Sat 7/13 @ 2PM-late
Downtown Kent will be alive with the sound of music all afternoon and evening when it hosts its 15th annual Kent Blues Fest, with some 40 local and regional bands and musicians playing at 25 different venues — all for free. Many of the artists will be playing a full evening of music.
Not all the bands playing are strictly blues acts, although many are. You can hear many of the area’s veteran blues legends such as Cleveland Fats, Wallace Coleman, Bob Frank, Frankie Starr, the Armstrong-Bearcat Band, Blues DeVille and the Sam Hooper group, along with younger and less bluesy acts such as the Ray Flanagan Trio and Taylor Lamborn, who are more in the singer-songwriter vein, eclectic vocalist Erin Nicole Neal & the Chill Factor, rockers Stakhouse featuring 13-year-old guitarist Max Stakolich with musicians recruited from the School of Rock, or Kent rockers Xtra Crispy with their five-piece horn section. And of course you can hear Kent’s legendary 15-60-75, the Numbers Band, who made their debut in the summer 1970 with their distinctive blend of rock, blues and jazz. The lineup features most of the significant blues and blues-adjacent artists in this area.
For a full schedule of bands (with bios) to plan your day go here.
Kent, OH 44240