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2006 Recipient for Best Blues Society
2010 Detroit Blues Challenge Schedule
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2010 Detroit Blues Challenge Finalists
Solo/Duo
Travelin' Blues
Travelin’ Blues is a musical storyteller whose life experiences add to his performances of country and urban blues. When not playing elsewhere, Travelin' has a standing gig at Steve's Place in Detroit next door to St. Andrew’s Hall where performs not only his music but also plays to role of security and bouncer when necessary. His repertoire includes everything from his over 400 original compositions, to blues standards, and original plantation songs, to soul/Motown and rock. Travelin’ spent every summer in the Mississippi Delta where he learned the history of both traditional plantation music and the blues. He used to play his guitar and sing for many who gathered for Sunday meeting or for local celebrations. This is where he began honing his skills as a master blues guitarist and learned early on how to carry the interest of both adults and children. He grew up the son of a soldier who was stationed in Germany. After coming home from Europe his father became a chef and worked at the White House. This is where he picked up the art of food preparation. Travelin’ is not only a great musician but an awesome cook as well. His voice carries the feeling of the blues. He can sing everything from old-time blues to country, rock to soul and jazz. One can often find him on Monroe Street in Greek Town spreading his joy of music happiness to passersby.
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/travblues#ixzz10YZwvyq1
Carl Henry
In twenty years there's been a hell of a lot of venues...here's a few starting with my good friend, and great supporter Lenny Braund, who for a long time ran some blues venues, including Lenny's Blues Cafe, a after hours club where I met so many of Detroit's great bluesmen and blueswomen. My home bar for many years was The Attic in Hamtramck, and my fist time playing with another bluesman was with Uncle Jesse White there years ago. Uncle Jesse is missed by so many of us who knew him. "Nuff said there, 'cause there simply aren't words to relay that feeling. Ah hell, in the intrest of stiff fingers from typing, here's just a bunch of local Detroit area venues, as they come to my brain...which I hope to find the rest of some day. The Soup Kitchen Saloon, The Roadhouse, Griff's Grill, Moby Dick's, Roadrunner's Raft, The Music Menu, The Tenny Street Roadhouse (where I celebrated my 20th anniversary of performing on stage), Fanny's Starlight Lounge in Windsor, Sully's, The Lower Town Grille, The Raven, The Northfield Roadhouse...my god it's hard to remember them all.
Read more:http://www.carlhenrymusic.net/history.html
Bands
The David Gerald Band
David Gerald, the son of Mississippi born and raised parents, grew up to the sounds of the blues and R&B music in his hometown, Detroit. He’s the 11th of 11 children, 6 of whom were born and partly raised in Mississippi. “Because segregation and racial discrimination were so bad in Mississippi, my dad moved the family north to Detroit when he was 33, so we'd have a better chance at the American dream. He reminisces about that ‘til this day,” says Gerald. Gerald started playing guitar at the age of 16 influenced by Prince and 80’s rock guitarists. He rediscovered the blues and listened to the music of Albert King, ZZ Hill, B.B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan to name just a few. “I was lucky enough to have a neighbor who was a guitarist and gave me scrap guitars. I would piece them together and build 'Frankenstein' guitars,” says Gerald. “They were horrible to play and sounded bad, but I had to play music. It was and is my destiny. I finally scraped up enough money to buy an old amp and I was happy.” Gerald performed in many local blues, R&B and rock bands cutting his guitar and vocal chops live and in person. Finding it hard to keep a band together, Gerald learned to play guitar, bass, keys and drums. Using two antiquated cassette recorders he would overdub each part individually until the song was completed. “The end result sounded horrible, and the songs would not end up in the same key they started in. But it got my songs recorded,” says Gerald. This was the beginning of his songwriting, most of which were pop and rock tunes during the 80’s. Around the age of 24, he began experimenting with computers to write and compose music, which he has done to this day. Gerald, now in his 40’s, has his own band playing locally and regionally in Michigan. Earlier this year he opened the 'Triple Threat Of Blues' show for Bobby Rush and Mel Waiters in Jackson, Michigan performing at the State Theatre. Gerald has performed several times at the two major festivals in Michigan; Detroit Riverdays Festival, (International Freedomworks Festival) and Chrysler Art, Beats and Eats Festival. Recently David was listed as #1 on the ReverbNation blues charts for Michigan blues artists.
Read more:http://www.davidgerald.com/
The Rusty Wright Band
The Rusty Wright Band brings to the stage an electrifying, blues-infused tour de force of rollicking musical interplay that is as much fun to watch as it is to listen to. In less than three years this act has made the leap from regional favorite to performing at some of North America's top blues festivals. They have shared billing with an eclectic array of blues, roots and rock acts including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Etta James, Charlie Musselwhite, Leslie West & Mountain, Janiva Magness, Zac Harmon, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Blessid Union of Souls, Billy Branch, Slaughter, Johnny Winter, Alberta Adams, Rory Block, W.C. CLark, Bettye LaVette and Mark Farner. Wright is an incendiary guitarist and from his first note the stage sizzles with dynamic energy, but make no mistake, this act is much more than a "guitar" band. Soaring Hammond B3 organ, bouncing piano runs and soulful vocal riffs volley to and fro across the stage in answer to Rusty's six-string challenge as he pushes his band to ever greater feats of improvisation as the band swings, rocks and croons its way through sets of music from the band's two CDs. Fronting the band with Wright is his wife, vocalist/guitarist Laurie LaCross-Wright. As they harmonize together and trade vocals on verses, their onstage chemistry is both obvious and engaging, and their good-natured banter between songs brings knowing smiles to the faces of everyone who has ever been in a relationship. This five-piece "energized blues storm" takes audiences on a joyful, rolling tour of souped-up Americana as hints of jazz, rock, country and even gospel find their way into a veritable blues stew dished up and served steaming hot with a healthy dose of Motor City flair and attitude. It's a vibrant, honest blending of sounds and styles that brings audiences to their feet and leaves them feeling good!
Read more:http://www.rustywrightband.com/
The Thirsty Perch Blues Band
In the late summer of 2008, the Thirsty Perch Blues Band solidified their lineup and built their foundation as a powerhouse rockin blues band that can best be described as a howling hurricane of a five piece ensemble. Their truly diverse musical influences are the driving force behind a proprietary sound that simply can`t be matched by your average blues band on the local scene. Mixing a fabulous collection of Perch originals with covers from the likes of Little Walter, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Bob Dylan, Tommy Castro, Delta Highway, Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Coco Montoya, Walter Trout, and Cream are what truly set the Thirsty Perch apart from their peers.
Read more:http://www.thirstyperchbluesband.com
Reverend Robert Sexton's All-Star Blues Band
Big rhythm and groove in the tradition of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Elmore James combined with the energy of James Brown and the passion of Billy Graham. Prophesizin' and preachin the good news through the blues. An electrifying mojo experience!
Read more:http://www.myspace.com/reverendrobert
Jam Samich
Hailing from the outskirts of the Motor City in the great state of Michigan, a group of dedicated musicians have come together to create Jam Samich, an improvisational-rock band serving up a plate full of delicious tunes that will satisfy your musical hunger. Turning people on to the music they create hasn't been a problem. Jam Samich combines elements of all the music they have soaked in to create their own unique sound. Combining rock, progressive-rock, funk, blues, jazz, soul, and metal, the songs are crafted with patience and conveyed with true musicianship. Jam Samich is fully armed with dueling guitars and a ground shaking rhythm. "We have the groove to make your booty move."
Read more:www.facebook.com/pages/Jam-Samich/30863217974
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Seven
Acts Ready To Do Battle In The Detroit Blues Challenge
Finals
The 4 preliminary rounds are now complete for the 2010
Detroit Blues Challenge and the seven (7) finalists are
prepared to do battle on Sunday, October 17, 2010. The 4
preliminary rounds leading up to these finals make the
Detroit Blues Challenge one of the largest regional
competitions of it type in the world. The Detroit Blues
Society is proud to sponsor and host this prestigious
series of competitions each and every year, for the past
8 years.
What:
Detroit Blues Challenge Finals
When:
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Starting
Time: Doors at
4:30PM – Show Begins at 5:00PM
Where:
Callahan’s Music Hall 2105 South Blvd.
Auburn
Hills, MI 48326
Tickets:
$10 at the door – General Admission
Telephone:
(248)-858-9508
Websites:
www.detroitbluessociety.org
and
www.atcallahans.com
All 7 finalists will be competing in both the solo/duo
division and band division for the opportunity to
represent Detroit at The Blues Foundation International
Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN on February 1-5, 2011.
There will be one winner each in the Solo/Duo and Band
categories. The Detroit Blues Society will provide travel
expenses for the trip to Memphis to the winners. All of
the admissions proceeds from the Finals go directly to
this fund, as do the monies collected throughout the
year.
The winners in each division will also each receive a
superb prize package donated by Mannino Photography, No
Cover Productions, Callahan’s Music Hall, Groovedaddy
Graphics, and the Canada
South Blues
Society.
This years competing finalists and their time slots are:
Solo/Duo
Division
•
Travelin’ Blues – Detroit (5:00pm)
•
Carl Henry – Plymouth (5:40pm)
Band Division
•
David Gerald Band – Livonia (6:20pm)
•
Rusty Wright Band – Flint (7:00pm)
•
Thirsty Perch Band – Grand Rapids (7:40pm)
•
Reverend Robert Sexton – Waterford (8:20pm)
•
Jam Samich – Waterford (9;00pm)
The Winners will be announced at approximately 9:45pm.
They will al
be given 30 minutes to perform their very best, original,
Blues material. They will be judged in multiple criteria
areas by a panel of music professionals. These areas are
based upon the Blues Foundation rules used at the
International Blues Challenge. There is also penalty
assessed for going over their allotted 30 minute set.
About
the International Blues Challenge
This annual
event is the world's largest gathering of Blues acts
representing an international search by The Blues
Foundation and its Affiliated Organizations for the Blues
Band and Solo/Duo Blues act ready to take their act to
the international stage. In 2010 over 110 bands and 80
solo/duo acts entered, filling the clubs up and down
Beale Street for the semi-finals on Thursday and Friday
and the finals at the Orpheum Theater on Saturday. For
more information visit www.blues.org.
About Callahan’s Music Hall
At
Callahan's we strive to present the BEST Entertainment to
metro-Detroit! Whether it is local, regional, or national
artists there is always something happening at
Callahan's! It's no secret that the Callahan Brothers
have always had a thing for the BLUES and we strive to
showcase the best BLUES artist in the world. Our goal is
continue the legacy established by Detroit's legendary
blues rooms including Sully's, The Soup Kitchen, Sisko's,
and Tenny Street Roadhouse, to name a few.
We operate Callahan's with both the artist and music
lover in mind. We provide a professional stage,
professional lighting, and professional sound for the
artist. Comfortable booth and table/chair seating along
with reasonable priced food and beverage with the music
lover in mind. Whether its to see your favorite national
artist, your friends band, or just because your in the
neighborhood be sure to stop in for Great Entertainment
we know you'll meet some great people and have a great
time! For more information visit www.atcallahans.com.
About
the Detroit Blues Society
The Detroit Blues Society
(DBS) is a registered federal 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization dedicated to the preservation of the blues
tradition. It has as its primary goals to promote a wider
appreciation for the blues by the general public and to
serve the members of the Society. DBS provides members
with the monthly newsletter Blues Notes. This serves to
inform members and the general public regarding relevant
news, schedules of upcoming events and profiles on our
members. DBS schedules free blues jam sessions, usually
on the first Sunday of each month, arranges discounts on
merchant sponsored merchandise and administers an
educational program. For more
information visit www.detroitbluessociety.org.
Media Contacts:
Detroit Blues Society
Steve Allen
248-249-5287
challenge@detroitbluessociety.org
Callahan’s Music Hall
Mike Moss
248-858-9508
mmoss@mossworld.com
The 2011
International Blues Challenge will have a
new format.
1. There will be four
nights of
competition. The contest will begin with all
acts competing in the first night of the quarterfinal on
Wednesday, February 2 and continue with a second night of
quarterfinals on Thursday February 3. Some acts
will then advance to the semifinal on Friday night.
The number of acts advancing on Friday will depend on the
number of acts and venues. The finals will once
again be on Saturday.
The purpose of this expanded format is to accommodate
increasing numbers of participating acts. The IBC
is like a funnel. In theory, we can handle as many
acts as there are when we start, but by Saturday, they
have to be narrowed to about 10 bands and 8 solo/duo
acts. This is the purpose of
the added step. I would note that an
increasing number of acts will now get to play 3 times
(if they advance to the semifinals) and 4 times (if
they advance to the finals) instead of the current 2 and
3 times.
In addition, the FedEx International Showcase will likely
be held on Tuesday, February 1. Act registration
and orientation would be during the day Wednesday
February 2.
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Detroit
Blues Challenge Location Criteria for
Acts
If you are outside of this
region, you may
not sign
up.
THIS IS A
NEW RULE FOR 2010
Detroit
Blues Challenge Scoring Criteria for
Acts
The
Blues Foundation recommends that all Affiliated
Organizations in their competition use our established
scoring criteria. Categories include Talent, Vocal, Blues
Content, Stage Presence and Originality.
1. Blues Content: Everyone has his or her own
interpretation of what is and is not Blues. Thus, any
given three-judge panel will include members with varying
opinions of Blues, covering the spectrum of Blues
whenever possible, from the most traditional to
soul/blues and rock/blues. Bands should pick material
carefully. At the Memphis semi-finals and finals, the
judges are Blues professionals, not a bar crowd, and are
likely to be unimpressed with song selections that are
uninspired. (Call this--with all due respect to Sir Mack
Rice and Wilson Pickett--the "no Mustang Sally rule.")
2. Vocals: The acts vocal skills.
3. Talent: The acts instrumental skills.
4. Originality: Original work is encouraged. Cover tunes
are allowed but playing the recorded rendition lick by
lick is discouraged; will not be looked upon favorably by
the judges; and will be reflected in scoring.
5. Stage Presence: Over the years, the quality of talent
has risen so dramatically that we no longer consider this
an "amateur" competition. Most contestants have performed
on stage enough to know that they are not simply playing
music, but putting on a show. This category rates how
"sellable" a band may be.
To reflect the relative importance of each category in
the success of a band, a band's score in each category is
weighted. Raw scores for Blues Content is multiplied by
four, Talent and vocals by three and Originality and
Stage Presence are multiplied by two. The total in each
category represents the Weighted Score for that category.
The weighted multipliers will be Blues content (4);
talent (3); vocals (3); originality (2) and stage
presence (2).
Penalty Points
A Band is penalized one point from its Total Weighted
Score (see below) for each ten seconds that it runs
overtime. There is no penalty for using less than the
allotted time.
At the producing organization's
discretion, a policy of penalty for excessive time
loading-in and out will also be applied.
