Photo by Rhiannon Brundage
Shane Dwight has a new album titled “No One Loves Me Better” and when it comes to the Great Eldorado BBQ, Brews & Blues Festival, organizers love no one better than Shane Dwight.
Dwight has lived in the Nashville area for several years, but he is a Northern California native. A couple of decades ago he told the Eldorado program director that he wanted to perform at the casino.
“I had scored a gig at the Alturas (Bar & Nightclub on E. 4th St.),” Dwight said. “That night a bunch of casino people in suits showed up. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Alturas, but it’s not a suit type of joint. Afterward, they said, ‘We don’t have a spot for you at the casino but we have a spot for you at the blues festival’ — and I’ve played it every year since.”
Dwight’s streak continues this year. He will play at 6 p.m. Friday, June 14 and 4 p.m. Saturday, June 15. Reno’s Jason King Band and the Buddy Emmer Blues Band also will perform both days, with Mighty Mike Schermer and Andy Santana sitting in on different sets. The blues headliner is Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio. Also headlining, but hardly in the blues realm, are War and Berlin featuring Terri Nunn.
Dwight is a bit of a crossover musician, himself.
“Man, when people ask, I say I play original music,” he said. “I still play traditional blues at the shows. I love to play them and they expect me to, and I do. And I love playing an old country song if I can get away with it with the right audience at the right time. I love country music and I love rock music. Really heavy rock. One of my favorite bands is Soundgarden.
“All of it’s going to come out when it comes to writing. I’ll just pick up the guitar and the lyrics and the melody kind of come at the same time and I try not to censure it.”
“No One Loves Me Better” out on Red Parlor Records out on April 5. Music critics consider it to be one of Dwight’s best albums. And Dwight does not disagree.
“For the maturity of the lyrics and the sounds of the record, sonically it’s my greatest record,” he said.
The album was recorded at Kevin McKendree’s famed Rock House studio in Franklin, Tennessee. McKendree, has produced three of Dwight’s last four albums. Engineer Greg Brown collaborated with Dwight and finished up the production.
Click the LINK to read the Tahoe Onstage review of ““No One Loves Me Better.”
- 2019 Great Eldorado BBQ, Brews & Blues Festival
The concerts are free to the public and part of the annual festival that is equal parts barbeque block party, micro-brew tasting event (with more than 50 microbreweries from around the world) and music festival with two stages featuring nonstop rock and blues.
Beer tasting packages for the 24th annual event are on sale now and can be purchased in advance for $40 per person for a one day pass and $65 per person for two days, with prices increasing to $45 and $75 on the day of the event. Tickets include a commemorative tasting mug and an unlimited beer-tasting wristband for the purchased time frame. Hours for Brews and Blues are 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, with beer tasting ending one hour prior to the festival’s end time. - Friday, June 14
Third Street Stage
4 p.m. — Jason King Band
6 p.m. — Shane Dwight - Fourth Street Stage
3:30 p.m. — Mike Furlong
5:30 p.m. — Buddy Emmer Blues Band
7:45 p.m. Berlin with Terri Nunn - Saturday, June 15
Third Street Stage
11:30 a.m. — Jason King Band
1:30 p.m. — Buddy Emmer Blues Band featuring Mighty Mike Schermer
3:30 p.m. — Buddy Emmer Blues Band featuring Andy Santana
5:30 p.m. — Elvin Bishop Big Fun Trio - Fourth Street Stage
12 p.m. — Mike Furlong
2 p.m. — Briefcase Full of Blues
4 p.m. — Shane Dwight
6:30 p.m. — WAR
