Meet the Riverfront Blues Festival 2017 Bands!

Ben and Lindsay have been making blues and rock music around Washington State, in tiny taverns and big blues festivals, as Shoot Jake since 2010. In 2012 they recorded and released their self titled EP. In the time since, they’ve played a bunch of shows, gone through a bunch of bassists, met tons of great people, tried to drink all the beer and had a really good time. In 2015, St. Louis native Dustin Rademacher joined the band to record their debut album “Get Real” which was released on December 16th, 2016.
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Suze Sims is a vocalist, musician, drummer, composer, arranger, and producer. This is Suze’s 8th year at the Riverfront Blues Festival and she is an integral part of the festival working both behind the scenes with the bands as well as performing her amazing and energetic blues show. Suze is originally from New York City and grew up with a lot of art and music. She has a diverse background in theater, nightclubs stage tech, concert production and community theaters. Suze started her music career in clubs as a stage technician back east. She has a degree in audio engineering, performance, several IT Systems and Audio certificates. She has worked at the Seattle Art Institute, Seattle Art Museum, and several Seattle radio stations.
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Zac Harmon is an award-winning guitarist, organist, singer, and songwriter whose distinctive style combines the best of old-school soul-blues artists with modern lyrics and themes that bring the blues into a new century. His new Blind Pig CD, Right Man Right Now, is contemporary music that proves just how alive and relevant the blues is today.
Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Zac Harmon is a true embodiment of the music that emanated from the city’s historic Farish Street district, home of blues legend Elmore James. Given that Zac was exposed to a lot of music in his home, neighborhood, and local culture, it’s not surprising that he turned out a blues musician. His mom played piano, and his dad, the city’s first black pharmacist, played harmonica and tended to the needs of artists such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Ike and Tina Turner, Albert King, and Little Milton.
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In December of 2015, Back in Five began as a group of Libby High School students playing Christmas music for a fundraiser. In the years since, the group has gone through some changes, but one thing remains the same: their obvious love of not only the music, but each other. The five learn and perfect their music in their trombonist, Colton Tubb’s Garage. An honest to god “garage band.” The group has moved on to play at many various venues across Northwestern Montana. This past spring, the group not only made it to state, but was one of the only groups to take home a perfect score. Back in Five continues to flourish on a daily basis and is sure to continue this trend in the coming future.
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Back Adit’s acoustic style mix of strings, woodwinds, percussion and harmonies blend to formulate an entertaining assimilation of swing, eclectic folk and jazz. Performing throughout the Inland NW, the group brings a unique style of music to the stage not often seen in the area.
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Brother Yusef has been described as a master solo guitarist, as well as a uniquely passionate vocalist. His performances are as raw, honest and real as the genre has ever aspired to be. Honed over thirty years, he calls his multifaceted style, fattback blues for it’s a rich mix of Delta , Chicago and Texas blues alongside a hard driving Louisiana stomp. Fattback Blues combines “traditional” fingerpicking and slide guitar playing with the contemporary feel of urban blues, rock and funk.
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Mark May’s interest in playing began with his older brother teaching him the basics of guitar and turning him onto such artists as the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. He also has a lot of country influences, too, with both his mother and uncle being country/bluegrass singers and songwriters. Mark discovered the blues when his aunt lent him a copy of B.B. King’s 1971 classic Live in Cook County Jail album when he was all of 11 years old and it’s been a non-stop run since then.
Named “Musician of the Year” by the Houston Press in 1999, May has been featured in Guitar Player, Guitar World, Blues Revue Magazine, and Vintage Guitar.
Earlier in 2016, Connor Ray Music signed Mark and released his sixth CD, “Blues Heaven.” with special guests including Greg Martin (Kentucky Headhunters), Hadden Sayers, Eric Demmer (Gatemouth Brown) and Steve Krase. The new album also features backing by The Soul Satyr Horns, who provide extra punch to Mark and the band’s incendiary blues riffs. The album reached number 6 on the Billboard Blues Chart and stayed in the chart for 5 weeks. The current touring band also features Eric Demmer on sax, whose credits include Carlos Santana, B.B. King, The Allman Brothers, and many others!
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Hector Anchondo doesn’t just play the blues— he lives and breathes the blues. At 16-years-old, the budding musician picked up his first guitar and never looked back. He began an instant love affair with the instrument, especially Fenders. Born in Omaha, but raised seven miles outside of Salem, Missouri, Anchondo was able to take advantage of the tranquil farm life and learn guitar at a steady pace. He was drawn to those artists who played Fender Stratocasters like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Clapton, but also respected the country greats such as Johnny Cash and Hank Williams Sr. As he got older, his propensity for music only intensified. After playing countless shows at family gatherings and hole-in-the-wall dive bars, Anchondo made the move back to Omaha, Nebraska in 2000. His first official recording, Rookies of the Year, was with his first band, Anchondo, and featured more energetic, Latin-influenced grooves. Recorded by the infamous A.J. Mogis of Presto! Studios (and later Saddle Creek Records), the album funded any touring for the next few years. With a home base in Omaha, it made traveling much easier.
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