By Kate Masters
Massachusetts is the land of Mitt Romney and the Kennedys, not the embodiment of honky-tonk blues. But somehow Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers emerged from the state to share their country-blues albums with the rest of the nation.
Now Kellogg is bringing his down-home aesthetic to Northern Virginia with the Fourth Annual SK Family Barbecue at Jammin’ Java, scheduled to start on Friday, June 20 at 5:30 p.m. According to Jessica K. Martin, Kellogg’s cousin and manager, the event was conceived when he asked himself what he’d like to do most with his favorite musicians. His reactive response—to have a cookout with them—inspired Martin and Kellogg to organize the barbecue.
The team created a weekend-long event so that fans would have a real reason to fly in for it. The party starts off soulfully on Friday night with an acoustic set, (Boots Factor and Jon McLaughlin open for a solo performance by Kellogg), but amps up after curtain call, when the artists will come back onstage to host a variety game show and artist trivia contest.
Saturday holds the heart and soul of the event—the cookout—which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Before the grills are even ignited, guests will split into five groups, each led by an artist performing over the weekend. The teams will compete in field day-type games such as tug-o-war, horseshoes and a water balloon toss until everyone breaks for lunch, and the musicians perform a 30-minute acoustic set.
Saturday closes with another concert featuring full band performances from Kellogg and Welshly Arms and another solo performance by Boots Factor. The weekend closes with a fan club member brunch at the Tysons Corner Westin, where Kellogg plans to take requests for a farewell performance.
This is only the second year that Jammin’ Java has hosted the weekend-long fête, but Kellogg has an arrangement with Westin Tysons Corner to offer guests discounted rooms, and Martin says there are already 90 reservations at the hotel.
Tickets for the weekend are still available at $125 a pop, but it are worth it if you’re craving an extra level of intimacy with the musicians. Martin says there are guests coming from as far away as Texas and Colorado, and with three concerts packed into three days, their choice becomes more understandable.
