Downtown Blues

03/02/2026

Belleville Downtown Blues Festival Fund Raiser from the Belleville Club, Belleville, ON.

03/02/2026

The Stir performs for The Belleville Downtown Blues Festival Fundraiser at The Belleville Club. Close to $1000.00 raised. Thanks to all who supported. The fest also supports Gleaners Food Bank and this year's Blues Festival takes place on September 12. performance.

Belleville Downtown Blues Festival Fund Raiser from the Belleville Club, Belleville, ON.

02/04/2026

"“HE’S JUST AN OUTDATED SINGER.”

That’s what Karoline Leavitt said — seconds before the studio felt like it had been hit by an earthquake, and Eric Clapton responded with a single moment that left her frozen on live television.

She waved off Clapton’s comments about the growing divide between political elites and everyday Americans with visible disdain.

“Stick to music, Eric,” she scoffed, already shifting her attention toward another camera. “Complex social policy isn’t your lane. You sing about blues and heartbreak — leave the thinking to professionals.”

Read more: vibetunes.us/hes-just-an-outdated-singer-thats-what-karoline-leavitt-said-seconds-before-the-studio-felt-like-it-had-been-hit-lh23wk-minhthu123-dfb9137e39d6

The room went quiet.

A few panelists smirked. They expected him to laugh it off. Maybe nod politely. Maybe retreat. After all, this was a man they had already decided to dismiss as nostalgic — someone from another era, a voice they believed had faded with time.

They misjudged him.

Clapton’s expression hardened — not angry, but focused. He leaned forward slightly, his voice calm and steady, grounded in someone who had spent a lifetime listening rather than lecturing.

“Karoline,” he said evenly, “I didn’t learn about this country from press rooms or policy papers. I learned it in working-class neighborhoods, backstage halls, and rooms where people carry pain quietly because they don’t think anyone’s listening.”

“My music,” Clapton continued, “comes from people who wake up hurting, keep going anyway, and don’t ask for much except to be seen. People who don’t have power, but who live with the consequences of decisions made far away from them. You call that outdated. I call it human.”

No shouting.

No theatrics.

Just conviction.

For the first time that night, the official had nothing to say — outmatched not by ideology, but by the quiet authority of a man who had spent decades giving voice to lives others preferred not to notice."

01/07/2026

Funder for fest

10/12/2025

09/28/2025

Some of the Belleville Downtown Blues Festival performers and volunteers play music for Appreciation Night. Also pictured is Carol Feeney, co-founder of the fest and Mayor Ellis. The gala was for the many sponsors, volunteers, and supporters of the festival. It was announced that the nonprofit and free festival garnered close to $3000.00 and twice the amount of food from last year to Gleaners.

09/21/2025

Pics from a successful Belleville Downtown Blues Festival. People came away happy and Gleaners Food Bank got badly needed cash. Dianna Braithwaite/Chris Whitley and Miss Emily were the headliners with other supporting talented acts. Photos by Ned Vani and Ralph Blacklock.

09/15/2025

Another great year.
Thank you to all the performers, volunteers, vendors, and organizers.
Thank you to all who helped support the Gleaners Food Bank

08/29/2025