By: Skip Sheffield
Boca’s biggest blues blast ever, the Sunshine Blues Festival, detonates Saturday, Jan. 19 at Mizner Park Amphitheater.
Headlining the three-date mini-festival is the guitar-playing husband-and-wife team of Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi and their Tedeschi Trucks Band. Tedeschi is a pretty darn good player and a great singer. Derek Trucks is one of the finest slide guitarists in the world, standing toe-to-toe with Eric Clapton.
“Derek is the best guitar player on the face of the earth,” declared fellow bluesman Walter Trout. “Accepting the invitation to do this festival was a no-brainer. It is an honor to be in the company of these great players.”
Trout is referring to a stellar lineup that includes Dr. John, Sonny Landreth, Joe Louis Walker, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, Matt Schofield, The Wood Brothers, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Sean Peters and Bobby Lee Rodgers.
Trout is no slouch as a guitar player either. He has played lead guitar with both Canned Heat and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. He fronts his own band now. They play and have fan clubs all around the world.
“The guys have been with me a long time and we’re a pretty tight band now,” Trout says modestly. “We are working on a new album as yet unnamed, scheduled for release in June.”
The festival starts at the unusually early hour (especially for the blues) of 11 a.m. Music is continuous on two stages through 11 p.m. All tickets are just $49.50 at TicketMaster. Call 800-745-3000 or go to www.livenation.com or www.sunshinebluesfestival.com/boca-raton/.
“Real Catskills Comedy” at Mizner Studio Theatre
Continuing through this Sunday at the Studio Theatre at MiznerPark is “the real Catskills comedy,” “Bungalow Bunnies.” Shows are 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call 561-742-7310 or go to www.theBBTC.com for tickets.
Israel Horowitz World Premiere Play at Arts Garage
Some scintillating and stimulating theater is brewing in Delray Beach next week.
Master playwright Israel Horowitz is in town to help director Louis Tyrrell with the world premiere of his latest play, “Gloucester Blue.” Opening night is Friday, Jan. 25 and the play runs through Feb. 17 at the Arts Garage, 180 NW First Street.
The amazingly prolific playwright has written more than 70s plays and screenplays performed in as many as 30 languages, including “Park Your Car in Harvard Yard,” “Author! Author!” and “The Strawberry Statement.” “Gloucester Blue’ is described as “Sex, murder and mayhem drive this dark comedy as tensions explode in a sleepy New EnglandTown.”
Tickets are $30-$40 and may be reserved by calling 561-450-6357 or by going to www.artsgarage.org.
Evelyn Russell’s Ethel Waters
Delray Beach Playhouse presents the musical play by Larry Parr, “Ethel Waters: His Eye is on the Sparrow.” Evelyn Russell plays the ground-breaking singer-actress who rose from poverty and was the first black female star to headline a Broadway show.
“Ethel Waters” runs through Feb. 10. Tickets are $30 ($15 students 18 and younger) and may be reserved by calling 561-272-1281, ext. 4.
Captions: (top) Walter Trout (bottom) Gloucester Israel & Lou