It is just an idea. A thought. A nice thought, too.
The co-founders of the annual Heritage BluesFest are contemplating expansion beyond the annual three-day music festival that has been staged at Heritage Port on 20 occasions. Wheeler and his wife, Phyllis, created the event soon after Heritage Port was opened in 2002.
The event has earned its reputation of being one of the leading blues music in the United States.
“We have been kicking around all sorts of ideas, including maybe an indoor BluesFest during the wintertime,” Wheeler revealed. “I was thinking of calling it something like, ‘Getting Over the Winter Blues.’ And we were thinking of maybe doing it in mid-February to give fans a reason to come out of that dreary winter. So, right now, it’s an idea, and we’re looking at venues in and around the downtown area.
“Maybe some people realize that our new sponsor of the BluesFest is Roxby Development, and the company has an interest in downtown Wheeling,” he explained. “Roxby now owns the McLure House and one of their goals with the hotel is to bring more traffic into downtown Wheeling so that there are more people in town that need a place to stay for a weekend.”
But Where?
Along with the McLure House, Roxby Development also owns the Scottish Rite Cathedral on 14th Street in East Wheeling. The historic structure, constructed in the early 1900s, possesses a ballroom on the second floor and a theatre on the fifth level.
Wheeler said the main event even could take place inside the Capitol Theatre in downtown Wheeling, but that would depend on the level of interest that is communicated by those who attend the Heritage BluesFest.
“There is a lot of potential for such an event, so that is why we are investigating it,” Wheeler said. “We just want to see what makes sense if is it something we decide to do, and that is why I am looking for input from anyone who thinks they have an idea or a thought about it.
“We are also looking at the open weekends that we have at Heritage Port every year because anyone who knows my history knows that I have more ideas for riverfront concerts like BluesFest,” he continued. “In the beginning, I was thinking about a folk festival and a jazz festival, but the only one that has stuck is BluesFest. But that was also 20-plus years ago, so it’s worth looking into what could work today.”
One genre of music that has increased in popularity during the past few years in the Upper Ohio Valley is bluegrass, and that fact could lead Wheeler to invite a couple of Wheeling natives back to their hometown.
“I have been thinking about a bluegrass festival, and we could invite a multiple Grammy winner in Tim O’Brien and his sister, Molly, since they have come back here to perform on several occasions,” he said. “We would also invite various others from this area and from around the country just like we do for BluesFest. A local group, Crandall Creek, has been doing very well this year, so there is an interest in bluegrass music here in the area.
“There are several local high schools that have bluegrass programs now, too,” Wheeler confirmed. “When we have talked about it in the past, some people have said that fans of bluegrass like to go out and camp when they see shows or to play music. I’m not so sure that’s entirely true because I know several bluegrass musicians, and they just like to be together and play no matter where it may be.”
BluesDays
Before Covid-19, Wheeler and his wife held weekday evening events with a blues performer in the large lounge area at River City in downtown Wheeling. The coronavirus pandemic, however, erased any such plans and led to the cancelation of BluesFest in August 2020.
Those nighttime events, however, will make a comeback in the near future. BluesDays will return to the River City Restaurant and Bar on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. with VizzTone recording artist Gabe Stillman.
The Gabe Stillman Band is a three-piece machine that runs at full tilt for every performance. While their sound is unmistakably rooted in the blues, the band also draws from the deep well of all American roots music.
Since landing in the final 8 of the 35th Annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis and being further honored as the recipient of the esteemed Gibson Guitar Award, Gabe and his band have been focused on expanding their footprint on both the national and international levels.
And then on Thursday, Oct. 28, BluesDays will host Memphis harmonica master and vocalist, Brandon Santini. There are many different opinions as to what the future of the blues harmonica will be, but Santini is undeniably a player to keep an eye on as the latest surge of young blues artists leave their footprint in blues history.
Touring in support of Brandon’s latest release, “The Longshot,” from the American Showplace Music label. Santini takes listeners on a slight detour from the traditional blues highway he has logged many miles on.
Both shows will begin at 8 p.m. at River City Restaurant and Bar with $20 tickets available online at heritagemusicfest.com or at the door the night of the performance.
“Those single-evening shows usually depend on what blues artist is traveling through Wheeling, and even though we had several of the shows on Tuesday nights, it doesn’t have to be a Tuesday,” Wheeler said. “And now that we are partnered with Roxby, that brings the McLure into the equation when it comes to those kinds of shows. The ballroom is one venue, and the downstairs lounge is another venue there.
“The two shows in October, though, will be at River City once again because those folks have always been very good to me, and I want to be good to them,” he said. “I just love how many people are now getting involved with bringing live music back to downtown Wheeling, and that includes the Carl brothers at the Bridge Tavern. It would be great if we can make it grow to the point where there are events at several venues on the same night. That sounds like a lot of fun to me, and it sounds like an evening that could attract a lot of tourists, too.”
