CITY OF ROSES FESTIVAL OFFERS FEAST OF MUSIC

MTV Unplugged is popular, but the City of Roses Festival Unplugged wouldn't have been the same.

An overloaded power line arced and snapped just before 8 p.m. Friday, sending sparks into the sky and delaying the schedule of spotlighted entertainment on the Main Stage.

"We don't have music but we had fireworks," said one volunteer worker.

But AmerenUE workmen restored power within a half hour and the show went on. By 9:30, a big crowd was building downtown.

The first night of the festival served up a feast of local musical talent from the beginning. Diana Weaver, a piano performance major at Southeast Missouri State University, played Schumann against a setting of art for an audience of about 10 at Gallery 100. Across the street, the Paul Thompson Duo performed classical flute pieces while listeners nibbled at an array of breads and meats.

Before about 25 folk music lovers who gathered in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church, Boone County's Cathy Barton and Dave Para sang reels and river songs played on a variety of folk instruments, including hammered dulcimer, autoharp, banjo and guitar.

Later they were joined on stage by Cape Girardeau's own fiddle phenom, Liesl Schoenberger, fresh from winning the Missouri State Junior Fiddle Championship at the state fair in Sedalia. Liesl reclaimed the title she first won two years ago.

At the C.P. McGinty parking lot, Sackcloth & Ashes played rock 'n' roll with a Christian message for a crowd of about 100. In "Uptown," the lead singer sang, "Sit down talkin' with Jesus, kickin' back by the crystal pool."

Most of the downtown clubs had five different bands playing through the night. Three fire marshals were assigned to the festival to insure that no overcrowding occurred. The first night of last year's festival produced lines outside clubs featuring the most popular bands.

In addition, six police officers were patrolling the downtown on foot Friday night. There were no incidents at last year's festival and police were anticipating none this year.

"We want it to be a successful event," said police Cpl. Charlie Herbst.

He didn't mind spending his shift at the festival. "I love music," he said.

The headliner on the Main Stage was Stacy Mitchhart and Blues-U-Can-Use. The seven-piece Nashville group is the house band at the Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar on Printers Alley in Nashville.

Mitchhart started playing guitar at age 5 in his hometown of Cincinnati. "The Thrill is Gone" was one of his early favorites. Besides B.B. King, he listened to Albert King, Albert Collins and Bobby "Blue" Bland as well.

"You steal from everybody and hope everybody you steal from becomes your own," Mitchhart said.

Sometimes he is compared to the late Stevie Ray Vaughan because of his energetic show, but though Mitchhart admires Vaughan's playing he says his own is more in the B.B. King tradition.

Accustomed to playing to adults in clubs, Mitchhart said he edits his show for festival audiences. "There are kids here and there are parts of the show we won't be able to do out of respect for their parents," he said.

Mitchhart's seven-piece band includes two saxes and a trumpet. R&B music isn't as hard to find in Nashville as you might think, he says.

Being a good performer is a matter of your attitude toward your audience, he said, adding: "You take them where they want to go. And we have fun. If we ain't having fun, we don't want to do it."

The festival concludes today with Sackcloth & Ashes starting the Main Stage entertainment at 12:30 p.m. followed by the Northern Cherokee Nation dancing and drumming.

At 2:30, the Ware Sisters will sing gospel; at 3:30, it's Latin music by Salsa Descarga. Carbondale's Brown Baggers will play Cajun tunes at 4:30, followed by The Ezells playing bluegrass at 5:30.

A lineup of rock 'n' roll follows with the Acme Blues Band, the Kamakazi Cowboys and Purge. The Jungle Dogs' world beat music and ska by Cataphasia will conclude the evening.

More rock 'n' roll is scheduled Saturday night for four downtown clubs -- Jeremiah's, The Edge, Broussard's and the Bel Air Grill beginning at 8.