Local artists bring ‘flavor’ of town to Big Steam Music Festival – Hot Springs Sentinel

Part of the intrigue in attending events such as the Big Steam Blues and Roots Music Festival is being entertained not only by the headliners but also area artists, which gives listeners a glimpse into what the local atmosphere is like.

Set in Hill Wheatley Plaza with headliners Eric Gale and Bernard Allison, the music festival kicks off for the second year tonight with nine other artists and bands in the lineup, many locally based.

One band, set to perform at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, was created just for Big Steam Music Festival, hence its name: BSMF Band.

“This band was formed specifically for this event,” said Robert Zunick, the bass player for the band. “We were trying to get more local musicians involved in the blues festival because a lot of the musicians are from out of town. … This band was formed with a group of musicians that have never really been a band before, but we all know each other, and we’ve played in different bands.”

Members of the band include Chuck Dodson, who plays the keyboard, Sarah Bear as the vocalist, Scott Vise as the guitarist, Rafael Gayol, who serves as the drummer, as well as Guido Ritchie, Joe Michael Bryant, and Ken Lambert in the horn section, according to a news release.

“We’re not all pros,” Zunick said. “Some of us are pros, and some of us are serious musicians with other jobs. So, we’re all working on music individually. We’ll rehearse Thursday night for a couple of hours and then go play and have fun.

“It’s really exciting to be involved as a performer. We’re all very pumped up and excited about it, and I think it’s gonna be a pretty high-energy performance from us.”

The Port City Blues Society Players will open up the festival at 4:45 p.m. today. All members of the band are members of the Port City Blues Society, based in Pine Bluff.

Performers will include Jerry McCoy, George Scaife, Mark Morgan, Roscoe Willis, Gene Cooper and Lex Capraitalia, said Dave Sadler, the vice president of the Port City Blues Society, who also plays in the band.

“We’re dedicated to preserving the blues music and traditional Delta blues in the region,” Sadler said. “We’re thrilled to be coming back. It was a wonderful event, and everything went great. We enjoyed meeting all the people, and seeing everybody turn out and seeing a successful event, so we’re excited about being back.”

Tina Cossey Band will follow the Port City Blues Society Players, starting at 6 p.m. today. The Port City Blues Society Players’ Capraitalia said he also joined together with Tina Cossey, after being introduced by Katrice “Butterfly” Newbill.

“Tina was a solo artist,” he said. “She didn’t have a band. Her band kind of fell through for (an) event, and Katrice asked me if I could put together a blues band for her.”

Based in central Arkansas, the Tina Cossey Band will perform at the Big Steam Music Festival for the first time this year. Capraitalia said he has previously performed at the blues festival as a member of the Port City Blues Society, but this will be Cossey’s first time.

“I think it’s the best music festival for blues in the state of Arkansas,” he said. “I mean, Joe Powell has really put together an amazing lineup. The stage is amazing, the sound, the crowd. I love the people of Hot Springs. They’re very gracious, and they’re very appreciative of blues music and keeping it alive.”

At 7:15 p.m., Trey Johnson and Jason Willmon will open for tonight’s headliner performer, Eric Gales.

The two Arkansas natives have played together for about seven years, Johnson said. Willmon plays the harmonica, and Johnson plays the guitar and sings, he said.

“It’s a high-energy show,” he said. “We try keeping up the beat as best we can. Even though we play blues, we play some upbeat stuff as best we can.”

Although Johnson has played the blues festival before, it was a few years ago, he said.

“I’ve always wanted to play it again since they were so good to us,” he said. “I’m really excited to get to play in front of Eric Gales. I’m a big fan of his, so that’ll be fun, too.”

Opening on Saturday at 1 p.m., Zakk and Big Papa Binns are a Hot Springs-based father and son duo, “with dueling slide guitar, one-man-band style drums and a raw hypnotic delta blues sound,” the release said.

Zakk Binns and Greg Binns, also known as Big Papa Binns, will be joined by Brian Batterton on harmonica for their performance on Saturday. Big Papa Binns has performed in Hot Springs many times, as it’s his ‘adopted home,” he said.

“It’s good to play in your hometown, but yes, it’s my adopted hometown, and it’s got a good list of local artists that are my friends and also really good headliners,” he said. “And it’s a good mix of local and international talent.

“It’s really cool to get the take of the local people and the flavor that they’re giving you. I talk about cross-pollination. You’re getting that flavor, and everybody’s kinda influencing each other. If you’re a real musician and you’re a real artist, you can gain or you can get something from anybody, and if you’re wise, you’ll keep your ears open, whether it’s some big star or if it’s some kid that just started learning guitar. He might have something to say that you’ve never heard before.”

Fonkey Donkey will follow Zakk and Big Papa Binns, performing at 2:20 p.m. on Saturday. The band has six members total, but three will play for the Big Steam Music Festival. Benjamin Brenner, Gil Franklin and Lance Womack will perform as a trio, said Brenner.

“We play original music, we play dance music,” Brenner said. “My nickname is ‘the swamp donkey,’ so I’m the donkey and they’re the fonkey, and we really encourage everybody to come on out and see us sometime.”

Brenner will serve as the band’s vocalist as well as play slide guitar, Womack will be the drummer and Gil Franklin will be the lead guitarist, Brenner said.

Based in Little Rock, Fonkey Donkey has never performed at the Big Steam Music festival before, Brenner said. While they have played at blues festivals in Hot Springs, this will be their first performance at the Big Steam.

“I think that that particular festival is really important because it really does gather up and showcase the local artists who are playing, writing and recording blues and blues-related music here locally,” he said. “The sum of the parts is a lot more than just the individual acts, right? And this goes to demonstrate that we have a really vibrant, important community of blues and American roots music musicians in Arkansas and in particular in Central Arkansas. And I think it’s really important that festivals like the Big Steam Festival bring those folks together and showcase it.”

Chad Marshall Band is scheduled to play at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, with Chad Marshall on guitar and vocals, Roscoe Willis on bass and Carl Bass on drums, said Jean Jester, Chad Marshall Band’s manager.

The central Arkansas-based band was scheduled to play in the Big Steam Music Festival last year, but the rain canceled their performance, she said.

“We’re very excited to be in Hot Springs with the Big Steam Festival,” she said. “They are doing excellent things to bring people to Hot Springs, and we’re very proud to be part of that.

“I am looking forward to the crowd and interacting with them, as well as all of the other musicians and artists that will be there. The connection with people, that’s really what we love.”