Riverhead Blues Festival Returns for 2023

After more than a decade of silence, the music of the blues will return to Riverhead this fall. Thousands of music lovers are expected to flock to the Peconic Riverfront to celebrate the return of the outdoor concert and festival.

Blues by the River 2023 will be held at Town Square on Saturday, September 9. Gates open at 10:30 a.m. for the festival, with live music scheduled from noon to 6 p.m. In the event of rain, the festival will be held September 10.

The festival hasn’t been held since 2012, despite its popularity.

“So many people loved the blues festival, so it’s great to see it coming back,” says Riverhead Town Councilman Tim Hubbard.

Hubbard applauds the efforts of Lisa Pickersgill, who was instrumental in reviving the festival, and Jim Warner, Riverhead Townscape president.

“There are great headliners, and we have the perfect location for the event at Town Square,” Hubbard says.

The new Riverhead Town Square is across from The Suffolk at 118 East Main Street. Unlimited parking is available at the county courthouse (136-204 Railroad Avenue) and County Center (210 Center Drive). Tickets ($35; children under 12 are free) can be purchased on the festival website, riverheadbluesfestival.com.

Headlining this year’s festival are Kerry Kearney and the Kings of Psychedelta, featuring Michael Falzarano. Kearney is a well-known blues slide guitarist and member of the New York Blues Hall of Fame. His band has been a longstanding staple on the Long Island blues circuit. He has performed with B.B. King, Robert Cray, Blind Boys of Alabama and The Blues Brothers. His style is music from the “Psychedelta,” which is “his own brand containing an upbeat mix of American blues and roots, created from writing and performing on the circuit for over 40 years.”

Blue Lou Margiore calls Kearney “an electrifying performer … an amazing slide guitarist. His electric guitar work is the stuff of which lightning storms are made …”

In addition to Kearney, the lineup includes Lex Grey and the Urban Pioneers, Gene Casey and the Lone Sharks, Jack Licitra and the South Bay Soul, and Kane Daily and the Roadhouse Dawgs.

Lex Grey and the Urban Pioneers fuse old-school blues with classic rock. The group has seven award-winning albums, its most recent, How Many Roads?, released in January 2023. Lex Grey was recently inducted into the New York State Blues Hall of Fame.

“Dipping into the belly of the blues, (Lex Grey) has an incredible vocal range filled with color and packed with unstoppable power,” Grey’s website describes.

A frequent performer on Long Island’s East End, Gene Casey has received the Long Island Sound Award from the Long Island Music Hall of Fame and has been honored by northforker.com and Dan’s Papers. His 2020 album, Free Country: Essential Recordings, is a compilation of some of his best songs over 20 years.

Jack Licitra is a Sayville-based singer-songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist. He has performed with Levon Helm and Bakithi Kumalo. As a music educator and founder of the music-teaching studio South Bay Arts in Bayport, Licitra has a special interest in the healing power of music.

Kane Daily is a rock/blues/classic rock singer/guitarist/songwriter, performing with his group, Roadhouse Dawgs.

The area along the Peconic Riverfront will become the “Blues Village,” with food and drink concessions and vendors. Attendees over 21 will be able to purchase drinks from Riverhead breweries and ciderhouses. Local artisans’ wares and event merchandise will also be available.

This year’s event features a playful duck logo. T-shirts with the duck and event logo are for sale on the event website ($25).

The Riverhead Blues & Music Festival was first held in 1999 and brought thousands of fans to the riverfront. The event was originally hosted by the Riverhead Business Improvement District (BID). It was then presented by the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall as a fundraiser for the historic theater beginning in 2006. However, the event was not profitable for the Vail-Leavitt. The blues festival was last held in 2012.

This year’s festival will benefit Riverhead Townscape, whose mission is to beautify the Town of Riverhead. Townscape president Jim Warner readily agreed to host the event. “We are so grateful to Jim and everyone in Townscape, and we will do everything we can to support them,” says Hubbard.

The nonprofit, established in 1975, sponsors community events and the many flowers in downtown Riverhead. Among its other projects are the Riverhead Country Fair, the Summer Concert Series and the Holiday Tree Lighting.

As a kickoff to the festival, bluesman G.E. Smith will be performing at The Suffolk on Thursday, September 7 at 8 p.m.

For more info, visit riverheadbluesfestival.com