his time.Buke and Gase – Sonic GardenBuke and Gase was a unique performance. Their music was rhythmic and anthem like, and the duo used several homemade instruments. This is where their name comes from. They perform with a “buke”, s six-string baritone ukulele, and a “gase”, a guitar-bass hybrid. The band are engineers for their own instruments and own unique sound, making the performance a new experience and a fun contrast from the traditional blues of Buddy Guy.El Ten Eleven – Stage 5 (Lobby)As a younger band in this festival, El Ten Eleven created a draw with the students at UIUC.  Their performance started directly after Buddy Guy and set a calming post-rock end to the second night of the festival. The duo was well received and it was exciting to see more students come and check out the festival.SaturdayZappa Plays Zappa – Colwell PlayhouseZappa Plays Zappa was an impressive and whimsical performance perfectly described Ellnora Guitar Festival. Incredible and top quality musicians singing songs about The Muffin Man, a college degree being just being a piece of paper you can use to roll a joint, and just dancing and having fun with life.  The band used slide whistles, kazoos, and toy instruments as serious accents in their music. It was the most rock-show like performance of Ellnora and even included a dance contest on stage. If this was Dweezil performing Zappa, I can’t imagine what the real deal would have been like.Lucinda Williams – Tryon Festival TheaterLucinda Williams’s music was relaxing and thoughtful. It provided for a smooth restful end to a full weekend. Not much of a public speaker, but her singing voice and guitar playing was solid.