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Stack O’Blues
In the late eighties, Bowie Maryland native, Pete Lancaster, briefly moved to
Cleveland, Ohio, where he soon became a veritable one-man blues army, as he sang
the songs of old blues masters while simultaneously playing acoustic slide-guitar,
rack-mounted harmonica and stompin’ box. Pete then brought his passion for the
blues to Hagerstown in the early 90’s, where he soon became a solo street performer
during the then-Hager Fest. After initially forming an acoustic duo, Pete later
teamed with bassist Arnie Helmick, electric guitarist Alan Mason, and drummer
Bart Lay in the band, 2BLUE Ensemble, which was a contributor to the birth of
Blues Fest and to the then-burgeoning Hagerstown blues scene. In 1998, after
the earlier group disbanded, Pete, along with many of its original members, formed
the band now known as Stack O’ Blues. Like its predecessor, Stack O’ Blues is
simultaneously grounded in the early, traditional blues masters, yet leavened
with influences from later masters like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Johnny Winter
and even Neil Young. On the Stack O’ Blues band’s 2006 CD "Scraps of History,"
Lay and Helmick’s rock-steady rhythm supports Mason's powerful Page-inspired
guitar as it leads the group through twelve Lancaster-penned original blues.
As a special treat for Blues Fest 2008, Stack O’ Blues’ performance will be augmented
by the fabulous guitar skills of Duane “D.C.” Carnes, the masterful rhythm guitarist
for the late Robert “Jr.” Lockwood’s All-Star Band. Get down to the kick-off
of our Friday “Lotta Blues Show” for some authentic “home-grown” Hagerstown blues! |
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