MOHAWK VALLEY BLUES SOCIETY
Sunday, June 28, 2026 2 PM – 7 PM
Waterfront Park - SylvanBeach, NY
The Mohawk Valley Blues Society is proud to present
The Darrell Nulisch Band, with The Jes Sheldon and the Stewards of SOL, and Blueprints for our Free Blues Picnic
at Waterfront Park in Sylvan Beach NY on Sunday June 28!
THE DARRELL NULISCH BAND
Darrell Nulisch (born September 14, 1952, Dallas, Texas) is an American blues singer and harmonica player. A two-time Grammy Award Nominee, Darrell was a key member of The James Cotton Band, founding member of Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets and member of Ronnie Earl and The Broadcasters. Nulisch's repertoire incorporates soul combined with R&B and Chicago blues, redesigned to complement his distinctive vocals.
Nulisch was raised listening to Texas radio, soaking in the sounds of soul, blues and R&B. In 1978 he was a founding member of Anson Funderburgh's Rockets and sang with them until 1985. He was then part of Mike Morgan's Crawl, before moving to Massachusetts and joining up with Ronnie Earl's Broadcasters in 1988. He began his solo career late in 1990, relocating to Boston.
James Cotton then asked him to sing with Cotton's band on tour, after Cotton had lost his own voice. Nulisch recorded and toured with James Cotton for 10 years and sang on James Cotton’s critically acclaimed and Grammy Award Winning release “Cotton Mouth Man”.
Darrell Nulisch, renowned for his captivating "blue-eyed" soul and blues vocals takes center stage, showcasing his powerful voice and exceptional harmonica skills rooted in the heart of Texas. Supported by a stellar, world class lineup featuring guitarist Chris Vitarello (Vanessa Collier, Jimmy Mcgriff, Bruce Katz), organist Dave Limina (B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Ronnie Earl), drummer Lorne Entress (Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ronnie Earl, Big Al Anderson), and bassist Mike Law (Kim Wilson, Lurrie Bell, Jerry Portnoy), this quintet promises an unparalleled evening of pure blues and soul.
Jes Sheldon and the Stewards of Sol
"When the music kicks in, a freedom shows up in this woman that makes what she’s doing qualify as high art. And you can feel that."
(Chuck Schiele, Table Hopping '25)
Jes Sheldon started singing in church when she was just 3. She won CNY Radio Group's ultimate idol contest in 2010. She was the lead vocalist of Thistle Dew, a Blues/Rock band out of Chenango County. As well as a founding member of The Lightkeepers, winners of the 2016 Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist - Syracuse Area Music Awards. Her current projects include Transient Kicks and of course Jes Sheldon & The Stewards of Sol.
The latter was formed in late 2022 after Jes and guitarist Mark Westers (The Barndogs) had played a few duo gigs and decided they needed to start a band. Mark hand-picked the rhythm section with Rolland Brunet (Kentucky Moon, Blue Avenue) on bass and Dan Morison (Blue Avenue) on drums. The group has been bringing their mix of blues, rock, rhythm, and soul to stages all over Central New York ever since.
Blueprints
Blueprints features the slide-guitar mastery of George Deveny, the piano virtuosity of Dave Liddy and the harmonica prowess of Skip Murphy. The rock-solid rhythm section of Oscar Crandall and Dan Porter bring the groove and swing that hold down the beat.
Formed in 1988, Blueprints has played clubs and concerts throughout Central New York. They have opened shows for Sonny Landreth, Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson, the Nighthawks, C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Asleep At the Wheel, Subdudes, Eddie Shaw and the Wolfpack and others.
George and Dave are NY Blues Hall of Fame members and Skip is in the SAMMY Hall of Fame. Oscar and Dan are in-demand recording session players.
In their half-century careers, these journeymen players have played in bands thatopened shows for Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, Roger McGuinn, Peter Tosh, Wolfman Jack, The Band, Charlie Daniels, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams Jr., Pure Prairie League, Commander Cody, Blsck 47, Horselips, Danielle Nicole Band and many more.
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