Weekend Sounds: December 1-3

BRADENTON – It's the biggest blues weekend of the year for our wonderful city. The 2023 Bradenton Blues Festival—a festival that attracts blues fans all over the world—starts this Friday. Have you bought your tickets yet? Don't wait. This event is one not to miss.

Along with the annual blues festival, be sure to check out The Bradenton Times Weekend Sounds to see what bands you can catch at your favorite weekly venues.

Bradenton Blues Festival Kickoff with James Cotton Tribute Band feat. Mark Hummel
Cottonmouth Southern Soul Kitchen 
Friday - 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. 

The iconic harmonica man James Cotton passed in 2017 at the age of 81. Cotton’s considered by most the last great harp titan of the generation that produced Little Walter (who James replaced in Muddy Waters Band), Sonny Boy Williamson 2 (who raised Cotton from 12 years old), Jr Wells, Big Walter and many more.

James’ career spanned more than six plus decades and put him on the map of All Time Blues Greats! The James Cotton Blues Band is Steve Freund, Tom Holland (guitars), Cros Charles Mack (bass), Mark Mack (drums) plus Mark Hummel playing and singing James’ role as front man. Hummel produces The Blues Harmonica Blowouts (Mayall, Musselwhite, Huey Lewis, Lee Oskar, Magic Dick) for 30 years that featured Cotton on seven national tours as part of that event. James commented, “Mark is all about the music.”

Cover $10

About the venue:

Cottonmouth - Bradenton Florida’s music venue serving southern soul cuisine and live music on our beautiful patio in the Village of the Arts. Dave Shiplett and crew will to serve you and give you an evening you will long remember with seating inside and outside and art from local artists on display. Cottonmouth is the place to hang and feed your soul.

2023 Bradenton Blues Festival
Bradenton Riverwalk Pavilion
Friday through Saturday - 5:00 p.m.  

The Blues Sound Better in Bradenton

The Bradenton Blues Festival Weekend will be held at the Bradenton Riverwalk Pavilion at Rossi Park on Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, with an outstanding lineup of talented blues musicians on the big stage. In addition to amazing music, you can purchase local craft beer and wine, delicious food, and cool festival merchandise.

More Than a Festival

The Bradenton Blues Festival is produced by REALIZE BRADENTON, a nonprofit organization that brings people together to create a vibrant and prosperous downtown area for residents, visitors, and businesses.

Proceeds from the Bradenton Blues Festival support Realize Bradenton’s youth, art, and music programs that are free to the community, including our Blues in the Schools program.

2023 LINEUP

FRIDAY, DEC. 1, 2023
GeminiiDRAGON 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Eliza Neals 6:20 – 7:20 p.m.
JP Soars Gypsy Blues Revue with Anne Harris 7:40 – 8:40 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 2, 2023
The Shaelyn Band 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Memphis Lightning 11:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
John Primer and the Real Deal Blues Band 12:40 – 1:40 p.m.
Lurrie Bell 2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
James Cotton Tribute with Mark Hummel & James Cotton Band 3:35 – 4:50 p.m.
Rick Estrin and The Nightcats 5:10– 6:25 p.m.

Friday Only General Admission = $20 (Day of $30)

Saturday Only General Admission = $55 (Day of $65)

Friday and Saturday General Admission = $65 (Day of $75)

Friday and Saturday Front of Stage = $135 (Sold Out)

Tickets purchased the day of the festival will increase in price.

Andrew Wooten 
Big Top Brewing
Saturday - 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

If you like Tyler Childers, Cody Jinks and Sturgill Simpson, then you’ll love Andrew Wooten and his original music. No cover.

About the venue:

Big Top Brewing Company is a Sarasota-based production brewery. A complement to Sarasota’s historical association with The Ringling Circus and the performing arts, Big Top has set out to create great beer worthy of the history and culture that is Sarasota. Featuring brewing, tasting, and live music from some of the area’s best performers. A spacious outdoor venue with an expansive beer garden, porch bar, and food truck. 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota.

GeminiiiDragon
Birdrock Taco Shack
Saturday - 7:00 p.m. 

From the murky bayous of Louisiana, comes a fresh face to the Blues music scene. A vocal dynamo GeminiiDRAGON has channeled her love for the late 60s era and 70s blues and AOR bands/artists the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Koko Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, Janis Joplin, Fleetwood Mac, Cream and Led Zeppelin and the super group Arc Angels , to name a few, into a ferocious mix of blues rock soul…. Blues on Steroids!!!

Her inherited talent and love of an eclectic collage of music from her parents that spans several decades, and genres can be heard and felt in her voice and through her lyrics.

A chance meeting with producer and label ceo Christian Simeon (Nepotism Recordings) has formed the latest chapter in her music quest. In this collaboration, with his help and influence her first solo project is in the making and will be available soon.

Her 2 debut singles 'Like It Or Not' and ' A Storm Is A Comin'' quickly built a heavy buzz in the Blues Community.

Now with the release of her latest single “Just The Way It Is” and upcoming debut Album “Fighting Fire with Fire”, It would seem that the skies are the limit to her journey.

The album FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE is a culmination of her influences. The album opens with the track of the albums namesake. " Fighting Fire With Fire" starts the album with a driving rock sound that has pulsing groove and heavy drums, JUST THE WAY IT IS the albums lead single begins with an EKG heart monitor sound and proceeds to run a Texas Guitar riff down to the rough but catchy vocals , she spills her emotions all over the song.

The track WOMAN SCORNED has a deep Mississippi Delta meets Chicago Blues feel as GeminiiDragon sings about being a woman that stands her ground and doesn't take anyone's mess. It's a standout for sure on this album.

The tracks HUH HUH HUH! , GOTTA MAKE YOU WONDER are power rock songs with a heavy Blues influence kind of the way Zeppelin use to do it but with a howling woman from the bayous of Louisiana singing! BLACKTOP GOOD MAN bridges the modern sounds of Texas Blues and a UBO (Unidentified Blues Object) into a classic-sounding song filled with rich imagery and lyrics equally!

FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE is a great collection of the modern blending of the traditional and the modern Blues.

GeminiiDRAGON, her sound is what we she calls “Blues on Steroids” and it's all we hear!!! No cover.

About the venue:

Located in Bradenton Florida's Village of the Arts, Birdrock Taco Shack is not your average taco joint, but a unique funky-fun taco spot and live music venue. Owner and chef David Shiplett (who also owns the popular Cottonmouth South Soul Kitchen) doesn't serve up just any tacos. Dave has worked as a Chef in San Francisco, San Diego, Sarasota, and now Bradenton. Dine inside the eclectic artsy shack or outdoors on the porch and back patio. Great food, cool people... and TACOS! 1213 13th Avenue West, Bradenton.

Tru Phonic
Motorworks Brewing 
Sunday - 3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. 

The original music of Jake Salter & a unique group of talented musicians come together in Tru Phonic. Sounds of Jam, Funk, Blues, Rock, Soul, Jazz and Hip-Hop & more can be heard when seeing the band Live or on their Studio Albums. Established in 2017, Tru Phonic includes Multiple veterans in the Central Florida music scene who have worked with many other great bands and musicians in the area. The group has an ever-changing, high-energy live show with high skill levels shown on each instrument, talented vocal harmonies, powerful lyrics & a tight horn section.

In just a few years of touring Tru Phonic has made quite an impression everywhere they go, establishing fanbases & regular listeners in places like Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, St Augustine, Daytona, Atlanta, Savannah, Asheville, The Carolinas, NOLA, South FL & the FL Keys, Colorado, Missouri & more. No cover.

About the venue:

Venue: BRADENTON’S BEER GARDEN AND TAPROOM - Join us for a lovely afternoon or evening in our famous Beer Garden under a 150-year-old oak tree or enjoy our Taproom that is full of our great beers, wine, spirits, and cocktails.

We strive to fine-tune award-winning craft beer delivered to satisfy anyone’s palate. Our beers and service are performance-driven, the same as the Hudson service center housed in our brewery during the 1940s and 50s.

Based on weather conditions, Live Music may be performed in the Taproom.

For more local music listings in Bradenton and throughout the area, check out GoTonight.com or download the GoTonight app.

Artists and local venues, you can now sign up and input your own calendar info directly into the Bradenton Times website. Click here to learn more.