Blues, dudes

American popular music can be stripped down to a few basic elements. One is the blues. It arose from the field workers, and then morphed into country, jazz, rock and hip-hop. This Sunday, the city of Davis will present a blues festival to celebrate one of America’s oldest musical traditions.

The show features seven local blues artists, the youngest being a preteen. Brady Corcoran is a 12-year-old musician from Davis who builds his own pedals to sound more like his influences Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. He’s already been playing gigs with his bands Hotwire and Smack Jupiter for the last three years.

Another standout performer is just a little older: 17-year-old Kyle Rowland is a protégé of Mick Martin, who leads the successful local band the Blues Rockers. Rowland won Blues Harmonica of The Year and Blues New Artist of the Year awards at the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame & Award Show in 2009. He’s already gigging with some of the best bluesman in town.

Other artists include Blue Blazes, a trio that blends traditional blues with rockabilly. Riff Nimble & the Raiders is a four-piece that blends their blues with soul and funk. The Hucklebucks invented their own California-style blues. Troy Wickline and Gabe Lewin both play a singer-songwriter, folk-influenced style.

Whether you’re down-and-out, your baby left you, or you’ve just got to ramble, there’s a good chance you’ll connect with the music at the Blues Festival.