30th International Blues Challenge FINALS
Orpheum Theater
Memphis, TN
January 25, 2014
Lineage: AM1's(cards)>CA St20B (preamp)>NJB3 (44.1kHz, 16b)>Audacity(Volume leveling, tracking)>Flac>You
Location: 50ft from stage, 1st balcony, stage right, clear shot to the stage, no one between.
Note: So this is the upteenth year we have attended the IBC Finals. Beginning last year the Blues Foundation combined the band and solo/duo finals into a single event. This make it a real bargain for your entertainment dollar but with 17 acts it takes a lot of fortitude to sit in a theater for 7-1/2 hours! Not all of this is music but rest assured the breaks between are very brief. The stage crew does an amazing job setting each act up in just a few minutes. Meanwhile the announcers cover the honors for supporters, judge intors, etc. In the end these recordings contain 5-1/2 hours of music.
This year the talent was more equal than I can remember. This is truly an international competition as we had the first finals entry from the Phillipines. Many of the entries would make their way into the audience where you will hear them singing without a mic. We had some standout moments from many competitors, a couple of groaners (see #2 and 16) but it was difficult to pick a clear winner. The eventual winner was Mr. Sipp who was in the band finals last year. I thought he won hands down last year so he got his due winnings this year(IMHO).
Regardless, if you,love music, find your way to Memphis in January for this competition. The preliminaries start earlier in the week at the Beals Street clubs and the finals are on Saturday at the Orpheum Theater, a grand ole theater that stands pround and impressive to this day.
I present these acts in order of performance and each as a single track. If you would like to see the details of this competition, check blues.org/IBC.
Enjoy, but do not convert or sell. Go see live music and buy the artists CD's. Most of these bands have releases for sale.
GB
Performance list[sponsor venue]Performer[Sponsor blues society]:
1. Wet Willie's - Band Bad Brad & Fat Cats Colorado Blues Society
2. Silky O'Sullivans - Solo/Duo Arthur Migliazza South Sound Blues Association
3. Flynn's - Band Ben Rice and iLLamatics Cascade Blues Association
4. Kings Palace - Solo/Duo Erik Ray Granite State Blues Society
5. Club 152 - Band Billy the Kid & Regulators Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania
6. 12 Bar - Solo/Duo Lucious Spiller Ozark Blues Society of Northwest Arkansas Inc.
7. New Daisy - Band Brad Absher & Swamp Royale Houston Blues Society
8. Blues Hall - Solo/Duo Matt Tedder Nashville Blues Society
9. Hard Rock Cafe - Band Brat Pack Philippine Blues Society
10. Kings Palace - Solo/Duo Nico Wayne Toussaint & Michel Foizon South Florida Blues Society
11. Alfreds - Band DieDra & Ruff Pro Band Magic City Blues Society
12. 12 Bar - Solo/Duo Suitcase Brothers Piedmont Blues Preservation Society
13. BB Kings - Band Ghost Town Blues Band Memphis Blues Society
14. Silky O'Sullivans - Solo/Duo Tim Williams Calgary Blues Music Association
15. Blues City Caf� - Band Katy Guillen & Girls Kansas City Blues Society
16. Blues Hall - Solo/Duo Wendy DeWitt w/ Kirk Harwood The Golden Gate Blues Society
17. Rum Boogie Cafe - Band Mr. Sipp Vicksburg Blues Society
Finals Results:
Band
1st Place: Mr. Sipp - Vicksburg Blues Society
2nd Place: Ghost Town Blues Band - Memphis Blues Society
3rd Place: Billy the Kid & Regulators - Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania
Gibson Guitarist (top guitarist among band finalists): Mr. Sipp Vicksburg Blues Society
Solo/Duo
1st Place: Tim Williams Calgary Blues Music Association
2nd Place: Lucious Spiller Ozark Blues Society of Northwest Arkansas Inc.
St. Blues Guitarist (top guitarist among solo/duo finalists): Tim Williams Calgary Blues Music Association