Friday at the Walla Walla Guitar Festival

Mar 8, 2013 by Justin Wayne

It’s the second year of the Walla Walla Guitar Festival and as we’re recent transplants I thought I’d better insert myself in the music scene here, finally. We’ll also be doing a feature with Robin Barrett, the Festival coordinator next week sometime so stop back and check that out, too.

If you’re looking for information about Saturday’s artists, that’s over here.

And get your tickets on the Walla Walla Guitar Festival’s ticketing website.

The Festival kicks off at 7pm simultaneously at both Sapolil Cellars (15 East Main Street) and the Walla Walla Elks Club (351 East Rose Street). We’ll do our best to give you some information about the artists so you can decide where to go.

Friday at Sapolil Cellars – 15 East Main Street

The Wasteland Kings start off at 7pm at Sapolil Cellars and will certainly provide a fast-paced start to the Festival. Wailing harmonicas and quick rhythms, this band’s going to have you tapping your feet with their blues/rock mixture. Check out the cool in-studio video for “Why Do I…?” right here: http://youtu.be/ZaHwKouwnYY

Billy Stoops & The Rectifiers follow at 8:45pm with their classic rhythm n’ blues sound, joining us from Tacoma. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky you can almost hear the southern barbecue sauce in the music. They’ve got some great organ solos in their recordings, so let’s hope for nothing less at Sapolil. Check them out on Myspace over here: myspace.com/billyroydanger

Kevin Selfe & The Tornadoes hit the Sapolil stage at 10:30pm bringing some Roanoke, Virginia-brewed blues. Since 2007 they’ve been Portland based and just put out the album “Long Walk Home” which, among other things, has seen #6 on the Living Blues Charts this past February. Check out the album for yourself and have a listen on Kevin’s website: kevinselfe.com/music

Friday at the Walla Walla Elks Club – 351 East Rose Street

Iguana Hat lead off the Festival over at the Elks starting at 7pm. These guys feature “Melody” Mike Hammond, a local favorite and will be a great way to start off the Festival at the Elks.

The Randy Oxford Band with Brad Sinsel hit the Elks stage at 8:45pm. I gotta tell you, I’ve got a soft spot for blues band with horns and these guys look like they’re going to deliver. They’ve got a great album out from 2011 called “Festival” and I’m taking that as a good sign for this festival. Have a listen to some samples of their music on the CD Baby page for the record: cdbaby.com/cd/randyoxfordband2

Tommy Hogan rounds out the night at the Elks starting at 10:30pm with his blend of blues and southern rock. You can hear a sampling over on his website, tommyhoganband.com