Local Guitarist Keb Hutchinson, James Montgomery Perform At This Weekend’s CranJam

          The long wait is over. Get ready for an afternoon of music as a remarkable collection of musicians hit the Harwich Cranberry Arts and Music Festival CranJam stage on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14 and 15, from noon to 3 p.m. at the community center at 100 Oak St.  Admission is free. 
           Music lovers have been waiting a long time for CranJam’s return. Last year’s festival had to be postponed because of the approach of Hurricane Lee, which skirted Cape Cod over the festival weekend. The crafts fair portion of the festival was moved to October, but the annual CranJam Music Festival was canceled. 
          Two acts in this year’s festival highlight its diversity, depth and local connection. 
           When the Natalia Bonfini Band takes the stage Saturday, making his CranJam debut will be Harwich guitarist Keb Hutchings, a 2020 graduate of Nauset Regional High School who has just returned from nearly a month on the road, performing in a traveling festival with his mentor, legendary singer-songwriter and bluesman Keb’ Mo’.
 What was it like to join his mentor — after whom Hutchings was named — onstage? Hutchings described the experience as surreal. 
           “It was a long time coming,” Hutchings said. “I’ve known him since I was 5 or 6 years old, and he gave me my first guitar lesson back then. This year he was playing down on Cape Cod, and I played two shows with them when he asked me to join his touring group. It was very surreal, getting to play in rooms like that, with those kinds of audiences and that kind of stage production, I still haven’t really been able to take it in.” 
           Hutchings came to join Bonfini on the CramJam stage as the result of a performance Bonfini played one evening at the Harvest Gallery in Dennis. 
           “My mom went to go see a set of hers at Harvest Gallery, and she was looking for a guitarist to fill in for a couple of dates,” Hutchings said. “She knew my name, but then she could put a face to the name. Now we have been playing together since the start of this summer. Natalia covers a wide range of genres — pop to folk and classic rock, r&b — she does her own originals as well.” 
           Hutchings said he has a lot of great memories of attending the Harwich Cranberry Arts and Music Festival when he was younger.
           “Playing there now, when I’m a bit older, will be really interesting,” Hutchings said.
           CranJam’s 2024 finale will feature blues musician James Montgomery and his Blues Band starting at 1:15 p.m.
           Montgomery said he and the band were deeply disappointed last year when their performance was canceled due to Hurricane Lee.
           “We’re really looking forward to the Harwich Cranberry Festival and CramJam,” Montgomery said. “I was so bummed out last year! We wanted to play anyway, even in a hurricane.” 
           A true blues legend, for over 50 years Montgomery has shared his gifts as an accomplished blues harpist, singer, front man and bandleader. While growing up in Detroit, he learned his craft firsthand from such masters as James Cotton, John Lee Hooker and Junior Wells at the legendary Chessmate, a one time Beatnik coffee house in the 1960s. Lending these talents to his own band, The James Montgomery Band, Montgomery has played countless sessions and tours over the years with the likes of Greg Allman, Aerosmith, Bonnie Rait, Bruce Springsteen and many others. As the host of his own syndicated blues radio show, Montgomery has interviewed and celebrated the music of fellow blues and blues-rock icons. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame in 2018, and into the New England Music Hall of Fame in September 2021.
           Montgomery’s talent, skill and accomplishment doesn’t end there. He is also the co-producer of two documentary films, the first on Montgomery’s mentor and good friend, blues harp legend James Cotton, titled “Bonnie Blue: James Cotton’s Life in the Blues.” “Bonnie Blue” was a finalist for the Library of Congress Levine/Ken Burns Prize for film, and has been shown internationally. The second film, “America You Kill Me,” tells the story of Montgomery’s late brother, gay rights warrior Jeffrey Montgomery, who worked tirelessly for LGBTQ+ equality in the midwest. Keep your eyes open for screenings on the Cape in the coming months. 
          Other acts scheduled to appear on Saturday are the Drumma Queens, an all-women percussion ensemble who create a joyful noise and healing vibrations whenever and wherever they perform. They will be followed by Woof Woof Meow at 12:45 p.m., a local band who aim to inspire folks to celebrate the Earth by dancing, playing a mix of original ska, new wave, reggae, and funk, plus creative covers by the likes of Prince, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Victor Jara and The B-52s. 
          The Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers perform at 2:45 p.m. Martha’s Vineyard-based band Entrain, described as “a funky-world-jam-ska-reggae-rock stew with enough drums to sink a battleship,” will finish up the day’’s music with a performance at 4:15 p.m.  The music on Sunday, Sept. 15 will start with Danielle Miraglia and the Glory Junkies, two-time Boston Music Award Blues Artist of the Year nominees, with Montgomery closing the weekend.
           Enjoy the wooden dance floor under the tent rain or shine, and be sure to bring a chair or blanket to sit on and stay for the day. For more information about the Harwich Cranberry Arts and Music Festival’s CranJam visit hwww.harwichcranberryartsandmusicfestival.org/.