International Blues Challenge 2010
Day 1
IBC Eve
Day 2
What a Challenge
Day 3
More and More Music
Day 4
The Best of the Best is Good
Day 5
From Blues to Country
January 24, 2010
After breakfast at an old restaurant I sure should have known about, I
took US-70 to Nashville with stops in Brownsville and Dickson.
January 23, 2010
Two fabulous finals sessions inside a fabulous theater topped by a top
three finish by Cincinnati's entry. Great boogily moogily!!
January 22, 2010
An afternoon of showcases with another night of competition following. I'm
tired but ready to watch the finals on Saturday. Especially after learning that Cincy
Blues Society's band entry made it.
January 21, 2010
I did the Gibson factory tour with a co-worker from "a while"
back and got myself an A. Schwab wooden milk can. Then it was a dizzying
evening amongst the largest gathering of blues musicians in the world.
January 20, 2010
It was a rain filled drive to Memphis and a neon filled stroll on Beale.
Prelude - January 15, 2010
For the past twenty-five winters, up and coming blues musicians have
gathered in Memphis, Tennessee, for a little friendly competition. All are
unsigned and most have won a local competition for the honor of
representing some blues organization. I've attended the event where the
Greater Cincinnati
Blues Society representatives are chosen but I've never attended the
big show in Memphis. I've heard wonderful things about it and knew it
would be something I'd enjoy but it hadn't really worked it's way onto my
schedule. However, a pair of posts to the
Cincinnati Blues Yahoo group did just that last week.
One offered a ticket to the multi-day event and the other a hotel room.
The ticket was an extra one whose purchaser wanted to cut his losses and
help someone out by selling at a discount. The room was part of a block
reserved at a reduced festival rate but now not needed. I could, of
course, attend with neither of these bargains but they are what got me to
act. I did secure the hotel room and will be spending four nights in the
Doubletree on Union; the event's headquarters hotel. The extra ticket
found a home before I got my act together but I was able to order a ticket
at the regular price to be picked up in Memphis plus I learned that the
fellow selling that spare ticket was someone I had worked with in the
1970s. We haven't connected yet but expect to in Memphis. A nice little
surprise.
This won't be a typical road trip since it will be one with the focus on the destination. Travel to and from Memphis will pretty much be on expressways. I'm actually giving some thought to trying the Greyhound for something completely different. It's not all that likely but it is a possibility. In some respects, I suppose the outing doesn't belong on this site at all. If that appears to be the case as it progresses, I'll just delete this. However, I believe there's a good chance I'll want to tell somebody about some of the doings in Memphis.