Local promoter plans next Lakewood Ranch Blues Festival

Independent Jones President Morgan Bettes Angell already has put together her December shopping list.

Not for Christmas, though. Bettes Angell has a lineup selected (but yet to be released) for the second Lakewood Ranch Blues Festival.

The first Lakewood Ranch Blues Festival was held Dec. 7 at Waterside Place to an underwhelming crowd of 750 music fans. While those who attended were thrilled by the level of talent that Independent Jones and co-producer Paul Benjamin assembled, the local community seemed rather apathetic to what seemed to be an artistic bonanza for the area.

The locals were more stirred up when, after the event, they were asked why they balked at attending the event.

Many noted the $75 ticket was too expensive, even though the lineup included seven nationally known (but certainly not household names) bands. Others said that the blues just isn't the right genre for the Lakewood Ranch demographic. The all-day length of the festival was said to be a detriment, and the fear of parking woes rose to the surface as well.

On Feb. 9, Bettes Angell sat at the Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch, to which she supplies the live entertainment, and talked about the blues festival with her Independent Jones partner, Antonio Hernandez.

A second Lakewood Ranch Blues Festival was never in doubt as Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch and event sponsor Bank of America were both pleased with the first edition. However, as Bettes Angell noted, "I am passionate about servicing the community."

When Bettes Angell considers the needs of the community vs. the needs of potential tourists, she sees differences. Those willing to travel to Lakewood Ranch for blues likely want a full slate of bands and many hours of entertainment. If they are going to pay for airfare and a hotel room, they want top-flight entertainment and lots of it.

The local community, in contrast, might want a shorter lineup of bands because they can make a 15-minute drive from home and back. They might not care as much about name value because they have little invested. In general, they are less willing to pay for a higher priced ticket.

"In our mind, we are hoping we can satisfy both," Morgan Bettes said of locals and tourists. "Who are we trying to serve? We're trying to serve everybody."

Benjamin is more concerned with satisfying those who travel to blues festivals and Bettes Angell said the event can thrive for years on that basis alone. But she would rather strike a balance.

She has noted all the comments the East County Observers' readers made about the festival along with all the feedback she has received on her own.

"I want to say that it was a quality run event from top to bottom," she said of the Dec. 7 premier. "I do think there is a weird perception of money. In my mind, people spend $70 for two people in a bar in a couple of hours. Our ticket price isn't going to change."

She said charging $75 is needed to keep the talent level high.

"We spend $6,000 to $8,000 per band," she said. "We had about a $40,000 (budget for bands)."

The producers are considering a shorter time frame, starting the festival at 11 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. and finishing at the same time (8 p.m.).

She said promoting the event better is a priority for the second go-round. She wants to make it clear that ticket-holders can come and go as they please during the event. Some who attended in December thought there was a no reentry policy.

Some of the feedback was that the event, which broke even financially, should have had a reduced price scale for those who didn't want to see all seven bands. She said they are considering a "second-half" concert ticket at a reduced rate as well as a "headliner" ticket.

But she said the event is a festival, and those who travel to a festival expect multiple bands.

"We can't take the blues festival and make it into a concert," she said.

A concert is an interesting thought for Lakewood Ranch. Whether or not the local community embraced the blues, the festival proved that Waterside Park can be an excellent venue for artistic events, including concerts. The area is large enough for thousands of fans to fit comfortably, and the lakeside site elevates the atmosphere considerably.

Independent Jones is intrigued by the possibilities.

"I can say confidently that in a year, we will put on a concert (at Waterside Park)," Bettes Angell said.

That has to be music to the ears of residents who have been disappointed by the near misses on the local arts scene. The Sarasota Players had a failed financial campaign to build a theater at Waterside that could have served as a great concert venue.

Then Manatee County teased us by saying it would build an amphitheater when it bought land from SMR that eventually became Premier Sports North Campus. Although there has been no official announcement, that plan is all but dead because there has since been a "no amplified sound" ordinance passed for that parcel. The only hope at Premier Sports North Campus would be a much-needed events center to serve the county's center of population which is now in East County. Unfortunately, the county remains mum on any plans for the site, so that, too, might not be anything more than wishful thinking.

Bettes Angel is working to fill a musical void in the area. But she does need your help.

"Will you support this event," Bettes Angell said. "Will you give it a shot at Waterside?

"It will work."