Page 42 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2024 Digital Edition

Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters
play on board the 2023 Big Easy Cruise.
Photo by Ÿ Marilyn Stringer

Blues On Deck

Pushing away from the shore on board a water-faring vessel Join the Steamboat Katahdin for their Brews and Blues
– leaving behind the demands and stresses of everyday life – Cruise on August 31, 2024. Sample brews and soak in the
instills a sense of freedom and delightful abandon. Add in the blues, while cruising around Maine’s Moosehead Lake.
blues, and you’re bound for nirvana indeed. Most blues fans www.katahdincruises.com/cruises/brews-blues-cruise
have seen blues acts at a favorite local venue, or even relished a There’s nothing quite like taking in a West Michigan
weekend festival dedicated to the blues. But adding the element sunset while listening to some blues. Enjoy it all on the
of water into the blues – that’s something else. Whether taking Aquastar, cruising on Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan.
in a blues show for a few hours on a river steamboat or sunset aquastarcruises.com/our-cruises/aquastar-blues-cruise
cruise, or embarking on a multi-day all-in-one floating festival Likewise, Niagara River Cruises features a Live Blues
with blues music sailing on the sea breeze, adding some water Cruise along the Upper Niagara River and Erie Canal in
to your blues will elevate your experience. New York, where cruisers can enjoy an amazing sunset while
Let’s start with the shorter blues shows on deck. Blues fans being entertained by some of Buffalo’s best blues musicians.
don’t always need to embark on a week-long cruise to switch niagararivercruises.us/cruises/live-blues
up their regular live music venue – there are lots of opportunities One thing that makes cruising to the blues even better, is
to catch blues artists and shows on board local cruises, just for cruising for a cause! Every year, the Cleveland Blues Society
the day! These are just a handful of floating blues shows that (CBS) produces a Blues Cruise on board the GOODTIME III. As
caught our eye – be sure to see what hidden gem is near you! their main fundraiser since 2013, the Blues Cruise raises funds
The Smoky Mountain Blues Society keeps the blues alive for general operating expenses, as well as CBS’s Cleveland
in East Tennessee one show at a time with its Blues Cruise Blues Society Scholarship and Educational Fund, which grants
Series on board the Tennessee Riverboat. From April to three scholarships a year to high school and college blues-
October, blues fans are able to enjoy shows featuring artists related music students. This year’s Blues Cruise will take place
such as The Corey Dennison Band, Selwyn Birchwood, Shaun August 26, 2024. www.clevelandblues.org/blues-cruise
Murphy, The Nick Moss Band and more – all while on an If you’re itching to put on your dancing shoes, look no
authentic paddlewheel riverboat cruisin’ the Tennessee River. further than Cruisin’ for a Bluesin’! Cruisers enjoy four to
smokymountainblues.org / www.tnriverboat.com five days of live music, games, crafts, oh-so-much dancing

40 Blues Festival Guide 2024