Fiery music opens festival

Under a three-quarter moon Friday night, hot rock 'n' roll music poured from the yellow barge the musicians nicknamed the Big Banana. Some people at Riverfront Park danced in the chilling breeze off the Mississippi River. A spotlight illuminated an American flag flying above the stage. Riverboats towing barges passed by occasionally, spotlighting the musicians on stage from the other side.

A lengthy sound check delayed the start of the City of Roses Music Festival, but the professional lighting and sound were worth the wait. The few hundred people sitting on the tiers of the park were treated to fine local musicianship that competed with the headliners.

Other bands performed at a stage below the Common Pleas Courthouse and at downtown nightclubs and restaurants.

Two of the region's best guitarists and their bands backed headliner Lee Oskar, a former member of the band WAR, on the Main Stage. Bruce Zimmerman, known to local musicians for his distinctive and creative playing, gave Oskar's harmonica plenty of room to move. Mike Zito, a recent transplant from St. Louis, and his band followed with "Stormy Monday" and some original blues tunes. Zito is a speedy virtuoso who played with Stevie Ray Vaughan fire.

More rousing music was heard from The Melroys, a St. Louis band that played almost all original tunes written by former Scott City, Mo., resident Randy Leiner. His Beatleseque "I'm Not that Kind of Guy" was a standout.

Eleven-year-old Logan Toon of Sikeston, Mo., opened the festival by singing an a cappella "The Star-Spangled Banner" and her own walloping version of the Billy Gilman song "One Voice."

The Christian band Straight Street opened the evening at the smaller Themis Street Stage with fiery playing of their own. Keith Bauer showed off a distinctive voice playing solo later at the stage.

Because of the late start, headliners the Classic Rock All Stars didn't begin playing at the Main Stage until past 9:30 p.m.

Many people said they came to hear the local musicians.

"I like to see the local talent," said Al Bisher. " There's no prejudice with it. It's the real deal."

John Niswonger of Gordonville, Mo., was after local music, too. "We look forward to it every year," he said of the festival.

Thelma Underberg was there from South Dakota and was impressed with the stage on the river. "We have music festivals but nothing like this," she said.

Ron Roth, there with his wife, Judy, rocked back and forth to the music in the wind. "It's cool, but we've got the moon and blues music on the banks of the river," he said.

The festival continues today with music beginning on the Main Stage at Riverfront Park at 1 p.m. and at the Themis Street Stage at 3 p.m. Old Town ArtsCape, a festival of art within the festival, opens at 10 a.m. in the parking lot north of the Independence and Spanish Street intersection.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182