NESCOPECK – Briggs Farm Blues Festival is right around the corner. This years Festival, July 6, 7, & 8 in Briggsville, Pennsylvania promises to ignite the calm country air with world-class music, turning the rolling hills of Briggs Farm into the biggest and most awarded blues festival on the east coast.
The three-day festival with over 20 international and regional acts on two stages is an easy drive from everywhere, but smack in the middle of no where. Briggs Farm is an easy destination for music lovers up and down the eastern seaboard, and beyond. And while the festival has grown over the years, its down home feel stays the same, no one is a number at Briggs Farm. Spending time at Briggs is time well spent with family and friends who want to put their cares on hold to connect with each other, dance to to amazing blues music, and remember why Briggs Farm Blues Festival is called “The Best Weekend of the Year!”
Briggs Farm Blues Festival begins Thursday, July 6th from the Back Porch Stage. This year’s Thursday Night Pre-Party kicks off with The Doug McMinn Blues Band at 6pm. Then the incomparable Clarence Spady Band will return to remind the crowd why he’s the reigning king of blues in northeast Pennsylvania. Some people might remember Thursday’s headliner, the wild and wooly Scott Pemberton O-Theory.
The Main Stage is the beating heart of the festival and 2023 will pump the foot stomping tunes deeper and louder than ever before with a dynamite lineup!
Saturday’s Lineup, July 8, 2023:
Robert Randolph Band will headline Saturday’s show! Rolling Stone put Grammy nominated Randolph on the list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time.” He’s a pedal steel guitar virtuoso with irresistible rock n roll swagger who jumped from the spiritual music world to the secular and found his audience among blues fans, roots aficionados, and people looking for joy and uplifting music. His evolution of the pedal steel guitar is uniquely suited to a fusion of sounds, and Randolph has gained global recognition and collaborations with the likes of Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, Ringo Starr, Ozzy Osbourne and more.
Eddie 9V has acted on instinct all his life, and that instinct landed him firmly on the roots and blues circuit of his native Atlanta, Georgia. Impulsive and unpredictable, his sound draws from classic blues and soul while creating something new, something wild, and something Briggs Farm Blues Festival can sink its teeth into.
Bywater Call is a 7-piece powerhouse of Southern Soul and Roots Rock that runs on raw emotion and strong musicianship. They’re a band whose mission in life is to subvert the crowds expectations and make them listen. With comparisons to Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Bywater Call is just beginning to see how far they can go.
Jackie Venson is an Austin legend in the making! A complex multi-instrumentalist known for blazing guitar skills that create psychedelic electronic journeys that will surprise and please a blues crowd. She’s like nothing Briggs Farm has ever experienced before!
Friday’s Lineup, July 7, 2023:
Victor Wainwright and the Train will Headline Friday’s show! Wainwright is a Grammy nominated award winning powerhouse who can’t hold himself back! With the train behind him, rolling thunder collies with boogie-woogie blues! It’s the kind of rockin’ heart stoppin’ experience that brings people back to the fields of Briggs Farm year after year!
Joanna Connor and the Wrecking Crew will turn the grassy fields into a Chicago Blues Club! Her style is formidable, her vocals like a butter churn for the soul. National and international accolades gave way to a decade of world-tours, a dozen recordings, a documentary, and a multitude of TV appearances and radio features. She’s straight-shootin’ guitar shredder, plain and simple.
Super Chikan and the Fighting Cocks will bring the Mississippi Delta to Briggsville! Hailing from Clarksdale, Mississippi, James “Super Chikan” Johnson is fun, frisky, danceable, and as loopy as you’d expect from a guy who plays instruments fashioned from discarded metal and who grew up chatting with poultry!
RL Boyce and the Cornlickers will kick off Friday’s Main Stage! A master at improvisation, RL Boyce plays music that’s loose and laid back while looping into an endless groove of hypnotic guitar that builds into a frenzy! RL is a Mississippi Hill Country legend who weaves the past 50 years of blues seamlessly to the present. His live performances are nothing short of a spiritual experience!
While the Main Stage is rockin’, the Back Porch stage is jammin’ right along throughout the entire festival.
Back Porch Stage Saturday’s Lineup, July 8, 2023
Old Man Mojo with start things off with a bit of funk, a hit of blues, and get the Briggs Farm crowd up and ready for what’s to come.
Benny Turner is a veteran at his craft. He pulls his blues from a deep well of passion that will spill out onto the rolling hills of Briggs Farm. Just try to not to dance when Benny’s on stage!
R.L. Boyce will be coming off the Main Stage and onto the Back Porch with an electrifying performance of deep rooted blues and soulful storytelling. R.L. is the closest connection we have to the traditions of blues past. He’s a legend.
Miss Melanie and the Valley Rats are heading back to Briggs! Miss Melanie has an intense vocal range, always a crowd favorite, she knows how to bring the funk!
Ghalia Volt is a one woman band. Climb into the electric chair and experience some high voltage when this rock star takes the stage!
Back Porch Stage Friday’s Lineup, July 7, 2023
Uptown Music Collective won the hearts of Briggs Farm last year. They’re a dynamic group of kids who come together with a musicality beyond their years.
New Moon Acoustic Blues will sooth the soul and bring the blues down hard on the farm. Martin Guitar presents Craig Thatcher and Nyke Van Wyk in a dynamite combo.
Justin Mazer Trio has become a fixture in the music scene! He’s a Philadelphia guitarist who knows how to blast off into another dimension of blues.
Brandon Santini will stroll that Memphis vibe right into Briggsville with his harmonica and powerful vocals.
Briggs Farm Blues Festival is just a few miles off Interstate 80 and 30 minutes from Wilkes Barre. On-site camping, a sprawling vendor marketplace, and a variety of delicious food and craft beer sales from Berwick Brewing round out this unique festival. Patrons can bring in their own beverages (no glass), coolers, and snacks.
Tickets for the event are on sale now. More information and ticket purchasing options can be found on their website at briggsfarm.com.
