Annual comedy-blues festival aims to make the audience laugh and cry
When most people think of the blues, heartache and worry come to mind. That’s what makes this Saturday’s fifth annual Blues and Comedy Revival so novel.
The now tradition started after Cache Valley locals Joe Sorenson and Dennis Hinkamp performed a mock wake at the Burdues bar.
“Comedy and blues seemed like an odd combination, but somehow it worked,” Hinkamp said.
It’s been working for the past four years, and they are looking for a successful fifth.
This year’s music will be provided by local blues act The Blue Blazers. Joining them will be acoustic blues phenomenon Ball Lightning, Jeannie Millicam of the Rock Bottom Review and Salt Lake radio personality Kim Dopp.
Lest the blues outweigh the comedy, the humor will be headed by host Dennis Hinkamp, two-time winner of the Utah Laugh-Off. Joining him will be comedian/juggler Randal Bagley and local actor Dan Merket. Of special interest to Aggies will be the performance of USU Emeritus Professor Eugene Washington’s short comedy “That Fatal Brewpub.”
With blues, comedy and the occasional juggling act on one stage, the production assumes a “Vaudeville feel” according to Hinkamp. “There is no other kind of show like it. There is something for everyone.”
Hinkamp and Sorenson view this show as a rare opportunity for Cache Valley residents to enjoy a night of blues. And, with the Blue Blazers typically confining themselves to bars, this is the yearly chance for blues fans who don’t frequent the bar scene to catch this unique act.
The fifth annual Blues and Comedy Revival will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Caine Lyric Theatre. Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door and can be purchased at both the Taggart Student Center and Spectrum ticket offices.
-zpendleton@cc.usu.edu