It's often about moving out of one's comfort zone and taking a risk. That goes for performers and festival promoters. Take the case of Vancouver guitarist Colin James and the Ft. Lauderdale Sound Advice Blues Festival. Thought the festival brought in sure winners like Shemekia Copeland, Ronnie Brooks, Lucky Peterson, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, it also took a risk bringing James - an unknown entity to many U.S. Blues fans - to this most Southern blues festival.

Likewise, James challenged himself by leaving the cozy home turf where he often headlines in front of huge crowds. Sandwiched between Brooks' explosive set and the Thunderbirds' highly charged festival-day finale, the renowned guitarist knew he had to play like a rookie with something to prove. Though he's copped six Juno awards (Canada's answer to the Grammys), James was understandably jittery playing so far from where he's famous. An hour before the set, he was backstage writing out a 24-song set list and studying lyrics like a college kid cramming for a final exam. "You'd think the nervousness would go away, but for me it never has," he said. "No matter where you are in your career, you want to be great and do the job, but you always think, "What if I fail?"

James knows the importance of capturing the audience early. By third song, the set list was completely ignored and his guitar was leading the way on everything from sing to R&B to funk to blues - all of it the kind of good time party music that makes you dance your ass off. Fans lined up at the foot of the stage to holler along with his rock 'n' roll-style covers of John Lee Hooker's "Dimples" and Ike Turner's "Lead Me On." But lest you label James a rock guitarist dabbling in blues, know his roots: Before he turned 10, his parents were taking him to Saskatchewan folk festivals where he saw Jessie Mae Hemphill, Elizabeth Cotton, and Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry. At 16 he formed a band, the Hoodoo Men, named after his favorite Junior Wells song. Before his first record deal, he'd opened for John Lee Hooker, Little Feat, George Thorogood, Stevie ray Vaughan, and ZZ Top. Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples have guested on his recordings.