Festival offers weekend of blues along the Clark Fork

Each August, Sanders County kids get the chance to have music lessons from nationally known musicians. Saturday morning at the Big Sky Blues Festival in Noxon, the sounds of half a dozen harmonicas echoed through Pilgrim Creek Park as youngsters learned technique from blues musician David Raitt.

You might recognize the Raitt name. His sister is Bonnie, the Grammy-winning blues musician. David shared his passion for music with four Noxon girls at the harmonica workshop Saturday morning, along with twins Johnny and Steve Daniels. For Raitt, this was his third year performing with his Baja Boogie Band, which boasts local ties as bass player Dave Hutcheson lives in Clark Fork, Idaho.

"They get to practice, play and have fun," Raitt said of the kids' workshops at the blues festival.

Along with instruction, the kids Saturday morning got to take home their own harmonica. Emme Bosker said she learned how to blow in and out slowly on the harmonica. "It was fun to learn how to play," said Brielle MacArthur, whose mom Sari is the music teacher at Noxon schools.

Raitt compared learning an instrument to learning a new language. "We're all different, yes, but it's all about integration and music brings us together," he noted. "Music is healing." Miller said he enjoyed helping younger kids find a love of music. "WHen you see a kid get it, you just go 'wow,'" he expressed.

The Big Sky Blues Festival included three days of musicians playing along the Clark Fork River, each with their own unique sound. "This festival is special," said Johnny Miller, who was at the festival representing the Inland Empire Blues Society based in Spokane. "It's organic at its core." Miller praised organizer Lorne Riddell of Trout Creek for his love of blues and commitment to finding unique artists, as well as bringing back longtime favorites to the festival, which just finished its 11th year.

"Lorne has an uncanny way of finding people from all over the U.S. to perform here at the Big Sky Blues Festival," Raitt noted. "We love coming back every year. It's like a family."

Miller attends four festivals in Montana each year, as well as some in Idaho and Washington. Each year he brings a guitar with him and has all of the musicians from each festival sign it, giving away the guitars at the end of the year.

Along with more than 30 hours of blues music, the festival offered a variety of goods and food from different vendors. The Noxon music students sold concessions as a fundraiser. Many festival goers camp for the weekend, and the Noxon students provided options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Student Samuel Christensen said they were raising money for a trip to a music festival. Their ultimate goal is to attend a festival in Hawaii, but music teacher Sari MacArthur said there are other options across the country. They have done car washes, are conducting a 50/50 raffle and other fundraising events throughout the year. Donations for the music students can be sent to Noxon School.

Among the vendors at the blues festival were local favorites Genki Asia Express and European Connection from Thompson Falls, who offered a variety of baked goods. Olga Reese of Libby sold handmade crafts in her Familiar Raven booth, and also had cotton candy. She said that blue raspberry is by far the favorite flavor of cotton candy. "You're not even a real fruit and you get all the credit," Reese joked of the popular flavor.

The festival ended with the all-star jam Sunday afternoon. Seeing the musicians come together and just have fun for hours is a highlight of the weekend, according to festival goers.

The Big Sky Blues Festival is held the first weekend of each August. Discounts are available for Sanders County residents. More information is available online at bigskyblues.org.