BLUES ’N MARCH FESTIVAL

There’s nothing so evocative as a blues moniker. Take, for example the lineup at the second annual Blues ’n March Festival, sponsored by the Blues Society of Western New York: Fruteland Jackson, Billy Boy Arnold, 12PackJack, the Hurricanes, Cale Hawkins, Nick Moss and the FlipTops…names that taste of bourbon and bad times, cigarettes and road trips. Blues ’n March is the region’s only national blues festival, and last year drew more than 1,500 fans of the world’s most honest music. This year’s lineup includes Jackson (pictured), two-time nominee for Blues Music Awards in 2008 and winner of the Keeping the Blues Alive award, as well as Nick Moss and his FlipTops, who were nominated for three Blues Music Awards this year. Fifteen-year-old Cale Hawkins was the local solo representative at the International Blues Festival in Memphis in February; the Blues Hounds represented the region in the band category. Both play Blues ’n March this Saturday. Nowhere else in Western New York will you find a lineup like this, spread across two stages.

—geoff kelly

McKinley Inn and Banquet Hall, 3950 McKinley Parkway, Blasdell (648-5700).

$30 (bluesnmarch.com or wnyblues.org for ticket info).