A thundering roar coming from the Greg Koch's guitar worked well with the audience to mark a hot and sensational opening of the 1^st Zagreb International Blues Festival. It seems this newborn festival has all it takes to reach stardome still as an infant, being raised and pampered by the city's blues and guitar lovers. The Sax!  Club was too small to host everyone thirsty of the blend of blues, jazz, country, folk and hard rock which the eclectic virtuoso Greg Koch, supported by Thomas Good (bass guitar) and Del Bennett (drums), poured in abundance.

Croatia had its proud member in Nebo & the Downstrokes, winners of this year's International Blues Challenge in Memphis whose great performance was confirmed by Koch himself. The next day he taught some of his guitar expertise to students of the Fender's guitar workshop. The place was yet another great place to be - The Hard Place.

Saturday's rain threatened to wash away the organiser's sanity but the dripping audience flooded the venue and enjoyed 10 hours of blues distributed from three stages, from one of which hey received a lecture in positive attitude from Ms. Candye Kane. This blues diva with a powerful voice and striking appearance (guarded by a mean band consisting of such as Laura Chavez on guitar) proved to be a great shooter as her every aim for the audience's centre of pleasure was a success. This charming lady sustained all the life's downfalls and answered all maltreatments with song and ever more positive attitude. With the positive attitude, good vibrations and a guitar she overcame her illness and with her voice and energy she lifted the Zagreb audience to their feet to dance to the rhythm of her last album Superhero for which she was a triple nominee for 2010 National Blues Foundation.

She thanked the audience for supporting live performances by living performers in style, wising all multiple orgasms and dashed to sign CDs and chat with fans with doctor's order to go to the inside Swamp Unit (Močvara club) for more therapeutic treatments administered by Šinobus, Dudlaš and The Shoutin'  Torpedoes. No side-effects having this treatment since the organisers shrewdly omitted the alternate current in every other performer giving our ears a break listening to the acoustic bands. Here are some of the names you should keep your eye (and ear) on:

Acoustic: Tomislav Goluban, Two for Blues, Ivan Vragolovich and Nuna Du

Electric: Ben Dover, Dudo Vorih Blues Band, Blues of Taste, Carl Reuter & The Harpoon's and Picksiebner.

To cut a long story short, this festival is facing a bright, starry and long lasting career.

BAND-Nebo & The Downstrokes
(Alfred's, January 21st, 5:35 p.m., January 22nd, 10:15 p.m.)
SOLO/DUO-Ivan Vragolovich
(Wet Willie's, January 21st, 9:35 p.m., January 22nd, 6:05 p.m.)