Hackers to kick off Blues Fest By Jodi Lundmark Posted 2009-06-19 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/entertainment/Default.aspx?cid=59419
Carol Pominville, Bogdan Blazevic and Kevin Green have been musicians almost all their lives. Whether it was weekend warrior bands or giving it a go as a career musician, the three Thunder Bay based musicians have been at it forever.
Enter the young and charismatic Nishina Esquega who equates singing to love and the foursome have a winning combination; one that got them enough votes at the 2009 Blues Showcase to land a spot in this year's Blues Fest lineup.
Together the four are Nishina and the Hackers, a band with a modern blues-rock vibe that will be kicking of the popular three-day Thunder Bay Blues Festival on July 3 at Marina Park. "It's just exciting that we're going to set the pace and the mood for the whole weekend," said Esquega.
The fact the band will be up on that stage is something the talented singer can barely fathom. "It's always been a dream so I feel really comfortable about it because I've been waiting for a long time for this opportunity," she said.
Nishina and the Hackers have been together for about a year. Pominville, Green and Esquega played the 2008 Blues Showcase in the band A Touch of Blues and almost made it. They tried again this year but when their guitar player was too busy, in came Blazevic and everything clicked.
"We have Bogdan who's an excellent guitarist. We've got Nishina who's an excellent singer and myself and Kevin who do a fairly good job on bass and drums," said Pominville.
"The true test is on the stage," added Blazevic. "Usually for some reason, it's always magical." While the Blues Fest venue can be intimidating, Blazevic said the feeling of playing in front of that type of crowd is much better than in a bar environment. "When you're playing for people that are drinking, in that environment, after a while they're not really there to listen to your music as intently," he said. "The blues fans are better at it. They're all about the music. That makes it more exciting for me because I know they're there to be about the music rather than to party." With all the bands playing the Blues Fest, a variety of blues will be heard at the marina. The group said they're looking forward to listening as well as playing. Blazevic said he's looking forward to seeing Robert Cray and Los Lonely Boys. For Pominville, it's always a band he's never heard of that blows his mind at the festival. "There's always a pleasant surprise," he said. "Let's hope this year we're the pleasant surprise," added Blazevic. Nishina and the Hackers take the Blues Fest stage on Friday, July 3 at 5:15 p.m.