Head out Friday for some cool jazz and blues in downtown Rock Hill

Jimi Hendrix declared “blues was easy to play, but hard to feel.” John Lee Hooker kept it simple saying “The blues tell a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning.”

Discover the blues in all its glory along with a spontaneous side of jazz at the 13th Annual Blues & Jazz Festival set to hit downtown Rock Hill Friday. It’s a 7-11 p.m. restaurant crawl to eight different restaurants and venues for some movin’ and groovin’ all up and down the center of town.

Down at McHale’s Irish Pub they’ll be ‘serving’ up the sounds of South Carolina bluesman Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues, bringing plenty of street cred’ thanks to his time playing with Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, and BB King. Over at the Five & Dime, time to cash in on the Frost-Meccia Duo likewise brushed with greatness from Meccia’s appearances with Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, The Temptations, and others.

Duos continue to rule since Jimmy John’s has the Letron Brantley Duo, and Amelie’s offers the fusing rhythms of the pioneering Amos Hoffman Duo. Not to be outdone Millstone Pizza & Taphouse one ups the trend with the Abe Reid Trio breaking out into old school blues whipped up by steady sweat ‘n’ grit.

Head up the street to Getty’s Art Center to get down with the home-grown R & B finesse of the band Plair, and opening guest Reggie Sullivan. Meanwhile, Thi’s Place on Main presents J’Michael Peeples and The Flipside Restaurant rolls out Dante Lewis.

So, now with just enough tasty tidbits to tease and please, move on over to check out what’s happening Friday for the 13th Annual Blues & Jazz Festival and Restaurant Crawl in Rock Hill. For show and ticket information, call The Center for The Arts at 328-2787 or go to yorkcountyarts.org. Tickets will also be available at the door of each venue or find out how to trade tickets for an event wristband.

Marching bands

The best high school marching bands in the southeast will compete for top honors at BandBEAT 2017 –A Carolinas Marching Band Championship, 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. Saturday at District 3 Stadium in Rock Hill. Presented by Carolina Crown along with The Yamaha Corporations of America, this year's championships will feature a prelims and finals format designed to allow high school marching band programs to receive high quality feedback from nationally recognized judges.

Area bands competing: Band of Distinction, Rock Hill High School, Rock Hill, 6:15 p.m.; Fort Mill High School Marching Band, 6:45 p.m.; Purple Regiment, Northwestern High School, Rock Hill, 7 p.m. and South Pointe High School, Rock Hill, 8 p.m. The awards ceremony will be at 8:30 p.m. Performances begin at 3:30 p.m. at District 3 Stadium, 211 S. Cherry Road, Rock Hill. Details: 803-981-1150 or check Bandbeat 2017 at Carolina Crown.org.

Octoberfest

Get ready to roll out the barrel for lots of fall fun at Oktoberfest, 1-5 p.m. Saturday at the SC Shore Club in Tega Cay. The Parks Brothers – Brandon Parks, drums/vocals and Bradley Parks, guitar/vocals; from Fayetteville, N.C. – will be there live to deliver a variety of favorite music from the 60’s to today.

Live music all afternoon plus authentic German food will be sold including bratwursts, sauerkraut, German potato salad, as well as barbecue Pork and turkey legs, along with special beers from a long list of breweries. Participating breweries include Bold Rock, Southern Barrel, Hi Wire, Legal Remedy, Olde Hickory, Hilton Head, Noda, and more.

Other events include A VIP Tasting from noon -1 p.m., plus a raffle and a corn hole tournament at Oktoberfest, 15083 Molokai Drive, Tega Cay. Open to the public, ages 21 and older. For tickets: ticketssoeasy.com/oktoberfest. Get more on the music at theparksbrothers.com.

Coming up

Friday: Mellowgroove at Empire Pizza, Rock Hill; Weekends at SandBar Grill, Rock Hill; Shotgun Saints at Luke’s Sports Bar & Grill, Rock Hill; Revelry Soul at The Handle Bar Tavern, Catawba; Smilin' Dogs at T-Bones on the Lake, Lake Wylie; Rumor Mill at Hobo’s, Fort Mill; Rock Machine at Scarowinds, Harmony Hall-Carowinds, Fort Mill; Charly Horse at Dreamchaser’s Brewery, Waxhaw; Olin Melton Band at Pineville Tavern, Pineville; Leisure McCorkle at Mac’s Speed Shop-Southend, S. Charlotte; Rust Bucket at Tavern on the Tracks, S. Charlotte; Jem Crossland Acoustic Duo at Big Al’s Pub, Charlotte; The Lenny Federal Band at The Comet Grill, Charlotte.

Saturday: The Wingnuts at Original Empire, Rock Hill; Parke & Co. at SandBar Grill, Rock Hill;Lipstick on a Pig at T-Bones on the Lake, Lake Wylie; Tantrum at Buddy’s Point, Monroe; Vinyl Tones at Brew’s Tavern, Fort Mill; Chubby Knuckles at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s-Baxter, Fort Mill; Oneppo Brothers at Hobo’s, Fort Mill; Rock Machine at Scarowinds, Harmony Hall, Carowinds, Fort Mill; Province of Thieves at Dreamchaser’s Brewery, Waxhaw; Olin Melton Band at Pineville Tavern, Pineville; Benefit for Puerto Rico, 7-10 p.m. with Jamie Kay, Steve Simpson , Nashville Punk, Doug Thompson and Brad Thomas at Eaglespeak Coffee House, Charlotte;

Sunday: Jason Poore at Legal Remedy Brewing, Rock Hill; DB Bryant at The Handle Bar Tavern, Catawba; Moses Jones at SC Shore Club, Tega Cay; Rock Machine at Scarowinds, Harmony Hall-Carowinds, Fort Mill; Jeff Shows at Pineville Tavern, Pineville;Clever Con with Falling Through April; Violent Life Violent Death; Reason Define; and Something Clever at The Fillmore, Charlotte

This story was originally published October 6, 2017 at 9:40 AM with the headline "Head out Friday for some cool jazz and blues in downtown Rock Hill."