WEVL, Kids, Beer and Blues on the Bluff

Warren Wilson WEVL kicks off the 13th annual Blues on the Bluff concert series Saturday, July 21 at the National Ornamental Metal Museum. The first of two concerts to raise money for the listener-supported station (FM 90 or 89.9), next Saturday's segment will begin at 6:30 p.m. and feature music from Joyce Cobb, the Reba Russell Band and Robert "Wolfman" Belfour. The second concert is scheduled for August 25. Cobb, a world-renowned vocalist as well as a WEVL board member and DJ, has played several times at Blues on the Bluff. "I'm always honored when they ask me to play," she said. "It's sort of a gathering of volunteers, administrators and supporters under a big blanket of sky and gumbo." Fortunately that blanket is large, because Blues on the Bluff has grown from 300 to more than 1,500 in recent years, said WEVL Station Manager Judy Dorsey. To accommodate such a large audience, the station now sells Bayou Bar and Grill gumbo and catfish sandwiches and also offers beer and soft drinks. "We like to think it gets better every year," Dorsey said. "More families are coming to it now; it's sort of evolved." The music continues to grow and develop as well, reflecting the increasingly wide age mix, Cobb said. "Every band is different under the theme of blues. I'm going to have a jazzy edge, and the Reba Russell Band will be more rock ‘n’ roll. Belfour, I think, is pretty pure." Admission to Blues on the Bluff is $10 and coolers and picnic baskets aren’t allowed. For more information about the concerts or WEVL, go to http://www.wevl.org.