NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Aug. 2; “Saturday” and “Sunday” refer to Aug. 3 and 4.
PORT TOWNSEND — Today and Saturday, this community celebrates American music — from gospel to country blues and beyond — in the Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival. Some three dozen men and women, from accordion-harmonica player Sunpie Barnes to slide guitarist Orville Johnson to singer Angela Hill, will give public concerts at Fort Worden State Park and at six downtown venues. These shows, which start with a Free Fridays at the Fort concert today, are finishing off the Centrum foundation’s week of Acoustic Blues Festival workshops.
Free Fridays at the Fort features George Rezendes, Dave Meis and Jon Parry playing at noon today on Nora Porter Commons at Fort Worden, 200 Battery Way. Music lovers are invited to bring a picnic blanket, chairs and lunch for the hour-long performance.
The centerpiece Acoustic Blues Showcase also takes place at the fort in the 1,200-seat McCurdy Pavilion at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. This show’s lineup starts with Angela Hill, Arthur Migliazza and a gospel choir; then come Orville Johnson with Hill, Boo Hanks and Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The Uppity Women — Gaye Adegbalola and Andra Faye — step up with Clay Swafford next; then it’s a women-in-blues set with Del Rey, Eleanor Ellis, Lauren Sheehan, and Mary Flower.
Rich Del Grosso, Jonn Del Toro Richardson and Jon Parry; zydeco artists Sunpie Barnes, Leroy Etienne, and Michael Harris; Warner Williams and Jay Summerour and a set with Daryl Davis, Phil Wiggins, Billy Flynn, and Dean Mueller fill out the showcase.
Tickets are $20, $30 and $40 at www.centrum.org, 800-746-1982 or at the Centrum box office near McCurdy Pavilion an hour before the concert.
Blues in the Clubs, another part of this annual tradition, happens tonight and Saturday from 8 p.m. till midnight. This year, the Boiler Room at Quincy and Water streets is one of the venues, with free admission for all ages. As for the rest, a nightly $25 pass, available at any participating venue, covers all locations. The schedule goes like this.
Tonight
■ American Legion, 209 Monroe St.:
Gaye Adegbalola and Andra Faye with Daryl Davis;
Blues Dance with Davis, Dean Mueller and Billy Flynn with Angela Hill and Jay Summerour.
■ The Boiler Room, 711 Water St.:
Eleanor Ellis, Jerron Paxton, Jake Heck and Maria Woodford.
■ The Public House, 1038 Water St.:
Tim Sparks; Dom Flemons and Phil Wiggins; Orville Johnson and Grant Dermody.
■ Alchemy Bistro & Wine Bar, 842 Washington St.:
Clay Swafford; Arthur Migliazza and Del Rey; Chase Garrett.
■ Khu Larb Thai Restaurant, 225 Adams St.:
Lightnin’ Wells; Boo Hanks; Elijah Wald and Sandrine Sheon.
■ The Cotton Building, 607 Water St.:
Mary Flower; Lauren Sheehan and Jon Parry; Rich Del Grosso and Jonn Del Toro Richardson.
Saturday
■ American Legion Hall:
Zydeco Dance with Sunpie Barnes and the Louisiana Sunspots, with Caitlin Romtvedt, plus Gaye Adegbalola with Clay Swafford.
■ The Boiler Room:
Elijah Wald and Sandrine Sheon; Lauren Sheehan; Andra Faye.
■ The Public House:
Warner Williams and Jay Summerour; Rich Del Grosso, Jonn Del Toro Richardson, and Jon Parry; Billy Flynn, and Dean Mueller with Angela Hill.
■ Alchemy Bistro & Wine Bar:
Chase Garrett; Jerron Paxton; Arthur Migliazza and Del Rey.
■ Khu Larb Thai Restaurant:
Mary Flower; Jake Heck and Maria Woodford; Tim Sparks.
■ The Cotton Building:
Dom Flemons and Boo Hanks; Orville Johnson and Grant Dermody; Eleanor Ellis and Phil Wiggins.
