Anders Osborne and Honey Island Swamp Band represented New Orleans music well at Floyd Fest 16 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Floyd, Virginia. The festival features an eclectic lineup and always has some New Orleans bands in the mix.
Anders popularity continues to grow and he packed the Main Stage and the second largest stage with sets on consecutive days. Anders varies his sets greatly from night to night and on the second night he played a blistering rock-n-roll set that whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
Honey Island Swamp Band ran into some bad luck the first night as rain delayed their set almost 45 minutes and kept the crowd smaller for the beginning of the set. As the rain finally stopped for good, the crowd came out in heavier numbers and liked what it saw. There was such buzz about the swampy grooves from night one that the band was rewarded for their set the next night when the tent they played in was filled way past overflow.
The Wood Brothers caused as much of a buzz as anyone at the fest, playing three sets including an informal question and answer set, strewn with songs on the workshop stage.
Other bands that turned in stellar performances were Femi Kuti & Positive Force, whose vibrant stage dress and powerful Afrobeat had the crowd grooving hard. Nathaniel Ratliff and the Night Sweats, touring behind the strength of their self titled first record seriously lived up to the hype surrounding them, and Texas funk band Mingo Fishtrap turned a lot of people on to their music.
All photos by Bob Adamek. Click here to view the full gallery on Flickr.
Photo by Bob Adamek
