Much like hunting season, the beginning of blues season in Helena-West Helena is much anticipated. The official kick-off began with the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival poster unveiling and another event marking the annual AB&HF season, the Sonny Boy Blues Society Battle of the Bands, which was a smash hit at The Queen of Clubs.
This year’s winner, The Brethren, will open the 23rd AB&HF. The group went head-to-head in a two-day jam battle, competing against 13 bands for the coveted honor of kicking off the festival. The battle is a way to expose upcoming and emerging blues artist and is a major effort to keep the blues alive building a new generation of blues greats.
The Brethren is a hot band out of Hot Springs offering a mix of traditional blues and modern rock. Rosie Swan, coordinator of the annual festival, says their sound is unique.
“Their sound is a cross between modern rock and traditional blues, like Skip James meets Soundgarden,” said Swan.
Other bands that earned some attention from the judges include second place winners, Drawing Back featuring Daniel Conti from Marble Falls, Texas and third place winners David Pinsky and His Rhythm Kings from Ashland, Ore.
The Brethren include Greg Binns on guitar and vocals, John Stephens on harmonica, Tim Green on bass and Zakk Binns on drums. Greg and Zakk Binns are father and son.
The Brethren have been together for little over a year, and in that time they have had the opportunity to share the stage with such blues legends as Pine Top Perkins, Michael Burks, Watermelon Slim, Gary and Duwayne Burnside. They also have performed at numerous festivals including the 2007 AB&HF on the Emerging Artist Stage and the 2008 Hot Springs Blues Festival.
They recorded and released their first CD titled “The Fellowship of Suffering” recorded at Delta Recording Service in Como, Miss. produced by Jimbo Mathus from the band The Squirrel Nut Zippers who has produced albums by Elvis Costello, and The Hives. The Brethren were sponsored by the Spa City Blues Society to compete in the 2008 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, where they were semifinalists. For more information see their Web site at www.myspace.com/brethren3. In conjunction with this year’s battle, The Queen, SBBS and Arkansas Bikers Aiming Towards Education (ABATE) hosted a poker run and those proceeds will benefit the Confederate Cemetery clean up. Several area businesses helped in the effort, cutting costs for the project. H&M Hardware donated six concrete benches for the cemetery. ABATE took in $400 cooking mounds of food while The Queen donated $208 in goods for the barbecue. Jerry Littleton of Marvell was gracious in his gift of $250 for the project. The ride generated $750 in registration fees.
Spakes Sign Co. has issued a $400 price for new road sings designating the route to the cemetery and a company out of Mississippi, says that $4,500 will black top the road leading to the hill where the cemetery rests.
“We’ll hopefully be putting up those signs soon,” said Wayne Webb, president of ABATE.
Webb added that his group would be contacting the state prison system about getting prisoners to cut away growth around the cemetery so a view of the Mississippi River can be seen from the hilltop.
Webb said that during the SBBS Battle of the Bands, The Queen was at full capacity and that everyone attending the affair was very enthusiastic.
A portion of the proceeds also benefits Blues Aid. The AB&HF began as the King Biscuit Blues Festival in 1986. It was a one-day musical tribute to the Blues roots of Helena and the man at those roots, Sonny Boy Williamson. The festival is a free, three-day event that has earned international attention as one of the largest in the nation.