June 4, 2000

Swamp Yankee, Misty Blues and Catfish Blue Offer Berkshire Blues Outdoors at MASS MoCA

(North Adams, MA--June 4, 2000) Homegrown, sizzling blues courtesy of three Berkshire bands plus memorable barbeque will combine to create a steamy night at MASS MoCA's Berkshire Blues concert on Friday, June 16. Concert Courtyard D is the setting for a night of the best in local blues with Catfish Blue, Misty Blues and Swamp Yankee.

"Souped up Muddy Waters" is the way lead guitarist and Swamp Yankee bandleader, Albert Cummings IV describes their sound. Their music jumps the tracks of musical genres playing blues with a rock 'n' roll accent reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix. Swamp Yankee has earned a reputation by winning blues competitions. They won an invitation-only contest, the Colossal Contenders in Albany, which sent the winners to play at Bluestock, the International Blues Convention and Festival, in Memphis, Tennessee. They also won a competition in Brattleboro, Vermont, that sent the band to the huge Blues in the Valley event in Wilmington, Vermont. Cummings started playing the trumpet when he was six and got his professional start while attending Wentworth College where he played banjo at parties at nearby Berklee School of Music. The band includes Ken Pallman of Bennington, Vermont, on drums and Don Chilson of Salem, New York (formerly of Williamstown), on bass.

Misty Blues pays homage to the older blues music made popular by the bold and brassy women of its time, while still paying respect to the more contemporary female artists who carry on their rich traditions. Band members include Gina Coleman as lead vocalist, Jason Webster on guitar and vocals, Dan Teichert on drums, and Bill Patriquin on bass. They can frequently be seen playing at the Old Forge, the Old Egremont Club, the Charlemont Inn, the Water Street Grill, and more.

For six years now, Catfish Blue has been building a strong reputation in the Berkshires. From opening for Duke Robillard at MASS MoCA to headlining the annual Berkshire Brewers' Fest two years running to a recent show at Northampton's venerable Iron Horse Cafˇ, Catfish Blue blends traditional and unorthodox arrangements of standards with genre-bending and soulful originals. The band has forged its own sound, an amalgam of jazz, rock, soul, folk, Latin, and even hip-hop with blues always at its heart. Catfish Blue band members include Conor Meehan, Sean McPherson,Todd Stentifod, and Steve McPherson.

The concert which starts at 7 pm will be held outdoors in MASS MoCA's Concert Courtyard D. Barbecue courtesy of Lickety Split and beverages will be available starting at 6 pm. Tickets are $5. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office at 87 Marshall St. in North Adams from 10 am until 6 pm every day. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during box office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located at 87 Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org