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When
co-founders of Catfish Productions and Full Moon Blues, long time friends
and fellow local businessmen, Craig Snellings and Charlie Powell, first
conceived of the idea for creating a supportive venue for presenting Blues
to the public, it was born out of a friendly sharing of an interest in and
passion for the music genre. Little did they realize
that now, some 3 years later, Full Moon has turned into a semi-annual
bright spot in the Blues community throughout the Tri-state area.
As the name suggests, Full Moon puts on just
two events a year…each at the full moon. In the past,
Snellings and Powell, and their wives, Lynda and Donna, respectively, have
spent many long hours working on bringing in an outstanding variety of
regional Blues bands, to put on a memorable party with great results.
Each Full Moon has been a bigger success. The
audience is steadily growing and everyone who comes to Full Moon
immediately becomes a loyal convert.
More and more Blues aficionados from allover
the country plan their year around coming out to Bob Jackson’s Banquet
Hall, a veritable paradise of a 200 acre working farm, nestled among
rolling hills at one of the highest points in Cecil County, in the Fail
Hills area, near Elkton, MD.
Among the bands that have provided some of
the greatest shows in the area for Full Moon are Mad Dog and Blues Night
Out, Nick Z, Wayne Dean, Night
Street, and The Hurricanes…with the main focus on providing a
good ole time for everyone; encouraging them to dance and party and relax
in a comfortable atmosphere, while placing local bands in the spotlight.
“We have tried to keep the music local,”
said Powell. “There is a lot of talent here, right in
our own backyard. Early on, we decided to make a
commitment to supporting local musicians.”
“But, we also wanted to make a positive
contribution to the community. So, we made a big effort
to provide information on hotel accommodations and even designated
drivers! People coming to the show can really let loose
and enjoy themselves!”
This year, Dr. Harmonica and Rocket 88 shared
the bill with Mike Dugan and The Blues Mission for a party befitting the
last Full Moon of the Millennium. Open to the public,
at $30 per person, Full Moon provides beer and a full buffet, for one of
the best deals around.
Mike Dugan and The Blues Mission opened the
show. (There’s always equal billing at the Full Moon.
That’s part of their philosophy, along with, amazingly, equal pay
for the bands, no matter where they happen to be on the ladder of
success!).
Dugan did two full sets, combining music from
his first 2 CDs, and a few new tunes off his soon to be, much anticipated
new CD, “A Step Ahead of Trouble”, also on Rave On Records.
Dugan, an accomplished guitar player/singer/songwriter, from PA,
with an astounding history of achieving major national recognition for his
art, (another national article appears in December’s “Living
Blues”), hasn’t hit the DE scene yet, but enough of the audience
heralded from DE to make that difference. They were
bowled over by Dugan’s performance, especially when his band did their
now famous “switch around”; when all of the band members rotate
playing each instrument throughout the song, until they have gone full
circle, back to their original instrument , without ever skipping a beat
or note!
Dugan’s mastery of the guitar is evident in
every tune. He has an awesome ability to express a wide
range of emotions with both his instrument and vocals that obviously,
touched the crowd and sent them to the dance floor, again and again.
There was no doubt that Dugan acquired a whole new set of admirers
and loyal fans that night.
Then, although Dr. Harmonica took the stage
with his Rockett 88 Band, Dugan couldn’t resist the Dr.’s invitation
to join him on stage for a few tunes, to the delight of the crowd that
was, by this time, packed, undulating en masse, on the dance floor.
Dugan’s searing, heartfelt guitar combined with the Dr.’s down
and dirty harp playing, was the peak of the night’s performance!
Dr. Harmonica is an institution in DE and MD
and this party was no exception. Many in the audience
knew all his material and often called out requests. And
as veterans in extracting the most from the audience’s energy.
The Dr. and other members of the band routinely left the stage to
mix and dance with the crowd, as if tendering their appreciation for their
enthusiasm. The fans responded accordingly, dancing and
singing along with the Dr. and the other players, like one big, happy
family.
This last Full Moon production attracted a
nice mix of people, of all ages and backgrounds, who came to enjoy
themselves and meet people, who share their love of the Blues.
“There has never been an incident here,”
said Charlie Powell, “Everyone is here for the same reason, to have a
good time. We’re even thinking about a special
discount for Blues fans of a “certain age”, just to show our interest
in everyone coming out to join the fun!”
The next Full Moon will be on the ides of April, the 15th, in
the year 2000. That’s when you can count on another
great party with Full Moon back at Bob Jackson’s, with a fantastic show
featuring national Blues recording artist, Lonnie Shields, from PA, who
will be performing with a yet to be announced, second band. For
information, call Catfish Productions at (410) 658-5999. |