The Santa Cruz Blues Festival, now in its 19th year, aims to draw a new generation of fans by mixing blues with other genres for a broader variety of influences, said Santa Cruz Blues Festival organizer Bill Welch.

Saturday, May 28 following performances by Mia Borders, Jackie Greene and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Sunday, May 29 features Chris Cain, Tommy Castro, Tower of Power, Dave Alvin and Boz Scaggs. Music 11am-7pm both days. Aptos Village Park.

Next up was Jackie Greene, followed by Trombone Shorty Orleans Avenue. The day would be topped off with the highly anticipated Experience Hendrix featuring musicians from bands including Los Lobos, Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford and Living Colour, as well as Billy Cox, who played with Jimi Hendrix in the Band of Gypsys.

"I think with the Hendrix lineup today, it will be able to cross those barriers, cross the generations of music fans out there," said Welch, who also owns Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz and anticipated a crowd of more than 3,000 for the two-day event. "And we have the next generation of what we hope will be bands that will play in our festival in the future here today."

As of Saturday evening, some tickets still were available for today's show, featuring performances by Chris Cain, Tommy Castro, Dave Alvin ; The Guilty Ones, Tower of Power and Boz Scaggs.



Jimi was not only the greatest guitarist of all time, but he's an inspiration to everyone who has picked up a guitar today. His memory is so vital to modern music that players from around the world have gathered to play his songs in Santa Cruz. They include a huge diversity of generations, origins, musical styles and influences.

Experience Hendrix is a unique opportunity for fans to experience the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix in a way that CDs simply cannot offer.

From his burning Strat at Monterey Pop to headlining Woodstock, to Vietnam-era political statements of Band of Gypsys to the historical Fillmore shows, Hendrix is still influencing music today.