John Hall; North River Blues Festival organizer for 30 years.
Booker, promoter, and festival organizer John Hall is on a personal high these days. His North River Blues Festival, held annually at Marshfield Fair, in Marshfield, Massachusetts, is celebrating its 30th year offering local, regional, and national blues artists.
“It feels wonderful,” Hall exclaimed. “As a matter of fact it feels so pleasant I’m going to leave after this year. This will be the last time I do it alone.”
Hall has tapped Rachel Barnard from the New Hampshire blues scene to assist him in running next year’s North River Blues Festival. “Next year I’ll be showing her the ropes, working with her next year on how to take it over, how to do this, how to do that. I’ll be working with her next year but this year will be my last year doing it alone. Then I’m going to pass it over to her.”
Hall has his personal reasons. “I’ll be 75 next year. I don’t want to be doing this in my 80s,” he said. Hall owns the festival but he has to deal with the board of directors of Marshfield Fair, and he wants to take a break from working with the business end of the festival.
“There’s 14 directors and they each have a different department,” he said. “They all have their own opinion. There’s going to be new directors.”
The August 22nd Saturday first half of the event will feature Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, Dawn Tyler Watson, The Shaelyn Band, Cheryl Arena Band, Bag Full Of Blues, and Steve Todesco & Friends on the side stage.
The August 23rd Sunday second half of the event will feature Chris Cain Band, Joey Delgado Band featuring Jade Bennett-Matteo, Damon Fowler, Racky Thomas Band, Boston Soul Revue with Alan Arena, and Sam Gentile & Basic Black on the side stage. Hall selected this year’s talent based on quality and some personal preference. Hall described the Saturday headliner Rick Estrin & The Nightcats as a super group level outfit. “I think they’re the best band in the blues,” he said.
Cheryl Arena
Hall is bringing in Cheryl Arena Band for the first time. Arena has performed at the North River Blues Festival with other artists but this is the first time Arena will appear at NRBF with her full band. “There’s not too many Boston blues bands that I can say I’ve never worked with before, but I’ve never had her band here before.”
Many New England blues fans gravitate to larger events like The White Mountain Boogie & Blues Festival in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and or the North Atlantic Blues Festival in Rockland, Maine. But, the Marshfield resident and local organizer maintains his own thing in the local scene. Hall’s connection to the greater-Boston/New England blues scene runs deep. “When I started this, I’ve always wanted local bands to open,” he said. I never wanted to give up local bands opening up.”
Hall pointed to other blues festivals that have national bands all the way through the day and evening. “Marshfield is really more of a local thing,” he said. “We don’t get the people staying over like you do at The Boogie. Hotel rooms are sold out up there. The Boogie is huge. We don’t have that.”
Sentiment is another motivating force for Hall to work with local blues bands. “It means so much to the local bands,” Hall said. “For national bands, it’s another festival that they’re playing at. A local band can get a chance to play at a festival.”
When asked why he supposes North River Blues Festival has lasted 30 years, he injected a moment of levity: “Quality management,” he playfully boasted. “I thought it would be a unique situation. I wrote a letter 32 years ago to the Board of Directors asking them if they’d like to consider putting a blues festival on.” The time was just right, as the Marshfield Fair had lost their thoroughbred racing two years earlier, which cost them part of their draw.
It hasn’t been all peaches and cream for the last 30 years. There have been challenges. Hall and North River Blues Festival have had to adapt over the last three decades to insure survival of the festival. One particular change stands out in Hall’s memory. “We were on the same weekend for the first 10 to 12 years as The Boogie. As the Boogie got more popular, I saw my crowd dwindle. So, I switched. I put the Blues Festival the week after.”
John Hall; more time with grandchildren coming soon.
Hall had another festival, a roots music festival, that died on the vine because it ended up happening on the weekend of The Boogie. “To save the blues festival I switched weekends so (NRBF) wouldn’t be against The Boogie. But, the roots festival went against The Boogie and that slowly died.”
North River Blues Festival, however, continues to thrive. “It’s got its own weekend,” Hall said.
Hall would like to see North River Blues Festival continue after his successor takes the reigns “I just hope it continues the quality acts,” he said. “I do hope it will continue on. I don’t want to see it die. I don’t want to see it end. I just don’t want to be the one who walks to the office ten times a day.”
Local blues radio on air personality Holly Harris has been hosting the North River Blues Festival for the last several years. “John Hall really put together a great festival,” Harris said. “He pulls it all together. He really brings it to the people.”
North River Blues Festival will take place at Marshfield Fair,140 Main St, Marshfield, Massachusetts, on August 22 and August 23; Noon to 8:00 pm
