By Sara Strong
Organizers of Blues on the Rocks are anything but sad about Luverne's first festival of music typically associated with the somber side of life.
Instead, organizers are ready to entertain hundreds of people with music much more versatile than the typical, "Woke up this morning ..." blues bit.
Blues on the Rocks starts at 2 p.m. Saturday and continues until midnight at the Verne Drive-In Theater, south Highway 75, Luverne.
One of the organizers, April Gangestad, said Blues on the Rocks isn't just for hard core blues fans. "We have six different groups, who have six different styles, so even if you donÕt know about blues, you can just enjoy it."
Organizing the festival meant a complicated year of shuffling CDs, calling booking agents and scraping for funds in order to bring plans together.
The committee - Gangestad, Pat Saum, Dave Smith, Rick Serie, Dan McGuire, Glenn Burmeister and the late Jason Berning - learned a lot about music and event planning along the way.
Saum and Berning were long-time blues fans and helped weed out potential performers. The festival is actually dedicated to Berning as one of the originators of the Blues on the Rocks concept.
Besides just enjoying the blues, Saum also plays it. He dabbled in the harmonica during his college years at the University of Minnesota Morris. He was turned on to the genre through university-sponsored musical events and performers at local clubs.
He's still got the blues and hopes that it is contagious in Rock County.
Major (and minor)
keys to success
The concept of Blues on the Rocks started as an idea that Saum and Gangestad exchanged in passing.
"But then we said, 'You know, it would be fun to actually have a blues fest in this town,' " Saum said.
Gangestad said, "Pat and I love outdoor music and love the blues, and we just wanted to bring it to where we live."
They formed the committee with the blessing of the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce, and worked toward what they hope will be an annual event.
In taking calls from people interested in attending, Saum said the location of a restored drive-in theater got many people interested.
Blues on the Rocks had a booth at Sioux Falls Jazz Fest and has advertised in Twin Cities blues publications, so the committee hopes to draw a regional audience.
But local support is also needed, especially for a first-year event.
When looking for a location, the drive-in, owned by Burmeister, made sense more than any other.
Saum said, "It's close to town so people don't have to drive far, and there's a concession stand and bathrooms. It just made sense to have someone in the community as opposed to finding a farmer with an open pasture and trying to get parking and a stage area."
A small grassy area will accommodate people closer to the stage, and the rest of the drive-in leaves room for plenty of chairs for the remainder of the audience.
Saum said it will be a family-friendly environment even though a beer garden is available.
"People can expose their kids to something different other than movies or the typical cultural event," he said.
The movie screen stands as a backdrop to the rented stage, which is equipped with a roof in case of rain. And if it does rain, Saum hopes fans aren't scared away, "Just cut a hole in a garbage bag and come down."
Tickets ahead of time are $15 at the Verne Drive In or the Chamber of Commerce and $20 at the drive-in Saturday.
Parking is available at the drive-in and across Highway 75.
For those who don't want to park at the event, a shuttle service will run every half hour from 2 p.m. to midnight from the following locations: Howling Dog Saloon, Sharkee's, Country Kitchen, Magnolia Steak House and downtown Luverne by City Hall.
"Ba da-da-da-dum"
Most people know that the blues is much more than old men tapping their toes, singing on a rickety front porch about their dejected lives. But many forms of music have elements of the blues.
Elvis sang the blues. So does Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones and legends like the late Stevie Ray Vaghn.
Luverne's Blues on the Rocks has assembled a small group of artists who are well-respected in blues circles, although probably not known as hit makers in the mainstream ... not yet anyway.
The day starts with Root City Band at 2 p.m. They are high school students from the Twin Cities who play funky blues, rock and soul.
Dave Moore takes stage at 3:30 with his guitar and unique style of blues. He's heard on several recordings, but takes front stage for this event. He was raised in Iowa and has made several appearances on Garrison KeillorÕs "A Prairie Home Companion on NPR."
Rockin' Daddy and the Rough Cuts start at 5 p.m. and are one of the top blues acts in the Midwest. Formerly known as Blues DeLuxe, the band released a critically acclaimed CD "Straight Shooter."
Fourteen-year-old harmonica player Jake "Shakey" Neuman-Markiss and his band perform at 6:30 p.m. This young prodigy has packed performances since 1999 and is expected to increase in popularity this year.
Renee Austin performs her unique blend of Motown, R&B, soul, rock and pop at 8:30 p.m. She's been compared to Janice Joplin and Billie Holiday, but her six-octave range works in a voice all her own. She covers blues' greats and some of her own original music to rave reviews.
The Chicago Rythm and Blues Kings headline at 10:30 p.m. The soul-steeped brand of R&B includes a horn section and lead singer who spent a year with Sly and the Family Stone. They've been a major part of the blues circuit for more than a decade.