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2005 – The First Boathouse Blues Fest
2005 – The First Boathouse Blues Fest
A warm July weekend… The Luv Shack was "dried in", but a maze of studs inside.
What was billed as an informal gathering of friends was kicked over the top by a surprise appearance by Eric Hughes who was made an instant part of the family of friends…. and traveled to Wisconsin from his home in Memphis for many summers after to perform at various venues around the area as a result of that introduction to the state.
2006 – Eric Hughes Returns
2006 – Eric Hughes Returns
By this time the Luv Shack has been largely completed, and the gang can party with running water and some electricity!
Eric Hughes returns to wow the crowd with his enthusiastic harp and wicked good steel guitar licks.
2007 – Moreland And Arbuckle Find Wisconsin
2007 – Moreland And Arbuckle Find Wisconsin
Wandering along Cherry St. in Helena AR late one night during the King Biscuit Blues Fest, we heard the faint strains of the most amazing picking and singing of “Hills” or “Piedmont” style blues since RL Burnside coming from the shell of an abandoned building…
We ventured in and witnessed Moreland and Arbuckle hold a small audience in awe. We invited them to come play for us in Minocqua - but only after convincing them it was in the continuous 48 states…. they absolutely delighted the crowd with their roots and blues style.
Don’t know if it was the wonderful home made wine, the long day, or the abundance of great food… but unfortunately the drummer, Brad, didn’t make the second set.
2008 – Moreland And Arbuckle Do The Prairie Dog…
2008 – Moreland And Arbuckle Do The Prairie Dog…
Moreland and Arbuckle hit it big time, now opening and headlining acts all over the globe. Aaron and Dustin had such a fine time the past year, they agreed to come up and play for us again since they were in “the area” doing the Prairie Dog Blues Fest in Prairie du Chien just south of us… by only 7 hours.
2009 – Samuel James…. The Endless Night.
2009 – Samuel James…. The Endless Night.
We first saw Samuel James at the King Biscuit Blues Fest in Helena AR on a side stage where he awed the crowd with his intensity and style.. After a brief conversation and another consult of a map, we convinced him to come play for us.
Samuel hails from the Portland Maine area, so he wasn’t overly concerned with the northwoods environment or taxing between town of Minocqua and the Luv Shack via boat. Samuel put on one heck of a show that folks still talk about to this day. Sitting up until dawn listening to works in progress was a memory that will stay with us forever.
2010 – Matt Hendricks Brings The Delta North….
2010 – Matt Hendricks Brings The Delta North….
Catching Matt at Buddy Guys in Chicago is a treat to behold. A wonderful slide player and a great performer makes it all worthwhile. Convincing Matt there is life north of the Cheddar Curtain wasn’t too tough – he was looking for an excuse to get out of town for the weekend and everyone had a blast.
2011 – John-Alex Mason... Left Us Way, Way Too Soon.
2011 – John-Alex Mason... Left Us Way, Way Too Soon.
We had been talking with John-Alex Mason for a number of years about coming to play the Boathouse Blues Fest after first crossing paths at the King Biscuit Festival in Helena in something like 2003. This year our schedules aligned and John-Alex came in from Boulder CO with enough time to spend the better part of two days hangin’ out. Swimming, floating on the pontoon boat and demonstrating competitive rib eating enthusiasm immediately made him one of the extended family…. especially when conversations uncovered the fact that he had ancestors in the Marshfield and northern Wisconsin areas.
Eric Hughes - having recently married Donna and vacationing in the area, also stopped in to share some harmonica licks and smiles with us...
John-Alex unfortunately passed away just a few weeks after playing for us. There were more than a few tears shed… and the thank-you note he sent upon returning home prior to his passing is posted in a place of reverence in the Boathouse. We will truly miss you John-Alex.
2012 – Izzy And Chris….
2012 – Izzy And Chris….
The airlines tried their darndest to prevent Izzy & Chris from getting to Minocqua from West Virginia, going so far as to cancel their flights the day before the performance…. but Boathouse Blues will not be denied! It all worked out in the end with a lot of ring and bag toss competition in the driveway. The addition of a foosball table brought in from a downstate garage sale was the big hit keeping the competitive juices (and beer) flowing until almost daybreak.
Nate Cox jumps in to show the crowd his own brand of blues!
2013 – Chris Thomas King. The Stars Align….
2013 – Chris Thomas King. The Stars Align….
When first contacting Chris Thomas King about coming to play for us, his agent Mariann was more than skeptical about the call. It took more than a few rounds of “Who are you again?” and “Where is this?” to even get to a “I’ll discuss it with Mr. King” conclusion to a conversation. Eventually convinced we were serious, but guessing the uniqueness of the event more likely won Mr. King’s curiosity, we got the details worked out for a late August performance.
At a gathering of the Great Northern Blues Society the month prior, one of the folks mentioned Dan Kase from the Minneapolis area being a great slide player that might fit in, so a phone call later and he’s also on the playbill.
A few days prior to the performance, we touch base with Eric Hughes and it turns out he’s on his annual Wisconsin tour, performing for the local Public Radio Station’s (WXPR) “Blues Cruise” that same weekend. Well, come on stop over!!
Just when we thought we couldn’t fit more blues music into one weekend, Nick Foytik who graciously offered to help out with the sound gear, also offered to kick in a few licks of his own.
An amazing weekend of amazing music. It just can’t get better than this.
Nick Foytik above, Dan Kase Left, Eric Hughes right....
2014 – Sean “Bad” Apple, Martin “Big Boy” Grant And Stud
2014 – Sean “Bad” Apple, Martin “Big Boy” Grant And Stud
Coming all the way from Clarksdale via Memphis, Sean "Bad" Apple, Martin “Big Boy” Grant and Stud (T-Model Ford‘s grandson) showed us how to “Juke” well into the night. A great performance and a great crowd made for some great memories…
Martin suddenly passed away suddenly a few months later. An amazing kind soul, Martin was loved by everyone that took the time to meet the man behind the whirling, dancing harp player we all saw on stage. When we look up to the sky and see that first bright star that appears at sunset, we know it’s him… playing “Shake ‘Em On Down!” and getting all the angels to dance and sing….
2015 – Colin Linden, Eric Hughes And A Beautiful Night
2015 – Colin Linden, Eric Hughes And A Beautiful Night
Colin Linden came up from Nashville to school the group on exactly how to use a slide, performing many of his own songs, as well as tribute to Howlin Wolf. Eric Hughes again demonstrated why he’s one of the best performers in Memphis, having the crowd hanging on his every song and accompanying story.
2016 – A Wisconsin Blues Showcase…
2016 – A Wisconsin Blues Showcase…
The Organgrinders (Elkhorn WI) and Deb and Howard Luedtke (Eau Claire WI area) showed the world that Wisconsin stands as tall as Mississippi when showcasing the blues.
Eric Hughes again showcased his limitless talent and effusive smile. Eric later joined Howard on some tracks of an album he was working on at Muscle Shoals AL
Throughout the pouring rain the whole night, the sounds of the delta carried everyone’s spirits to a happy place …
2017 – A Chicago Icon
2017 – A Chicago Icon
It is possible to catch lightning in a jar?! After a few rounds of “Who are you?” and “Where is this?” over a couple of months, John Primer was coming up from Chicago to perform for us.
To make the journey worthwhile, we made some additional contacts in the area and John was booked to also perform at the regional college auditorium in Rhinelander (which he quickly sold out) and an outdoor venue adjoining the local brewpub in Minocqua.
It is hard to overstate the show he put on for us. He brought his 4 piece band who were all great guys (and great musicians) to help us eat some ribs and lay down some awesome music.
Mike Munson opened the weekend on Friday night and to say he’s one amazing performer would be so selling him short. Folks who witnessed his act and thought they’d seen amazing picking and playing before spent the rest of the weekend muttering “Did you see that guy play? Wow. Just wow.” Mike is also one gem of a person and will hopefully be back for us in the future.
Nick Foytik put his chops on display opening Saturday night before John Primer. Nick has been with us before and puts on a heck of a performance. Nick is out of the Eau Claire WI area so be sure to catch him play!
2018 – An Dear Friend Returns
2018 – An Dear Friend Returns
After Moreland and Arbuckle first played for us in 2007, they ended up touring the world for over a decade – opening for some of the biggest names in blues and headlining in their own right.
We crossed paths on occasion over the years… hugs, laughs, and brief life updates was all the time between sets allowed. Promises of “Let’s get together – soon!” followed by the melancholy of seeing friends wave goodbye were what we held onto.
The band was headed separate ways in late 2017, but we caught up with Dustin Arbuckle at one of their last shows at the Big Bull Falls Fest and the promises of “Soon!” became reality for 2018.
Dan Phelps schooled the crowd in how to get the true feeling behind the music. One of the crowd favorites...
Reverend Robert was kind enought to give us a heck of a show ahead of Dustin - an amazing musician with a heart of gold.
2019 – Slide Guitar School
2019 – Slide Guitar School
Our 15th year of doing Boathouse Blues… and we were schooled on how to tear up a steel guitar with a bottle neck slide by 3 different masters….
Swampcandy finally found room in their busy touring schedule before heading off to Britain and Ireland a few days later to show us how to absolutely own a steel guitar and a stand-up base. Joey and Ruben had the rafters rattling and cans bouncing across the concrete floor when they got it rolling… By the time the dust (literally) settled, a couple bottles of Irish whiskey were given last rites (a Jameson and a Bushmills) and everyone knew we had just witnessed something amazing. In addition to being great musicians, they are about the nicest couple of guys you’d care to meet…
Matt Woods opened Saturday night demonstrating why he’s one of the best, if not the most unheralded slide guitar guys in the world. Schooling us on use of a dual pick technique that caught the eye of everyone, including Ruben from Swampcandy, Matt put on a show that was as inspiring as they come. A man of great kindness and skill. A rare combination in the music world…
Kraig Kenning was kind enough to head up to play for us direct from a gig in Illinois before heading to Colorado later that Friday night… He put on a great set, showing us yet another way to make amazing sounds come from a steel guitar.
2020 – Scrubbed Due To Health Concerns….
2020 – Scrubbed Due To Health Concerns….
Had plenty of time to hang in the boathouse with tunes on and reflect....
2021 – Covid Did Us A Solid...
2021 – Covid Did Us A Solid...
It turned out we were able to roll some performers covid scrubbed from 2020 schedule to 2021…
Donna Herula finally made the trip north to play for us – having seen her amazing talent and quick smile many times in the past at various music events. Accompanied by her partner Tony, the duo converted many blues skeptics into avid fans.
Mike Munson made a return visit – at our request to reprise the “Live At Eds” album (do go find it!)- which turned us on to his talent a few years earlier at “The Mile Of Music” event in Appleton where he played to a handfull of indifferent audience at a brewpub – and did those folks miss genius in their midst!
Carolyn Wonderland – who was booked in 2020 – was kind enuf to hold her commitment for us – and the force of her talent took the roof off the place just before the walls came down… her vocals second to none – as is her expertise on the guitar. Obvious why she played with John Mayall for so long.
Although we’ve seen Rick Estrin and the Nightcats many times at various venues in the past, we are huge fans as his show is never the same twice.. but put him in our Boathouse, and the fun was off the charts. His band has some of the best musicians playing today – and are some of the nicest folks you’d ever want to meet. Needless to say, everyone fortunate enuf to see this years lineup will talk about it for a long time.
Unforgettable.
2022 – Schooled On Lap Steel And Slide Guitar…
2022 – Schooled On Lap Steel And Slide Guitar…
We were fortunate to have Pat Donohue and Mike Dowling came over from the Twin Cites to show us exactly how two hightly talented professionals can keep an audience captivated with their talent. The weather cooperated to allow Pat and Mike to perform on a “front porch” stage area we were experimenting with – which gave the group a chance to see and hear them in more of a traditional setting. They were followed by Rev Robert (Robert Reynolds) who was kind enuf to fill in for a last minute cancelation, driving non-stop from Indiana to make the open time slot… and gave us a wonderful show, as usual.
Saturday evening we were able to convince Damon Fowler to perform for us whilst en route to the Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas – and he gave us a show for the ages. Damon is an occasional treat for us at The Green Parrot in Key West – but to have him do his stuff in an intimate venue like the Boathouse – wow. He made the lap steel sing – despite making due by having some of his gear set up on pieces of shelving (we're a first class venue !) – and the group loved it. Damon and his band were super easy going – joined right in with our quirky group of blues fans around the BBQ pit like one of the family – which we’ll always consider him to be!
2023 - Blues and Hops....
2023 - Blues and Hops....
The weather, which is always iffy so far north, had been cool and wet almost all summer - but for Boathouse Blues weekend, it was glorious and hot... as was the music!
Aaron Lee Kaplan came up from the LaCrosse WI area to play for the set up crew on Thurs eve, and gave us a great old-school session of classics.
Howard and Deb Luedtke came back up to play for us again and opened the weekend on Friday - the first to grace our new stage reminiscent of a southern juke joint - and showed why they are one of the crowd favorites here... just can't say enough about their music, kindness, and talent....
Reverend Raven and the Chain Smoking Altar Boys featuring Westside Andy gave those attending not from the midwest and hadn't seen them before a real eye opener and a heck of a show. Between Andy's harp and The Rev's guitar licks, showed everyone this band deserves to be on the big stage.
Saturday opened with Lighnin' Malcolm who came all the way up from Clarksdale MS area to play for us, and showed us how it's done!
Ghost Town Blues Band followed and nearly took the roof off the place, delivering enought "WOW!" to keep folks bouncing all night.
2024 - A Story Still To Be Told.....
2024 - A Story Still To Be Told.....
The bands have been booked, warm, dry weather is on order. Now all we need are some music fans to come and enjoy!
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