NORWICH – There’s more than one way to skin a cat. And although organizers of the 14th Annual Chenango County Blues Festival say this year’s feel is discernibly Gulf Coast, a seasoned line-up from all parts of Louisiana and beyond stand to prove there is more than one way to play the blues.

“Someone who thinks they have the blues figured out is looking at it from a smaller framework I am,” said Blues Fest headliner Marcia Ball, in an interview with The Evening Sun.

Born and raised in Louisiana, Ball has spread her roots and gathered styles from across the country. Her staple influence has been Austin for 30 plus years, but sounds from Kansas City, Chicago, Mississippi, and her origins in the Gulf Coast all stir a boiling hot blues kettle.

“It is still a big influence, it’s where we operate from,” Ball said, describing her upbringing in Vinton, La, near the Texas border. “Our music is based on the traditions of the blues, but calling my music ‘the blues’ is really just the simplest way to describe it.”

Ball has been described as a powerful vocalist and a deft artist on the keyboards. Her experience spans countless cities, collaborations, and incarnations, which with her time in Austin, she says, has made her a conscientious songwriter.