BY DOUG MACKEY for WEEKLY VOLCANO 8/22/25 |
When the blinding talent of some truly remarkable musicians hits the stage this weekend at the Downtown Blues & Jazz Festival, it will be the product of some profound relationship building. LTD Presents, the company bringing this FREE inaugural festival to downtown Tacoma (on Broadway between 11th and 13th Streets), has spent years forging alliances with some of the most revered regional, national—indeed, international—performers working today. Danielle Nicole, D.K. Harrell, and Derrick “D’MAR” Martin (formerly Little Richard’s drummer) are just a few of the names on the festival flyer.
For Lorenzo Farrell, Tanya Hodel, and David Hudson, the L, T, and D of LTD Presents, the festival is the biggest event they’ve ever attempted. “It’s the scale of the thing!” says Hudson. “And although we deal with this when we bring in a touring artist, the scale of the hotel rooms, organizing the transportation, you know, getting three bands from the airport to here, organizing their backline, getting them in the hotel” is quite a task.
Dave Hudson’s been a go-to drummer in the Puget Sound region for some time. “I’ve been playing in the blues scene for twenty-five years and coming up with ideas for shows for a good fifteen to twenty, ever since I was associated with the Highway 99 Club,” where he had great success booking acts and specialty shows. “I put on four B.B. King tribute nights and sold out every night with (Tanya Hodel’s) help.”
The idea for the production company that would become LTD Presents was hatched during COVID. “It started with Lorenzo and me playing together. That’s when we came up with this idea, and then I was like, ‘I know somebody who can really help us on the marketing end,’ and so Tanya came onboard and LTD was born.”
They began by bringing premier talent to the area, but without their bands. It was the most affordable option. “We could also put (them) up in my apartment downstairs,” Dave adds. And, as Lorenzo, Tanya, and Dave are all excellent musicians, they provided a backup band for shows. “We would play Tacoma and then we’d play Seattle and then we’d play Port Townsend,” Hudson recalls.
Though LTD Presents doesn’t book local acts per se, they do involve them in their activities. “It always turned me on when I got to play with somebody who was a national artist or, you know, the next level,” enthuses Hudson. “We’ve made a habit of making sure that anytime we get a national artist, we bring them to the Spar,” Tacoma’s oldest tavern and a music hub. “We team them with local musicians. I absolutely love watching, like, (local guitarist) Rafael Tranquilino play with D’MAR on drums—you can see him beaming! He’s loving it! I love being able to help facilitate that,” Hudson continues, “and on Saturday night of the festival that’s what we’re going to do. Even though I’ve said we don’t book locals, we’ve got a bunch of locals that we’re going to bring in because we want to team them with the nationals and jam together,” Hudson says enthusiastically. “We’re also billing part of the festival with those locals’ names. I’m really proud that we do that—we make sure that all the local folks get to know these people.”
In the events leading up to the conception of the festival, LTD organized a series of shows on private land at the south end of Thea Foss Waterway called “West of the Waterway.” When that came to an end, “a gentleman named Mike McClure at MJR Development at 13th and Broadway stepped forward,” Hudson recalls. “He’s a big fan of my rock band Trailer Park Kings and he just happened to tell me about a festival that he was doing: The Tacoma Block Party,” says Hudson. “He’s just a dyed-in-the-wool music fan. He goes to all the Rick Estrin shows when they come up.” (LTD partner Lorenzo is in Estrin’s band.) “And any show that we put on, Mike is there. He’s a big proponent (of downtown). He runs what’s called ‘Best of the Broadway.’ He and (others) are just trying to bring the luster back to Broadway.”
From that point, support snowballed. Hudson says a mix of community members, local businesses, and arts organizations stepped in to back the festival, making it possible to bring national acts to Tacoma for free.
The festival begins Saturday evening, August 23, and picks up again Sunday, August 24, running noon to 7:00 p.m. Saturday night’s pre-funk party will be held inside at The Tacoma Centre at 1145 Broadway at Ebony & Ivory Coffee. The event runs 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., with rousing performances by regional and national bands spanning the genres of blues, funk, and soul jazz, culminating with a special performance by Rick Estrin & The Nightcats’ own Derrick “D’MAR” Martin. The night continues with an all-pro jam at the Murano’s Bar960, hosted by Tim Lerch.
Sunday’s festivities begin outdoors on two alternating stages. A beer garden, hosted by the South Sound Blues Association, will satiate thirsty adults, and various vendor stalls and food trucks will serve all. The lineup this day includes regional jazz favorite Elnah Jordan, and national stars Marcel Smith (featuring D’MAR) and Chris O’Leary Band out of upstate New York. International blues legend John Primer and The Real Deal Blues Band will play the Main Stage as will up-and-coming, multiple award-winning blues star D.K. Harrell, bringing his brand of classic and contemporary blues. To top off the day, LTD is thrilled to bring back to the PNW the frankly badass Danielle Nicole Band. But the music doesn’t end there. “We’re going to have another jam hosted by James Lee Murray over at the Murano,” says Hudson, who has hinted at a special surprise guest appearance as well.
Though the festival is free to all, VIP passes are available, offering T-shirts, prime reserved seating, a food voucher, and discounted drinks. Tickets can be found at www.LTDPRESENTSLIVE.com. Although there will be some seating available, folks are encouraged to bring camping chairs, etc.
As for future iterations of the festival, Hudson and his team have a template of sorts: Portland’s renowned Waterfront Blues Festival. “It started small and just blew up.” In the meantime, LTD Presents will continue to carve out their niche in the region.
“I see us continuing to take these middle ground artists that we can either tour with or bring their band in, and leave the big guys, you know, to the Airport Taverns,” says Hudson. “We can’t compete with that—we don’t have a place to do it,” he confesses. “I just see us getting stronger with that, and people recognizing that, and I also see us getting more and more venues. We don’t have one in Olympia—I could see us getting one down there.”
“The demographics don’t mix,” Hudson notes. “Nobody from Olympia is going to drive up here for the most part. Nobody from Seattle—they’re all insular in their own way. We brought blues and jazz to the Blue Mouse in Proctor,” he notes. “We also have some plans to bring it to some other places that I wish I could mention.”
But for now, Dave Hudson is still managing the transition from drummer to festival impresario. “I’ve been a musician here a long time, but I’ve never been on this side of it. I’ve always been on the ‘oh I’ll get there ten minutes beforehand’ side,” he admits. But he’s getting the hang of it, thanks to the support of the community. “I’m amazed at the people in Tacoma—they are big music fans. The community is fantastic. I had no idea when I moved here. I have 100 new friends!” But he’s ready to make more. “Come on out, everyone—it’s all free! I mean we want Tacoma to SHOW UP!”
Danielle Nicole Band is one of many incredible artists performing this weekend at the Downtown Tacoma Blues & Jazz Festival on Broadway between 11th and 13th Streets. (courtesy photo)
