Misery Whistle

With the smell of good things to eat in the fresh, fall air and cool, jazzy blues coming from the Holt Park kiosk, the overall ambiance in Holtville last night signaled the first city-led Holtville Farmers Market and Street Fair of the season on Thursday evening, Sept. 21. 

Locals gathered together to unwind as the week was coming to a close in the Imperial Valley. There were good vibes all around as Misery Whistle, a local blues band — and what has become the “house band” for the Holtville Farmers Markets — played in the kiosk, where the four-member band was rocking out with feeling. Vendors were found skirting the park in a wide variety of local businesses, from carne asada tacos to hand-crafted jewelry. Any local citizen was sure to find something that would catch their eye. 

After playing its set of almost 40 songs, including covers and original music, Misery Whistle band member “Doctor Dan” shared that the group is named after an unfavorable nickname for the primary instrument found in all good blues bands, the harmonica. This year was the group’s third year joining in the farmers market season….

“We came to look around, but we ended up just sitting here listening to the music all night,” Graciella and Monica shared. The two women could be found along a windowsill of Holtville City Hall, nodding their heads to the beat all night. “We took one lap around, and then came back right here to sit down … the combination of all the instruments together really got us,” they said with smiles.