The Scoop
Join us for a weekend of Blues & Jazz! This annual event features a variety of your favorite restaurants and food trucks, complete with live blues and jazz music. Sink your teeth into the tastiest food around, wash it down with cold beer and wine, and groove to some live blues and jazz bands featuring John Németh, Mac Arnold, Greenville Jazz Collective and Kylie Odetta!
WHEN:
Saturday, April 20, 2024 | 2 p.m. – 9 p.m.
WHERE:
Mauldin Outdoor Amphitheater
101 East Butler Road
Mauldin, SC 29662
THE LINEUP:
MAIN STAGE:
2:00 – 3:15 | Kylie Odetta Trio
3:45 – 5:00 | Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band
5:30 – 7:00 | Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues
7:30 – 9:00 | John Németh
2ND STAGE:
3:15 – 3:35 | Greenville Jazz Collective Youth Ensemble
5:00 – 5:20 | Furman University Jazz Combo
7:00 – 7:20 | Furman University Jazz Combo
Read more about the bands below!
A few notes to make your visit a smooth one:
- Parking and entry are FREE.
- Lawn chairs and/or blankets are welcome & encouraged
- Outside food and beverages are prohibited, food and beverage vendors will be on-site
- Attendees must be age 21+ to consume alcohol. An ID and wristband will be required (free)
- Smoking is prohibited
- Weapons are prohibited
- Skateboards, scooters, hoverboards and bicycles are prohibited
- Leashed dogs are allowed at this event
Volunteer with Us!
We are looking for volunteers to fill multiple roles in different time slots! Volunteer positions include ID Check, Beer Tent, T-shirt Sales and Stage Runners. Volunteers will get a free event t-shirt and meal.
Interested in volunteering at other events and shows at the Mauldin Cultural Center? Sign up for our volunteer e-blast!
The Lineup
BLUES & JAZZ
John Németh | 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
“As a teenager in the early ‘90s growing up in the muddy potato fields of Idaho, John Németh was drawn to the hard-edged hip hop sounds and rock bands of the day, until a friend, Tom Moore, introduced him to the Junior Wells and Buddy Guy classic “Hoodoo Man Blues.” Together they formed Fat John & the 3 Slims, which is still regarded as a legendary band in the Boise region. John played harp and sang in local bands, often opening the show for nationally touring blues acts and quickly caught the ear of established blues musicians. It didn’t take long before he was releasing his own recordings, “The Jack Of Harps” (2002) and “Come And Get It” (2004), featuring Junior Watson, and performing in Junior Watson’s band.
John relocated to San Francisco in 2004, where he had the bitter-sweet good fortune to undertake a two-year stint with Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets, filling in for the ailing Sam Myers. Németh immersed himself in the deep musical waters of the Bay area, absorbing more of the soul and funk grooves of what he calls “the early East Bay Grease sound” of San Francisco and Oakland bands.
John’s talents did not go unnoticed and he soon signed a recording contract with Blind Pig Records. His national debut for that label, “Magic Touch” (2007), produced by Anson Funderburgh and featuring Junior Watson on guitar, received an ecstatic response from fans and the media, and he was hailed as the new voice of the blues. Living Blues enthused, “Magic Touch gives hope that the blues will survive.” In 2008 Németh was recruited by Elvin Bishop to do some performances and contribute four vocal tracks to his Grammy-nominated album “The Blues Rolls On.”
Németh released two more albums on the Blind Pig label, “Love Me Tonight” (2009) & “Name The Day (2010), both hitting #6 on the Billboard Blues Chart, and beginning his long string of Blues Music Award (BMA) nominations, numbering 20 at last count. John has also won two Blues Blast Music Awards – Best New Artist Debut Recording and Sean Costello Rising Star Award. John followed up with two independently released live albums in 2012, “Blues Live” and “Soul Live.”
In 2013 John relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, where he teamed up with producer Scott Bomar and his classic Memphis Soul band, the Bo-Keys, to create an album of revisited soul classics, “Memphis Grease” (2014 Blue Corn), which debuted at #4 on the Billboard Blues Chart. John won the 2104 BMA for Best Soul Blues Male Artist, followed by “Memphis Grease” winning Best Soul Blues Album in 2015.
In 2017 Németh released “Feelin’ Freaky” (produced by Luther Dickinson) on his own Memphis Grease label, crushing all barriers of style and genre with an album of original songs that defied all the usual pigeonholes, drawing from his strong influences in blues and R&B, as well as contemporary sounds in hip hop and rock ‘n’ roll. Later that same year, Németh was part of a side project “The Love Light Orchestra Featuring John Németh” recorded live at one of Memphis’ favorite watering holes, Bar DKDC. The 10-piece band was initially envisioned by guitarist Joe Restivo, vocalist John Németh and arranger/trumpeter Marc Franklin.
Németh returned to Electraphonic in December of 2019 with his seasoned road band of young gun players, The Blue Dreamers, featuring 19 year-old guitar phenom from Philadelphia, Jon Hay, drummer Danny Banks and Matt Wilson on bass for a rowdy southern swamp roots session resulting in his 10th album, “Stronger Than Strong” demonstrating, yet again, his uncanny ability to skillfully blend retro and modern blues and soul into compelling music that is simultaneously old and new.”
Mac Arnold must have known at an early age that his music career would read like a “Who’s who” of Blues/R&B Legends. His high school band “J Floyd & The Shamrocks” were often joined by none other than Macon, Georgia native, James Brown on piano. After deciding to pursue a professional music career, he joined the Charles Miller group until 1965 when he made the move to Chicago to work with recording artist/saxophonist A. C. Reed.
In late 1966, at age 24, came the opportunity of a lifetime to join the Muddy Waters Band and help shape the electric blues sound that inspired the rock and roll movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Regular guests of the band included Eric Clapton, Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, and Elvin Bishop. The Muddy Waters Band (as a unit) shared the stage with the likes of Howlin’ Wolfe, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Junior Wells, Big Joe Williams, and Big Mama Thornton just to name a few. During this time, Mac played on John Lee Hooker’s “live “album, Live at the Café Au Go-Go, as well as Otis Spann’s classic recording “The Blues is Where It’s At”.
After more than a year with Muddy Waters, Mac formed the Soul Invaders which backed up many artists, including The Temptations and B. B. King. In the early 70’s, he moved Los Angeles to work at ABC Television and LAFF RECORDS (Redd Foxx). This led to working on the set of Soul Train from 1971 to 1975 and then working with Bill Withers (“Lean On Me”) before moving back to South Carolina in the 80”s.
Mac now resides in Pelzer, SC, where at the age of ten he got his first taste of the blues when he learned to play his brother Leroy’s home-made guitar. Going back to his roots. Mac is serving up a mess of Blues with his own band, “Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues”. The band consists Austin Brashier on guitar and vocals, Max Hightower on harmonica and vocals, Rick Latham on drums, Mike Frost on bass, and Mac Arnold on vocals and Gas Can Guitars.”
The Greenville Jazz Collective (GJC) is a small non-profit dedicated to serving Greenville, SC and beyond through education outreach and regular performances in a variety of settings. Since 2012, the GJC has connected with many of the dedicated professional musicians, arts organizations, and music educators in Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina to reach tens of thousands of people with award winning jazz programs.
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Kylie Odetta is an Indie/Pop/Jazzy, Singer/Songwriter from Greenville, SC. Her music is colorful, dreamy, and full of hope! Her live shows are energetic and joyful as she weaves compelling stories in between songs. She has a new song out called STUCK and another new project with 4 new songs coming out this spring called GROWN. With over 10k followers on Instagram and 56k monthly listeners on Spotify, Kylie is consistently releasing new music and growing as an artist both in the local scene and in the online world.
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FOOD & TREATS
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Beer & Wine – Growler Haus
SPONSORS
Thank you to our 2024 sponsors!
Supporting Sponsor:
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2024 SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
This Saturday event will bring hundreds of guests to the Mauldin Outdoor Amphitheater. Depending on your sponsorship level, you could be earning $25K+ in media presence, brand recognition at events, and more by sponsoring: Mauldin Blues and Jazz Festival.
Interested? Email us at [email protected] or call us at 864.335.4862.