This Saturday, Tommy Castro – deemed one of the hardest working musicians in any genre – will bring his signature sound, a blend of blues, R&B and roots rock ’n’ roll, to Folsom’s Powerhouse Pub. “Castro navigates seriously funky Southern soul, gritty big city blues and scorching rock,” Carlos Santana has said. “His silvery guitar licks simultaneously sound familiar and fresh. He has the voice and the sound to touch everybody’s heart.” Castro began playing guitar at age 10, and he cites Eric Clapton, Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield among his early influences and Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and B.B. King among his later guitar influences. Soul singers like Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett and Jam

Several thousand spectators were on hand to enjoy the music and performance of a dozen bands who played on 10 different stages. Performing at the event was Club 90, Whiskey Dawn, Gallagher, Wonderbread 5, Bump City, the Dave Russell Band, several tribute bands such as James Garner (Johnny Cash), Because (Beatles), Pink Froyd (Pink Floyd), Twanna Turner and Superlicious, and the legendary Elvin Bishop. (The man, the guitar, the legend - Elvin Bishop) Several bands played at the same time, at different stages, so you had to choose which group to watch. Each and every stage was packed with spectators. Stations were set up close to each stage to sell liquor, non alcoholic drinks and food.

The Northern California Blues Festival played Saturday afternoon at the Auburn Regional Park in Auburn, California. Headlined by the Elvin Bishop Band, the festival featured seven Blues bands that performed on a stage in front of a grassy slope for an enthusiastic crowd. Audience members avoided the heat by filling the shaded areas of the park until early evening when it was cool enough to move closer to the stage. By the time Elvin Bishop’s band took the stage, the area in front of the stage was crowded with cheering and dancing fans. The festival’s lineup included performances by Volker Strifler, Dennis Jones, Kaye Bohler, Chris Cain, Sacramento Blues Revue, Zac Harmon and Elvin Bishop.