The Lineup At The Milltown Blues Festival Is The Best In The Event's Three Years

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Milltown Blues Festival, 2-10:30 p.m. Saturday, Naval Station Everett; $20, 425-257-8888, 888-257-3722 or 206-628-0888.

The gutsy Everett Performing Arts Center has spent a lot of time and money over the past few years bringing "high culture" to the good city of Everett, including theater, ballet, classical music and musicals.

How fitting, then, that it has also given the nod to that gritty, American working-class music known as the blues, which goes down so well in a place once known only as a milltown.

The Milltown Blues Festival is in its third year now, and has grown by leaps and bounds each season. This summer, the outdoor event, held at the Naval Station, has moved to a well-groomed field by the water and is expected to attract in excess of 2,000 fans.

Julie Marletto, who books the very successful (and delightful) blues band from Bellingham, Swamp Mama Johnson, reports, "We sold so many CDs there last year, I never had time to come up for air."

The Swamp Mamas appear again this year, on the best lineup the festival has had. The big draw on the bill is Robert Jr. Lockwood, whose status as the adopted son of blues giant Robert Johnson is the least interesting thing about him. Lockwood is a classic singer/guitarist, one of few blues men out there who can bring a country blues sensibility to an urban blues setting, and make it work.

Best-known on the program, of course, is harp man Charlie Musselwhite, a favorite who plays this area at least once a year. Musselwhite recently recorded his 17th album, "Rough News."

Pat Wright's Total Experience Gospel Choir recently has been playing a lot of blues events, which makes a lot of sense, since, as they say in the South, Saturday night turns into Sunday morning pretty quick.

But before Total Experience closes the Milltown bash with some soulful shouts, several regional blues bands will tear it up: Fat James, voted Best Band of 1994 by the Washington Blues Society; harmonica genius Dick Powell, who appears on the new Queensryche album; L.J. Porter; and the Vampin Ho's.

If it's sunny on Saturday, this should be the place for blues fans to be.