Victor Wainwright and the Train will return to Briggs Farm Blues Festival on Saturday.
Times Leader File Photo
Briggs Farm Blues Festival returns for 28th year
The crowd watches a performance on the Main Stage as the sun sets over Briggs Farm during the 2023 festival.
Times Leader File Photo
People walk through the grounds during a previous year’s festival.
Times Leader File Photo
NESCOPECK TOWNSHIP — The Briggs Farm Blues Festival will return for its 28th year with a pre-party on Thursday night. That will kick off a weekend of blues music, which will be played by local, regional and national artists on the Main and Back Porch stages.
The process of organizing the festival begins soon after the preceding summer’s event ends. With only a handful of team members who handle most of the administrative duties that go into it, Briggs Farms has become known for its down-to-earth staff and environment.
“No one should be intimidated to come to Briggs Farm. This is a great festival if you’ve never experienced a music festival,” said Dena Briggs, daughter-in-law of festival founder Richard Briggs.
The farm from which the festival takes its name has been in the Briggs family since the 1760s. They plant hundreds of acres of corn throughout the year, but each summer, some of those acres are used for one of Luzerne County’s biggest entertainment events.
“If you looked out over the festival grounds and didn’t know there was a music festival there, you’d probably say, ‘Oh, there should be a music festival there,’” said Dena.
From the planning side, the most unique elements that make up each year of the Briggs Farm Blues Festival are the artists. Over the years, finding talent has become easier, according to Dena, but the roots of the festival remain in the Delta and Piedmont blues tradition.
That being said, many of the artists at the modern blues festival bring their own unique style to one of the United States’ most original, distinct genres.
“The blues is certainly a lot of things, and a lot of different people think of the blues in different ways, so our artists are kind of all over,” Dena explained. “They’re just such talented musicians, but that’s really the beating heart of the festival.”
The festival has remained relevant thanks, in part, to its embrace of younger and local musicians. Many of those artists will play on the Back Porch stage, which draws a nice crowd apart from the Main Stage.
“If you’re 18 years old and you don’t know what you think about the blues, you’re going to love it,” Dena said of the festival’s sounds.
Musicians familiar to the local community — such as Bret Alexander, Justin Mazer, and Clarence Spady — are on this year’s performance schedule.
Aside from the music, vendors and food options are key to creating the no-pressure environment that the festival is known for.
“People who come for a festival experience definitely need to buy some tie-dye,” Dena said with a laugh.
Dena added that there is a culture of kinship amongst those who visit Briggs Farm each July.
“A lot of people do come solo,” Dena said, “And they’re not worried about it because their friends that they haven’t met yet are here.”
Saturday’s headliner
The headlining act of this year’s festival is Victor Wainwright & the Train. It’s Wainwright’s fourth time performing at Briggs Farm, with the first time coming in 2018.
“As we ended the performance and came off stage, I felt a really great connection with everyone around me,” Wainwright said of that first performance in 2018. “There was a buzz. I was relatively unknown to the farm and family at that time, but they all made me feel just like home.”
Now, the festival feels like a homecoming to Wainwright, who said his fellow artists and the crowd have become like family over the years.
As for his music, Wainwright described it as “inviting, fun and electrifying.”
“[The music’s] roots are steeped deep in the blues while pushing every boundary we can find so that our sound is very original,” he said. “I lead the band with the piano, so you’ll hear a lot of influence from roots piano players like Dr. John, Pinetop Perkins, Chuck Leavell, Jerry Lee and so on.”
The six-piece ensemble that makes up the Train is set to close out the festival at 9:30 p.m. Saturday. They hope to create lasting memories for audience members and, in doing so, push the festival forward.
“No matter where we headline, it’s always a special privilege because we have the honor and responsibility to wrap up the fest in a way where everyone will want to come back next year,” Wainwright said. “It’s so important to keep these festivals going so we can continue to support each other.”
At Briggs Farm, it’s critical for every piece of the puzzle to be on point in order to ensure a successful show. It’s a collaborative experience, and Wainwright knows what part he plays.
“Without one of the pieces, it doesn’t work. We can’t go out and carry the blues torch if there’s not a place to play, or there’s not fans to play to,” said Wainwright. “So my job Saturday night will be to wrap it all up and bring everything to a peak before we say good night, and I’m very confident we’ll do just that.”
The full list of this year’s Briggs Farm Blues Festival performances includes:
Thursday, July 10
BRIGGS FARM BLUES PRE-PARTY
• 6 p.m. — Bret Alexander & Friends
• 7:30 p.m. — Guitar Zack
• 9 p.m. — Hayley Jane Band
Friday, July 11
THE BACK PORCH
• 12:30 p.m. — Mikey Junior Band
• 2:30 p.m. — The Uptown Music Collective
• 4:30 p.m. — Hubby Jenkins
• 6:30 p.m. — Justin Mazer & Friends
• 8 p.m. — Jamiah Rogers
MAIN STAGE
• 4 p.m. — Garry Burnside
• 5:30 p.m. — Stephen Hull Experience
• 7:30 p.m. — Nikki Hill
• 9:30 p.m. — Scott Pemberton O Theory
Saturday, July 12
THE BACK PORCH
• 12:30 p.m. — Garry Burnside
• 2:30 p.m. — Pat Harrington & Owen Eichensehr Duo
• 4:30 p.m. — New Moon Acoustic Blues
• 6:30 p.m. — Noe Socha
• 8 p.m. — Clarence Spady
MAIN STAGE
• 4 p.m. — Taylor Scott Band
• 5:30 p.m. — Lachy Doley
• 7:30 p.m. — Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds
• 9:30 p.m. — Victor Wainwright & the Train
