ROCKLAND -  When the gates to the annual North Atlantic Blues Festival shut down each night at 7 p.m., the action on Rockland's Main Street is just heating up. On Friday and Saturday night, July 12 and 13, 10 downtown restaurants and bars will be hosting the Club Crawl, featuring top regional blues bands of every type and sound. Main Street will be shut down and it becomes one huge block party from club to club.

"There are so many variables of blues," said co-producer of NABF Paul Benjamin. "There are a lot of people who come to this event just for the Club Crawl."

It's a great deal for Blues fest goers who are wearing their wristbands as they will be allowed into every venue on the Club Crawl without cover charge. Those who want to see individual bands will have to pay a cover, but, for die-hard blues fans who may not be able to afford a ticket, the North Atlantic Blues Festival is providing five free Main Street bands on Saturday night, July 13, starting at 9 p.m.

"All five of those bands are completely different and a lot of fun," said Benjamin.

Here's where to find the bands. Click on the link for their musical styles:

Main St.     In front of Key Bank     Bonnie Edwards & The Practical Cats
Main St.     Museum & Main St       Matt and the Barnburners
Main St.     Limerock & Main St      Juke Rockets
Main St.     In front Rockland Cafe Rock City Blues (no link)
Main St.     Summer & Main St       Sideways Highways

For those folks who've gotten their fill of blues for the night and want something completely different on Saturday night, July 13, Rock City Cafe will be changing things up musically by offering DJ MJ (a.k.a. Miranda Jane Fillebrown II), a DJ up from Portland specializing in disco electro funk dance tunes. For more info on this scene, visit: Rock City Cafe on Facebook

To see the musical Club Crawl lineup for downtown Rockland on Friday and Saturday night (including a Sunday blues brunch) visit: NABF's Club Crawl page

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com