THE RUMORS WERE TRUE -- NO 2009 SF BLUES FESTIVAL

Yes folks, that's right--the SF Blues Fest is CANCELLED for 2009,
perhaps never to return. A sad day for blues lovers everywhere.

I copied & pasted this article from the weekly e-guide published by
www.bluesfestivaleguide.com (Volume 4 Issue 6).

SF BLUES CANCELS 2009 FESTIVAL

The San Francisco Blues Festival, long championed as the nation's
oldest continously run blues festival, will not be held in 2009.That
cancellation could turn out to be permanent, meaning that "we may
well have seen the last San Francisco Blues Festival," according to
organizer Tom Mazzolini.

Mazzolini, who founded the event back in 1973, points to rising
production costs and declining sponsorship support as the main
reasons behind the cancellation. Also factoring into the mix is that
attendance for this event has been on a sharp decline for
years."That's sad. That's very tragic," Mazzolini says of the
decision to pull the plug on the festival in 2009. "An event like
this, with so much history and so much legacy, needed to continue."

The festival, traditionally held in late September at Fort Mason's
scenic Great Meadow, celebrated its 36th anniversary last year, with
a two-day lineup that included Allen Toussaint, Charlie Musselwhite
and Tommy Castro.

Over the event's distinguished history - which stretches back more
than a decade longer than the most famous of all blues events, the
Chicago Blues Festival - San Francisco has hosted such greats as
Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon and
Albert King. Yet, the festival's roster hasn't looked nearly as
impressive in recent years. Mazzolini says the pool of potential
headliners, the kind that can be counted on to draw festival-size
audiences, seems to get smaller every year. Most of the big legends
have died, leaving basically 83-year-old B.B. King to carry the
mantle in front of capacity crowds.

"When B.B. is gone, who is going to replace him?" asks Mazzolini.

That's a question that the organizer has not been able to answer. He
faults the blues industry for failing to nurture the next round of
headliners, guys that could step up and take over for the old titans
fell. "The problem is not a lack of talent," Mazzolini says. "There
are some very talented performers out there, but they are not getting
the exposure."Now, those artists, especially ones from the Bay Area,
will receive even less.

"A lot of local blues musicians are going to be disillusioned at
thought of this festival going away," Mazzolini says. "It provided a
lot of exposure for local artists." Another factor in the festival's
downturn is increased competition. It seems like every week there's
some type of music-related music festival going on in the Bay Area.
Notably, SF Blues is sandwiched on the calendar between arguably the
year's two biggest music events - Outside Lands and Hardly Strictly
Bluegrass, both of which draw hundreds of thousands to Golden Gate
Park.

Plus, there is more to come. According to Mazzolini, some promoters
are already planning to host a smooth jazz festival at Fort Mason
during the dates once reserved for SF Blues. Whether or not SF Blues
ever returns, Mazzolini plans to stay committed to the genre. He'll
continue to host his radio show (noon-2 p.m. Saturdays on KPFA) and
might consider promoting some smaller indoor events.

"I'm definitely not walking away from the blues," he says. "I love
it."

Peace
Bluezman:(