ZooFest celebrates 51st anniversary of Zoo Bar on Independence Day

Chris Cain stepped up to the microphone, holding his guitar across his chest and looked down P Street at the ZooFest crowd and glanced at the Zoo Bar that he'd just been in for the first time in decades.

"I haven't been here in way too long," Cain said. "It's very emotional for me. We're going to play some blues for you."

And play the blues his band did for more than an hour, celebrating his return and the Zoo Bar's 51st anniversary.

But in unstated fashion, Cain and the rest of the Fourth of July ZooFest lineup celebrated what Dave Alvin called in the song "American Music" — Louisiana boogie, Delta blues, country swing, rockabilly, jazz, country western, Chicago blues — the roots music stew that has been cooking at the Zoo since 1973.

"It's roots music," said Zoo owner Pete Watters. "Today's pretty blues heavy. People think is a blues bar. But it's more a roots music bar. We have a brass band Saturday, rockabilly Saturday night. When we have country it's usually traditional country. That's the stuff all of us have been interested in."

Even though Thursday's lineup was blues heavy, the genre and stylist lines were blurred throughout the afternoon and evening.

Blues Project, that band that preceded Cain, did a version of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)." Cain, whose impressive guitar work is jazz-inflected, moved to the piano to do a double keyboard number — "I saw Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder do this on television," kicking off "Living for the City."

And Selwyn Birchwood, who followed Cain, had his baritone saxophonist playing riffs from '70s funk songs in his originals.

Birchwood's 90-minute set of "electric swamp funkin' blues" was made up almost entirely of songs he has written, a bunch of them from "Exorcist," his new Bootsy Collins' endorsed album that just hit No. 1 on the blues charts.

"We're doing and playing what we love and trying to spread the joy we feel from the music," Birchwood said before his set as he watched Cain perform.

Mission accomplished. An engaging performer, Birchwood brought much of the crowd to the front of the stage as he and his band rolled through songs like "Horns Below Her Halo" and the new album's title cut that really connected.

"We've been coming to the Zoo Bar for about 12 years now," Birchwood told the crowd. "As long as you keep showing up, we'll keep showing up. As long as you keep showing up, we'll keep showing out."

Not surprisingly, Thursday's crowd didn't pack the ZooFest site, which in the last two years is longer and wider with greater capacity as the stage has been moved to the north side of P Street.

"It's the Fourth of July," Watters said. "People have things to do. I was wondering what to think, until midway through Chris' set. It's a good crowd for a holiday. And it's going to get bigger.

ZooFest will continue Friday, with Ruthie Foster in the headlining 9 p.m. slot. Saturday, the Paladins, the aforementioned rockabilly band, and The Soul Rebels, the New Orleans brass band, will have the 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. slots.

As for Cain, who took a short break during his performance that featured some serious B.B. King-influenced guitar, he remained emotional after his show.

"I love this place," he said.

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Entertainment reporter/columnist