Right toward the end of the first round of acts, a nice shower has started here at the park, so I figured it was time for the first post.

Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks opened up the blues tent, with lead man James Johnson’s tasty guitar licks riding high over the shuffling groove of his three-woman band. The Clarksdale native and New Orleans habitue lives up to his name with an unorthodox “chicken-pickin’” technique that uses his thumb and forefinger to make the strings pop and the notes crackle. He ranged from clean, Albert King-style lines to overdriven and wah-pedal-flavored passages in the Jimi Hendrix vein as his guitar kept a constant dialogue with a rollicking barrelhouse piano over the driving beat (provided by Super Chikan’s drummer daughter). “Somebody shoot that thang” indeed! Super Chikan’s appearance hadn’t been announced in listings I had seen, so he might have been a fill-in, perhaps for the scheduled Lurrie Bell.

As the Tennessee Lottery Blues Tent filled up, I headed to the Sam’s Town Stage for a few songs by red-hot rootsy singer-songwriter Amy LaVere, and her crack sidemen Paul Taylor and Steve Selvidge. I confess I hadn’t caught her most recent act until this evening, but I was impressed. Her songs carry enough melodic and lyrical weight that Taylor and Selvidge can subtly fill in the the framework of the composition, with the music sounding as complete on a huge festival stage as in a coffeehouse.

After that, I was off to catch “aristo-crunk” superstars-in-waiting Lord T. & Eloise, who are looking forward to their slot at next month’s Bonnaroo festival. They’re also gearing up for the release of their new album at the end of June. I’m about to try to catch up with the boys for a backstage interview. Check back in a few!