BETHLEHEM, Pa. — ArtsQuest’s annual Blast Furnace Blues Festival, returning in July for a 13th year, will shrink to two days, but offer 11 acts in that time, organizers have announced.
And for the first time, Blast Furnace Blues will be paired with a barbecue festival.
The free Blast Furnace Blues will be from 5-11 p.m. July 19 and from 2-11 p.m. July 20 on two stages, both outdoors: Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks and ArtsQuest Center’s Town Square.
The previously announced Steel City Smokeout will be at noon on July 20 on PNC Plaza — adjacent to the Steel Stage on the SteelStacks campus.
“At the Blast Furnace Blues Festival this summer, you can sample the blues styles of Memphis, New Orleans, Texas, Mississippi, Chicago, Harlem and our Lehigh Valley’s own blues groups all in one weekend."ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan
A new event, it will be held in conjunction with Bethlehem restaurant Nick’s BBQ, ArtsQuest and include a brand-new barbeque competition sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and the Mid-Atlantic BBQ Association.
Headlining Blast Furnace Blues will be Harlem Gospel Travelers, whose 2022 album “Look Up!” hit the Top 10 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart and made the overall Top 100 Albums chart.
They’ll play at 7:30 p.m. on July 19 at Levitt Pavilion.
Also, Eric Lindell, who has released more than a dozen albums in nearly 30 years on the blues scene and whose 2006 album “Change in the Weather” hit the Top 10 on Billboard’s Blues Albums chart.
Lindell will play at 7:30 p.m. July 20, also on Levitt Pavilion.
‘What a better way?'
“At the Blast Furnace Blues Festival this summer, you can sample the blues styles of Memphis, New Orleans, Texas, Mississippi, Chicago, Harlem and our Lehigh Valley’s own blues groups all in one weekend,” ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer Patrick Brogan said.
“And with headliners like the Harlem Gospel Travelers and blues rocker Eric Lindell, the event promises to deliver memories at the ‘Stacks once again. Celebrating its 13th year, Blast Furnace Blues Festival has become a staple of the summer festival season in the Lehigh Valley.
“And what better way to continue its growth than with the partnership event of the Steel City Smokeout happening at the same time on the ArtsQuest campus?”
The blues festival will kick off at 5 p.m. July 19 at the Levitt Pavilion with Eden Brent, who has had 11 Blues Music Award nominations since 2009 and won three BMA trophies.
Her most recent album, “Jigsaw Heart,” was nominated for BMA Acoustic Album of the Year, it was her third straight album to be nominated.
Other performances will be:
Bedlam Blues, 6:30 p.m. July 19, Town Square. A nine-year-old Lehigh Valley blues rock band with experienced band members rooted in blues.
Tony Holiday & The Velvetones, 9 p.m. July 19, Town Square. Memphis blues harmonicist Holiday describes himself as part of a soul blues revival in Memphis and is touring to support his new album “Motel Mississippi,” his third album.
Nate Myers and the Aces, 2 p.m. July 20, Town Square. A central Pennsylvania band for more than 20 years, led by vocalist Myers and his harmonica. The band creates a loose, casual atmosphere with blues, funk, hip-hop, rockabilly, country and improvisation.
Sierra Green and the Giants, 3 p.m. July 20, Levitt Pavilion. New Orleans band fuses timeless soul with a contemporary allure, Green is revered as the "Queen of Frenchmen Street."
The SlideWinder Blues Band, 4:30 p.m. July 20, Town Square. The Doylestown, Bucks County, band offers up Texas and Chicago contemporary blues.
The Skya Burell Band, 5:30 p.m. July 20, Levitt Pavilion. Founded in 2002, the band blends contemporary, traditional and blues rock.
Eddie Davis & Blues Anatomy, 6:30 p.m. July 20, Town Square. Five Philadelphia-native musicians who play at festivals, nightclubs, private parties, corporate and special events.
Jump, Jive and Wail, 9 p.m. July 20, Town Square. Formed in 2012, the band plays a variety of what it calls house rockin' music, including swing, retro-swing, jump blues, blues, New Orleans second-line music, classic R&B, roots rock ‘n’ roll, Dixieland and jazz. The band has played at the Wawa Fourth of July Welcome America in Philadelphia.
