ANA POPOVIĆ
Closing out the festival was internationally known guitarist Ana Popović, who pushed the blues into the
evening with focus on her axe-work. Originally from Belgrade, Serbia, Popović joked that she moved “west”
many times in her life, but that she won't go any further now that she’d landed in Los Angeles.
She opened the set with hard-driving blues guitar, a sound that was consistent throughout her set, with the
focus of the 4-piece band being her guitar prowess. Her vocals, with a hint of JOPLIN and a reach for
TEDESCHI, were commendable--particularly in that a listener might assume they were born out of the
Southern U.S., not South-Eastern Europe. But clearly, her skill set was her guitar chops, which delivered
crisp blues riffs and solo work that were engaging, although sometimes formulaic. However, when Popović
brought glass to her instrument's neck, her slide guitar work presented with scintillating soul and emotion.
She stood with calm grace, and while she clearly intended to showcase her style, what captivated this crowd
in Pennsylvania was her expressive bluesy message--which shone through fantastically!
www.steelstacks.org/festivals/blast-furnace-blues
www.artsquest.org/blastfurnaceblues