From Blues Revue Magazine:
28th International Blues Challenge Winners in the Band Competition are:
1st Place: The WIRED! Band - Washington Blues Society
2nd Place: The Bart Walker Band (Nashville Blues Society)
3rd Place: Paula Harris (The Golden Gate Blues Society)
Congratulations to all the musicians who competed around the globe to attend the 28th IBC. The link below is a short story on how large this annual event has grown and how fierce the competition really is. Thanks to Joe Witmer and all the volunteers who make this Challenge an amazing event.
The Wired Band from Washington State won the 2012 IBC.
From Blues411:
Dave Keller wins best self producted CD. Check out our review at http://blues411.com/?p=2871 If you want to buy/download the CD, click on the Amazon link from Blues411.com.
The doors of the Orpheum Theatre open at 1:00pm Saturday, Feburary 4 for band finals which begin at 2:00pm. The solo/duo finals will begin at 7:30 pm.
Nine acts will compete for the top band prize. They are (in performance order):
Mikey Junior & the Stone Cold Blues (Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation)
Noah Wotherspoon Band (Dayton Blues Society)
Sherry Pruitt Blues Project (Santa Clarita Valley Blues Society)
The Bart Walker Band (Nashville Blues Society)
The WIRED! Band (Washington Blues Society)
Selwyn Birchwood Band (Suncoast Blues Society)
Taylor Scott & Another Kind of Magick (Wyoming Blues & Jazz Society)
Paula Harris (The Golden Gate Blues Society)
The Lefty Collins Band (Magic City Blues Society)
Eight acts will compete in the solo/duo finals. They are (in performance order):
Lucious Spiller (Arkansas River Blues Society)
Randy McQuay (Cape Fear Blues Society)
D'Mar and Gill (Central Mississippi Blues Society)
Robert Sampson (Illinois Central Blues Club)
Dawn Tyler Watson & Paul Deslauriers (Montreal Blues Society)
Ray Bonneville (Ozark Blues Society of Northwest Arkansas)
SPOONS & ABEL (Sonny Boy Blues Society)
Dr. Don's Double Dose (Sydney Blues Society)
Mikey Jr. & The Stone Cold Blues made it to the finals!!!!!!
Blues Beat News Blog - Stopped by and checked out Mikey, Jr.
"On the way to see the Connecticut band, Petey Hop & the JackRabbits, I stopped in to see Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation’s Mikey Jr. A number of us have watched his career from performing back a few years ago. Saying he plays a strong harmonica doesn’t do him justice. He literally and figuratively blows you away. His CD It Ain’t Hard to Tell is a finalist for best CD."
Photo from Blues Beat News Blog
Mikey Jr. & The Stone Cold Blues made the semi-finals!!!!
http://www.blues.org/#ref=index
From Mike Noll:
We didn't make it to thru to the Semi-Finals... We did the best we knew how - thanks for sending us down. We had a blast!!
Peace,
NM&A
Self Produced CD Finalists - Congrats to Mikey Jr. & The Stone Cold Blues!
Cleveland Blues Society: Blue Lunch - Saxophone Shootout II
Frederick Blues Society: Bad Influence - Under the Influence
Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation: Mikey Jr It Ain't Hard to Tell
Rhode Island Rhythm and Blues Preservation Society: Dave Keller - Where I'm Coming From...
Toronto Blues Society: - Suzie Vinnick Me 'n' Mabel
http://www.blues.org/about/news.php?Id=1162#ref=about_news
From Mike Noll - Nate Myers & The Aces
Tonight felt a little better than nite one... Packed house, great response - but we'll see what the judges think in a couple hours!
We'll let you know!
Blues Beat News blog - Mentions seeing Stacy Brooks!!!
It was a little rough waiting around all night to play - but it went well once we got up there... the crowd dug it, hard to tell what the judges thought - but I thought I saw some faint smiles and head-bobbing going on.
Saw some terrific acts -- one stand out for me was The Mojo Webb band from Brisbane Australia... they tore the place up, I'd be surprised if they don't advance to the semi-finals. Some young cats from Germany were also in our room and they hosted a jam after it was all said and done, The Johnny Reiger Band -- nice guys.
Caught a little bit of Midnight Shift and Mikey Jr. and they were both doing their thing like they do.
We play tonight around 8pm - so we'll be more free to run around afterwards and check some more stuff out...
I've been posting some photos on my Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/mikenoll and on our blog:
http://mikenoll.posterous.com/
those will be updated more 'real time' - but I'll try to post here as well once we find out what goes down tonight!
Peace and thanks for all the support - we're having a blast no matter what happens... it's all good!
Mike
Nate Myers & The Aces
www.natemyers.com
From Mike Noll's blog:
We got done a little while ago and now it's time for some Chicken & Waffles @ Miss Polly's Soul food cafe... It went pretty well, a little tough waiting around all night to play... But now we can relax until tomorrow!
http://mikenoll.posterous.com/one-show-down#comment
Porkroll Project at The New Daisy - Stolen from Facebook!
Where are they playing? - the program from Blues.org. It's a large file but fun to look at.
Here's where the local representatives are competing:
Norman Taylor - Silly Goose
Blue Cat Blues - Alfred's
Mikey Jr. & The Stone Cold Blues - Alfred's
Nate Myers & The Aces - Blues City Cafe
Stacy Brooks - Hard Rock
Porkroll Project - New Daisy Theater
Clarence "Bluesman" Turner - Rum Boogie
Midnight Shift - Wet Willie's
Blue Cats! - Photo stolen from Facebook
From Ian Greeves - Blue Cat Blues:
Blue Cat Blues playing tonight at Alfred's on Beale St. We play at 8:30. Mikey Jr plays after us in sane venue
From Mike Noll - Nate Myers & The Aces:
We'll be on last tonight @ 10:55 and tomorrow @ 7:55.... It's starting to
get nuts down here now.... Oh yeah!!!
From Ian Greeves - Blue Cat Blues:
1000 miles, 14 hours and no speeding tickets. Playing tonite, find out at 2:00 where and when. Todd and Andy from Blue Cat Blues outside BB Kings.
From Mike Noll - Nate Myers and The Aces:
Roaming around in search of some breakfast... The place is pretty dead @ 9am - everyone sleeping it off I guess!
From Mike Noll - Nate Myers & The Aces:
It was a looong drive through the night, into this AM - but we're here. Going to check out some jams on Beale St. tonight.
Met another band at one of our stops for gas in the middle of the night - Poke Chop and the other White Meats... nice guys, bad name... their bass players nickname is 'Lamb-Chop' http://www.poke-chop.com/
We'll find out what club we're in tomorrow during orientation I guess!
Peace,
Mike
www.natemyers.com
Mike's blog - http://mikenoll.posterous.com/
