Ferndale

Ferndale Blues & Music Festival expands its ‘palette’

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo provided by Larry J. Mills The 11th annual Ferndale Blues & Music Festival will be held from Jan. 27 to Feb. 4 and will feature at least 60 concerts at 24 venues in Ferndale, Hazel Park and Royal Oak Township. Pictured, the Howling Diablos rock the house at Dino’s Lounge during last year’s event. Photo provided by Larry J. Mills The 11th annual Ferndale Blues & Music Festival will be held from Jan. 27 to Feb. 4 and will feature at least 60 concerts at 24 venues in Ferndale, Hazel Park and Royal Oak Township. Pictured, the Howling Diablos rock the house at Dino’s Lounge during last year’s event.

FERNDALE — Visitors to the 11th annual Ferndale Blues & Music Festival will still find plenty of the event’s signature blues sounds blasting through downtown venues, but now other colors have also worked their way into its fabric.

According to Oakland County Commissioner Craig Covey, D-Ferndale, co-chair of the festival, the goal of organizers was to broaden their horizons and create an event that would appeal to more people than ever before.

“We thought this was a great way to grow the festival and increase our audience,” he explained. “We had topped out on the blues, so we decided to try to expand it to some other areas. We want people to know that all forms of music are welcome this time, but our roots are still firmly in the blues.”

Held from Jan. 27 to Feb. 4, the 2012 Blues Festival will feature at least 60 concerts at 24 bars, restaurants and nightclubs across downtown Ferndale and in a few neighboring communities, as well.

As Covey pointed out, this year’s event will also include locations in Hazel Park and Royal Oak Township. “This is the first time that Royal Oak Township has ever officially come on board,” he said, “so we’re very excited about that.”

New venues this year include Boogie Fever, Valentine Distilling Co, The Loving Touch, Orchid and The Bosco, as well as Max Dugan’s in Hazel Park and the Royal Oak Township Recreation Center. The festival will also feature plenty of old favorites, including Dino’s Lounge, Como’s, The Emory, Howe’s Bayou, Danny’s Irish Pub and more.

Together, they will present a larger variety of music than ever before. In addition to an ample supply of the blues, visitors can expect to hear rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, disco, house and dance music provided by local musicians and DJs. Some venues will also be hosting open mic nights and karaoke sessions. Because Covey always likes to include at least one youth concert, this year will feature a performance by the Grosse Pointe High School jazz band at the Ferndale Elks Club.

Public transportation will be offered as well. A free “blues shuttle” will run during the two Saturday nights of the festival — Jan. 28 and Feb. 4 — to help guests travel to all the different venues.

As always, the event also serves as a fundraiser for a pair of local nonprofit organizations: Ferndale Youth Assistance and the Michigan AIDS Coalition. Dozens of volunteers help to not only organize the various concerts, but also to collect donations by passing around the festival’s signature “blind blue piggy banks” at each of the participating venues.

“Our goal is to net at least $20,000 in proceeds this year,” Covey said. “We reached a peak in 2009 of about $22,000, but then the numbers dropped off for the last two years because of the economy. We’re really hoping to bring our total back up again this time.”

Another trademark piece of the Blues Festival is the outdoor Blues Barbeque and Ribs Burn-Out presented by Dino’s, which serves as the event’s grand finale. This year’s fifth annual celebration will be held Feb. 4 from noon to 7 p.m. underneath a heated 4,000-square-foot tent in the Ferndale Public Library parking lot.

“You don’t normally have a big outdoor barbeque like this in the wintertime, so I think that’s what sets this event apart,” said Dino’s owner Dean Bach. “It’s like one huge delicious party. The smell of the ribs completely fills the air and covers over everything else.”

There will certainly be plenty of food to go around, with eight teams from local restaurants cooking up 1,000 pounds of ribs under the tent. For a $10 donation, guests will gain admission and a half-slab of ribs. Beer, cocktails and other beverages will also be available for purchase, along with a number of side dishes.

Each team will compete to be crowned the creator of the tastiest ribs of the Burn-Out. At 4:30 p.m., a panel of celebrity judges — which includes Detroit Red Wings alumni John Ogrodnick, Darren McCarty and Eddie Mio, as well as the Fox Sports Detroit girls and others— will determine the winner, and a People’s Choice award will also be presented. In addition, live music will be provided all day long by the Chris Brantley Blues Band and a surprise guest.

For Bach, it all adds up to an event that was a smash success from its very first year. “I’m not surprised at all that this has gotten so big,” he said. “It’s family-friendly, it’s a ton of fun, and all the money goes to charity. I think what also helps is that there is really nothing else going on this time of year, so what else are people going to do?”

Covey agreed. He pointed out that one of the main purposes of the Blues Festival has always been to offer music fans a cure for the cabin fever that often runs rampant in the dead of winter.

“People really start looking for things to do around this time of year because they’re sick of staying home all the time,” Covey said. “But for me, this event has always been about the music. The best part is always the chance to get out of the house and listen to good music with some friends.”

To view a complete schedule of events for the 2012 Ferndale Blues & Music Festival, visit www.ferndalebluesfestival.org.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jSelweski@candgnews.com or at (586)218-5004.