— Mary Garrison/Tribune-Courier || Blues fans dance while Lew Jetton and 61 South perform Friday at the 19th annual Hot August Blues Festival in Aurora.

Lew Jetton and 61 South headline 19th annual festival

By Mary Garrison
Tribune-Courier Reporter
mgarrison@tribunecourier.com

AURORA – August is more than scorching hot days and sultry summer nights. It’s a heavy dose of the blues.

For the last 19 years, Kenlake State Resort Park in Aurora has hosted the Hot August Blues Festival, an event which, while having gone from three-days to just two, continues to grow in popularity with each passing year.

And you can always tell when it’s coming. For days before-hand in the little community of Aurora, the air begins to intensify. Strangers and friends alike begin to flitter in, and businesses start preparing for the influx of faces about to bombard the town.

This year was no different. Gates opened at 4 p.m. Friday, and from that point on it was a steady trickle until the whole amphitheatre was alive and buzzing with positive weekend energy and those who just want to kick back and listen to the blues.

The show kicked off at 5 p.m. with performances by the Joe Walker Band of Nashville, Tenn., a small three-piece group with a knack for guitar riffs and Jimi Hendrix feel.

Next in line, the DynaGroove All-Stars out of Nashville, Tenn., offered the audience a bit more traditional set-up, but with plenty of kick. In addition to their own mix of tunes, the group incorporated upbea

t saxophone groove and a few slower cover pieces.
Nothing beats a group with a good sense of humor, though, and the crowd proved receptive to the AllStars’ cover of a Seinfeld classic: “Man-Hands.”

In the middle of the pack came a surprising group called 5 on Friday. With deep vocals and solid guitar and beat, the group had the crowd swaying and dancing to the sunset over the bay.

However, the headline group, Lew Jetton and 61 South truly stole the show. Jetton and his band have been playing the festival for the last 15 years, and each year their following grows.

So much so that the folks of Hot August Blues and its audience saw fit to mark a very special occasion: Lew Jetton’s birthday. The crowd passed around a huge birthday card, and just before Jetton and his band took the stage, he was called up to accept it and a cake while the audience tried their hand at singing, even if it was just a round of “Happy Birthday.”

The sentiment was much appreciated, though, and it showed in the performance that followed. With positive energy, Jetton and 61 South played into the late hours, never losing steam and enjoying themselves as much as the crowd, if not more.

Just as in years previous, the festival was a success, continuing on into the following day. Plans are already in the making for Hot August Blues 2009, and with luck, the numbers will only get stronger.

So, if you like good blues, an atmosphere where there’s never a stranger and a good old-fashioned fun time on the lake, there’s no other place to be in August.