July 1 at 3:00 PM with DK Harrell & Nic Clark, presented by The Leslie Fund
July 1 at 4:50 PM with Alabama Mike, presented by The Oregonian | Here is Oregon

Led by producer and guitarist Kid Anderson, the Greaseland Allstars has provided the grease and grit for a number of critically-raved blues release over the past few years (including several on the Little Village Foundation label). The Greaseland group includes Jim Pugh on keys, Anderson on guitar, D’Mar (Nightcats, Little Richard) and Tony Coleman (BB King) on drums, and Endre Tarzy on bass. The Greaseland Allstars will be backing three brilliant up-and-coming artists at the festival.

Alabama Mike is one of the few blues artists today who writes strong, memorable songs that are simultaneously unique but steeped in the blues tradition. He writes about modern themes, making his music work in a way that’s natural and not contrived. The songs reflect his personality: unabashed, self-assured and swaggering at times. Brace yourself for some raw and sometimes uncomfortable truth or run the other way.

DK Harrell’s brief career has been an explosion that caught the blues world by surprise. He got his first paying gig in 2019, and two years later he was featured on a show that included Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Bobby Rush, Gary Clark Jr., Mr. Sipp and others. He followed that up with the third-place finish in the 2022 International Blues Challenge. This young guitarist, harmonica player, and singer is one of the brightest lights in the next generation of blues.

Nic Clark is an emotional and captivating new voice in blues. The young folk and blues artist picked up harmonica at 11 after finding an instructional blues harmonica book in a bookstore. He found joy in musicians such as Taj Mahal, Curtis Mayfield and Pops Staples, who wrote songs that just seemed to unwind with layers of emotions. Nic Clark’s songs are like that — simple words to tell complicated emotions and stories. Listening to him is like getting a warm hug from an old friend, who reminds you that you are not alone.

These three featured artists and the backing band all have made music with the Little Village Foundation, a non-profit that discovers, records and produces music that likely would not otherwise be heard beyond the artist’s family and community. Little Village supports the dreams of artists from non-traditional backgrounds. Since 2015, the company has compiled a diverse collection of more than 50 albums that reflect society’s roots. All of its work is done at no cost to the artists, who retain all intellectual property rights and earnings from CD sales. Little Village is supported through generous donations from individuals and grants.