NCFBS presents: Mick Kolassa and Paco

Mick Kolassa lives in Memphis but was born in Michigan and lived in Mississippi for nearly 30 years.  He has played Blues in solo and duo acoustic formats and with his bands for years. He has performed at multiple Blues festivals in North America and Europe and has played many of the top Blues clubs. Mick has been playing the Blues for a long time with a style he likes to call “Free Range Blues”.  He’s not tied down to one style, be it Delta blues, Piedmont, country Blues, Chicago Blues, or Memphis–style soul Blues. He has a voice that suggests years of marinating his vocal cords in bourbon and fine cigars. As a songwriter, his witty lyrics center on the Blues’ traditional concerns.

Paco has been thrilling Gainesville audiences for many years. His style is difficult to categorize and uniquely his own. The most recurrent comment you’ll hear from guitar players in the audience is that he plays chops that you don’t hear from anybody else. His vocals have an ease and sincerity which makes him relatable to practically every audience. Although he plays many genres, he always seems most at home playing the Blues. He is also currently the lead guitarist with Little Mike and the Tornadoes.