About 35 people attended a night of blues and rock and roll at the Waldo Theatre in Waldoboro Aug. 14, but as Rebecca Dawkins of the Nouveaux Honkies said, “There’s 35 people here, and 34 are dancing.”
Nouveaux Honkies, a South Florida-based rock and blues band, headlined the show, which also featured J.P. Soars and the Red Hots and an opening performance from Maine musicians Jessie Mae Hines and Steve “Ice Man” Bailey.
“I couldn’t stand to see the Waldo sit empty on a Saturday night,” said Paul Sidelinger, who organized the show.
Although Sidelinger was somewhat disappointed in the size of the crowd, he was enthusiastic about the music.
“I love to bring around talent that’s just coming up,” Sidelinger said.
The Nouveaux Honkies are rising stars in American roots music. Their second album, “Where Do I Go,” is currently at the top of the national Roots Country chart and they tour nationally, often playing major festivals with Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Sidelinger said.
“We’re on a busy tour schedule, but we’ve got a few days off up here and so far it’s great,” said Tim O’Donnell, Nouveaux Honkies guitar player and vocalist. The band spent three days at Fire Island before the show at the Waldo.
“We caught so many clams we were throwing them back by the end of the trip,” O’Donnell said.
Before the Nouveaux Honkies took the stage, Jessie Mae Hines and Steve “Ice Man” Bailey gave a standout performance as the opening act.
Hines’ outstanding vocals were a highlight of the evening and lent a powerful weight to a variety of country blues, jazz and folk standards.
J.P. Soars and the Red Hots rounded out the lineup, with Soars’ blistering guitar carrying the band through a number of classic ’50s-style electric blues songs.
J.P. Soars and Red Hots beat out more than 150 other acts for top honors in the unsigned category at the International Blues Challenge in 2009, and Soars is nationally known as one of the top unsigned musicians, Sidelinger said.
This was Soars’ last performance in Maine before returning home to South Florida. Prior to this show, Soars burned through a tour of Maine, playing six shows in eight days.
“He’s fantastic, and I’m glad I was able to get him to play here,” Sidelinger said prior to the show at the Waldo. “The blues is really coming back in the Midcoast.”
The next blues show that Sidelinger has lined up will be in early September. The Pine Casters “featuring Arlo West and his homemade telecasters” will perform at the Damariscotta River Grill, Sidelinger said.
For more information on that show, or other blues events in Lincoln County, contact Paul Sidelinger at 841-1461.
