2022 LINE-UP

The Artists

FRIDAY

Jontavious Willis
Mr. Sipp
Southern Ave
Brownout Presents: Brown Sabbath
Cedric Burnside

SATURDAY

Nikki Hill
Mr. Sipp
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio
Pokey Lafarge
Jimmy “Duck” Holmes
Ana Popovic
Eric Gales

Cedric Burnside

2022 Grammy Awards winner

Grandson of Mississippi legend R.L Burnside, Cedric Burnside was born into the blues. Like his father Calvin before him Cedric backed up the legendary bluesman on drums and began playing professionally by the age of 13. After almost 30 years of performing and living blues within him, The Mississippi Hill Country blue guitarist and singer/songwriter is a conduit to the past giants of this genre like “Big Daddy,” Junior Kimbrough, Otha Turner, and Jessie May Hemphill and at the same time creating something uniquely his own. Since the last he played the Rhythm & Brews Festival, Cedric has continued to garner many awards, culminating in taking home the prize for the “Best Traditional Blues Album” at the 2022 Grammy Awards. We could not be happier to have him back this year!

Eric Gales

The Guitar Magazine exclaimed it’s the, “the injection of danger and unpredictability that the blues-rock scene desperately needs.”

Eric Gales learned to play at the tender age of four. Being left handed, he learned right handed guitar upside down and backwards. By 16 He was picked up by a major record label but his career was stalled due to getting mixed up with drugs at a very young age. Long time friend of Gales and blues legend, Joe Bonomasa, said about him getting sober, “Eric, you have no idea how long I’ve been watching and waiting for you. It’s time for you to get your crown.” After five years sober that’s just what he is playing for in his recently released and appropriately named album “Crown”. With his drummer and wife La Donna by his side, Eric Gales is an example for us all that it’s never too late to start again. There is something we can all learn from his experience.

Ana Popovic

“Playing live is the best feeling in the world, it’s like sacred time to me. A moment my mind is free. I’m one with my guitar and when the music takes me over, it’s like fuel to my soul.”
Ana Popovic

Added to the mix is, Ana Popovic. Serbian born and leaving behind a career in graphic design, Ana is celebrating 22 years in the guitar biz. She studied at the conservatory of jazz and world music in the Netherlands and spent ten years in Amsterdam before fully committing to a life on the road. She moved to Memphis, TN and her life quickly became a whirl of recordings, various gigs and photo shoots. Anyone who has worked with Ana Popovic will tell you she is extremely hard working as her twelve albums, seven blues award nominations and thousands of worldwide appearances are proof of. Ana has toured all across the globe and never shies away from an opportunity to jam with the greats. Some of her most memorable appearances would include performing with, BB King, Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, Jeff Beck and many others. If you were fortunate to catch her show at the Belfry you got a sneak peek of what she brings to our line up. Her energy and pure skill on the stratocaster will be a nice addition to the developing line up at the Sisters Rhythm and Brews Festival.

Pokey LaFarge

“This album is a result of my 2020 experience. Before the pandemic, I was in a dark place but the pandemic actually created the much needed space for me to reflect. Turns out that being completely sedentary for once was a good thing. I found peace in the stillness. I was able to recalibrate what it is I do and why I’m doing it. Who I’m to do it with and most importantly, who I’m doing it for.”
Pokey LaFarge

Pokey Lafarge has gone on to become one of the most esteemed purveyors of American roots music. A dynamic showman with a keen sense of style and the ability to spin old-time sounds, he is bringing a very special treat here to Central OR. Revisiting Howlin’ Wolf’s catalog from the iconic Chess Records, Pokey has composed a live performance that pays homage to the classic bluesman and includes some of his most famous and celebrated tracks.

Brownout Presents: Brown Sabbath

“The rearrangements are so exhilarating that, even without amplifier overdose, they make you remember why you got into metal in the first place.”
Pitchfork

Brown Sabbath is the alter ego of Austin-based psych-funk collective Brownout who delve deep into reinterpreting the catalog of metal godfathers, Black Sabbath. A nine-piece outfit formed ten years ago by members of Grammy Award-winning Latin revival orchestra Grupo Fantasma, Brownout has evolved into a musical force all its own.They come hot off of other music festivals including, but not limited to, Bonnaroo, Pickathon, and FFFFest.

Jimmy "Duck" Holms

Find the oldest surviving juke joint in Mississippi at The Blue Front Cafe, Duck’s own cafe

Jimmy “Duck” Holmes runs his family’s down-home blues venue that gained international fame among blues enthusiasts. Along the way Jimmy crafted his own take on the Bentonia sound, described as mysterious, ethereal and haunting. In October of 2019 in collaboration with producer and guitarist Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, Jimmy put out his eleventh recording with the 2021 Grammy Award nominated Best Traditional Blues Album Cypress Grove.

Southern Avenue

“We’re definitely a melting pot of different experiences, different backgrounds and different cultures. It’s
hard to put us in a box, both literally, and musically.”
Ori Naftaly

Fairly new faces in the music scene but their talent is decades old, the up and coming group Southern Ave is a fresh addition to 2022. These extremely talented sisters grew up in the church where they learned to harmonize and put soul into their music. Only recently did they break out into the secular realm and they were immediately recognized as honed musicians and picked up by major record label Stax in 2016. Their self titled first album grew to the top of the charts as #1 Blues Album on Itunes and by 2018 were honored with the Blues Music Award for “Best Emerging Artist”. Their newest album, “Be the Love You Want” is produced by multi Grammy winner, Steve Berlin from Los Lobos. (Who headlined SRB in 2018).

Mr. Sipp

“I’m living to love the life that I live, Music!!!!”
Mr. Sipp himself

Crowd favorite in 2018 and 2019 at the festival Mr.Sipp AKA Castro Coleman returns in 2022. With his 2021 released album Sippnotized, he is ready to get back on stage. Mr Sipp has been nominated as the BB King Entertainer of the year as well as the Contemporary Blues artist of the Year from the national blues foundation. Anyone who has seen Sipp in action knows that you can truly be “sippnotized” during a live performance. While he has many recorded albums the way to truly experience his music is to see him live in action.

Nikki Hill

“A rich, sultry voice…weaned on the church choir and burnished by an enthusiast’s love of good music.”
Indy Week

The event will also host Nikki Hill for an encore performance in Sisters. Get your dancing shoes ready, front lady of her band Nikki Hill packs a punch with each performance. She has spent her career honing her style. She has soulful lyrics that reflect on her struggles of her self paved path in the music industry. Prepare yourself for a gut wrenching sound as she wails out her powerful story.

Delvon Lamarr

“Local Artist Spotlight” July 2017
KEXP

Another new face to the festival line up is the soul jazz concoction, Delvon Lamarr. Front man Delvon travels with his hammond organ and has a Booker T feel with some motown strut sprinkled in. Full of style and improvisation, Jimmy James on guitar has a wild acid rock flair. You can get a taste of what he brings to the table at the Sisters Folk Festival My ownTwo Hands event where he plays with the group, The True Loves. Dan Weiss, the groups punchy percussionist rounds the whole trifecta off.
This trio, sometimes referred to as DLO3, is ready to expose Sisters to some funky, booty shaken vibes.

Jontavious Willis

““He’s a great new voice of the twenty-first century in the acoustic blues. I just love the way he plays.”
Taj Mahal

Self-taught on the guitar, harmonica and twelve string banjo Jontavious Willis was headed for stardom at the age of 14 after watching a Muddy Waters performance he knew that the blues were calling him. His first album reached # 12 on Billboard charts and jump started his career. He has since toured with Taj mahal and Keb Mo who mentored him along the way. He was nominated for a Grammy in 2020 and recently released the album “Spectacular” produced by Keb Mo and Taj Mahal. Jontavious’s refined finger picking and haunting slide has folks describing him as, “a 70 year old bluesman in a 20 year old body.