- December 23, 2024
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Music producer Paul Benjamin owns a timeshare on Treasure Island so he was calling the area from his Maine home following Hurricanes Helene and Milton to check on his building.
After calling his Florida neighbors to check on that property, he then would make calls to Lakewood Ranch to check on the status of Waterside Place.
In March, Benjamin Productions, in conjunction with local music producer Independent Jones, announced it would host the inaugural Lakewood Ranch Blues Festival at Waterside Place on Dec. 7. Independent Jones President Morgan Bettes Angell informed Benjamin that everything was fine and any minor damage at Waterside Place had been cleaned up.
So it's all systems go for the festival, which will feature Vanessa Collier, "Monster" Mike Welch, Dylan Triplett, Kat Riggins, Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s, Melody Angel, and the Danielle Nicole Band.
Benjamin wasn't the only one worried about Waterside Place and how it fared through the storms. Blues fans from around the country who are planning to attend the Lakewood Ranch Blues Festival were calling him to check on its status. Also calling were members of two of the bands that will appear at the festival.
He said both fans and musicians are excited about the new venue so they were hoping that everything was going forward.
He assured everyone that preparations are advancing smoothly for the concert, which is somewhat of a reincarnation of the Bradenton Blues Festival. Benjamin had been the artistic director of that one since 2012 but but that festival ended its run last year.
"Starting a new festival always has its challenges," Benjamin said. "It's a different location and you have to put the pieces together. But in this case, the location is a 100% improvement."
Benjamin is a national figure on the blues scene as a blues promoter, festival organizer and music producer. His North Atlantic Blues Festival has run for more than 30 years in Rockland, Maine, and features some of the nation's top artists each year. Aside from his running and consulting on many blues festivals throughout the nation, he has established weekly shows such as the Monday Night Blues series at the Time Out Pub! in Rockland, Maine that have given blues artists a consistent place to launch their careers or showcase their talent.
Bettes Angell has set up parking shuttles from the Out-of-Door Academy parking lot and the Lakewood Ranch Baptist Church, which is next to ODA on Deer Drive to go along with 808 on-site parking spaces.
The festival received a boost when Bank of America took the role of major sponsor in August.
"We are very much invested in the community, and into bringing arts to the community," Sarasota-Manatee BOA President Erik Vatter said. "This fits right into that goal. We also like that this festival is highlighting a lot of great businesses in Lakewood Ranch.
"And who doesn't love the blues?"
Bettes Angell said having BOA come onboard was almost like receiving a grant for the festival. She said it adds validity to the effort.
Benjamin and Bettes Angell expect attendance for the inaugural event to be above 1,500 people and Bettes Angell noted that the park could hold about 5,000 as the festival grows.
General admission tickets are $75. Special, in front of the stage tickets are $150. But out of the 150 tickets in front, only 35 remain. Tickets can be purchased at LakewoodRanchBluesFest.com.
