Our 2023 Soulard B3 artists are right here!
Join the Second Line Kickoff at 11:30
This year’s Soulard B3 Festival is pleased to announce our new Second Line kickoff event led by the Normandy Vikings, a collaboration with Normandy High School, Suzanne Palmer – Fine Arts Director – and her staff in the NHS Music Dept! This exciting addition to the B3 brings you a fun-filled kickoff event that also fulfills our mission to ‘promote, preserve, perpetuate and encourage the music, culture and heritage of Soulard and other communities in the Greater St Louis area’!
We will play and dance in the traditional second line, playing music that will get the handkerchiefs waving!
Suzanne Palmer
Fine Arts Director
Normandy Schools Collaborative
“It is our pleasure to share in the celebration of The Soulard B3 Festival in an effort to share culture in our St. Louis community.
The Normandy Vikings, under the direction of Mr. Terry Artis and Assistant Director Mr. Adam Yanick, are all looking forward to this great opportunity for our students. As we regroup and rebuild after the pandemic, this festival of events has the makings of fun filled days of unity and good old fun in Soulard.
The Normandy Schools Collaborative has been known for excellence in fine arts and our marching band in particular. We will play and dance in the traditional second line playing music that will get the handkerchiefs waving!“
Second Line starts at 11:30AM
Adam Yanick
Department of Music
Normandy Schools Collaborative
“This opportunity provides our students a more in depth look at a genre of music that may otherwise be glossed over in a traditional instrumental music program. Students will study the history of front line marching including instrumentation, genesis, style, and cultural impact. In addition, our students will come to appreciate this unique genre by listening to traditional and modern pieces, and ultimately performing front line music the way it has been performed for a century. “
And then we fire up the MAIN STAGE!!
Official Main
Stage Sponsor
2023 Soulard
B3 Festival
12:00 – 12:30PM
Bob ‘Bumblee’ Kamoske
40 years of writing, singing, and playing the Blues!
12:45 – 1:30PM
Mondin, Schaeffer, Row
An STL power trio, paying homage to the B3 organ!
2:00 – 2:45PM
Kingdom Brothers
Powerful original music that combines blues, R&B, and Gospel influences
3:15 – 4:15PM
Marsha Evans & The Coalition
A Queen of Blues, Jazz, R&B and Soul!
Band Sponsor: Roel Vestjens
4:45 – 5:45PM
RJ Mischo Harp Extravaganza
An award-winning world-renown blues singer, harmonica player and band leader!
Backing up R.J. Mischo – The L.A. Jones Blues Band
“The blues bit LA Jones as a child,
and they clearly haven’t loosed their grip.”
6:15 – 7:30PM
Texas Blues legend John McVey, and his world class band!
“I heard this guy John McVey play a song, San Jose by Freddie King, and my head just went off.” – Gary Clark Jr.
Band Sponsor: SOHO in Soulard
With Special Guests….
And there’s more!!!
Eric McSpadden
4:15 – 4:45PM
If you have always dreamed of playing blues harmonica, the beginners harmonica workshop with harp master Eric McSpadden is a great place to start. Bring your harmonica, key of C if you have it, and be ready to have some fun!
*We’ll be giving away C harps to the first 25 attendees, thanks to the team at Music Folk!
IT’S A SING ALONG DANCE PARTY!
For the kid in all of us!
Featuring Celia
2:45 – 3:15pm
Celia’s world-famous, one-woman show is a rockin’, stomping’, hollering good time. Wear your dancing shoes to this all-ages party because Celia will rock your socks off!
‘Brushes and Blues’
At 4:45, when the RJ Mischo Harp Blowout concludes, the ‘Brushes and Blues’ art workshop begins over on the second stage. You’ll join the 2022 Plein Air art contest winner Janet French (seen below) as she leads this fun & interactive art session!
Your entry fee includes pre-drawn wood with instrument theme, paints, brushes, pallets etc.
Thanks to our B3 Supporters
The Soulard Brews, Blues and Bites is an official SHARE event. The non-profit SHARE is a 501(c)(3) that was formed in 2021 when a group of individuals organized and filed papers with the Missouri Department of Revenue.
The SHARE mission is to promote, preserve, perpetuate, and encourage the music, culture, and heritage of Soulard and other communities in the Greater St Louis area through festivals; programs; and other cultural, educational, civic, and economic activities.