I was so lucky to get to represent the Blue Ridge Blues Society in the 2012 International Blues Challenge in Memphis this past February. After competing last year I wanted to go back and use what I had learned to hopefully do better... my goal this year was to make the semi-finals. So very early on Tuesday morning Lynn and I headed from the mountains of NC to Memphis, TN. We left on time and made it almost to the NC/TN border only to find I40-W closed due to a rock slide. After an almost 4-hour detour we made it to Memphis around 10:30 that night. We were exhausted from the trip but vowed to not give up a night there and headed down to Beale Street to listen to a little music and sample some of the great food.
We were glad we did. Heard some great music and ate more food than I probably should have. Last year my system was all screwed up by eating all the spicey things I could find. Lesson Learned: This year... no spicey foods until after the competition
Wednesday we attended the mandatory orientation meeting, where I learned that my venue again this year was going to be the famous Mr. Handy's Blues Hall and Juke Joint. This is an awesome venue and each year is packed to standing room only for the IBC shows and this year was no exception. It's loud, rowdy and fun... just like I like it so I felt right at home. This year the venue had some great volunteers working. I became friends with most of the workers in my venue, especially the time keeper and her husband and the sound engineer, whom I learned later was a local radio DJ and who has since been playing my music.
If you don't know, each act plays on Wednesday and Thursday night in the same venue for different judges to determine if you make it to the semi-finals. My shows on both quarter-final nights went about as perfectly as I could have expected. I started on time and ended on time. Played all original songs that were steeped in blues and were right off of my just released Blood Red Moon CD. After my set on Thursday we took all the stuff back to the hotel and then went back to Beale Street to wait to hear the results, hoping I'd made it to the semi-finals. I was off the charts excited when I learned that I had made the semi-finals and would be playing on Friday night this year instead of being a fan. What a feeling!
Friday night was frought with technical difficulties. I had almost gone over the alloted setup time both nights before and decided to streamline my electronics at the hotel that day. To be fair to Lynn, she told me so... don't do that... no way to check it out... but no, stubborn me... anyway, that night I was setup and ready for my brief soundcheck in under 2 minutes. Check, 1, 2... nothing!!! E chord on old Gibson... nothing! Oh crap! Frantic I starting jiggling, fiddling and sweating. But no matter what I did, no sound. So with just a minute to spare I plugged my old Gibson into the house PA, plugged my harp into house amp, stuck a SM57 on the kick drum and started my first note of the first song, Blood Red Moon, with 10 seconds to spare. Lesson Learned: 1) Listen to Lynn... she's my sounding board and is usually right... 2) See rule #1. Turns out if was the house PA's mic cable that started the whole thing... but by the time we figured that out it was too late. My friend, Dave Harrison from Roanoke, later said that he was amazed at how perfectly I pulled off my set that night in light of the frantic way I was trying to get setup. I used 5 of my extra 10 seconds, honestly, to take a deep breath and focus... I thought I'd get docked for taking too long to set up and knew I had to nail the 30-minute set in order to make the finals... and I nailed it. Blew me away how much I nailed it.
But, when we gathered that night to hear the results, I learned that I had made the Top 12 but not the Top 8, who got to perform for the finals. To be honest I was bummed, exhausted, confused but content. I knew I had given everything I had those 3 nights and I knew I had done my best. I will not be going back in 2013, not because I don't want to but because I cannot compete 3 years in a row, unless they change the rules. If you have a chance to be in Memphis during the IBC I highly recommend it. You would not believe the level of talent from all over the world that gathers and pours their souls out during this week. To the guys at the Blue Ridge Blues Society in Roanoke, VA... thank you, thank you, thank you. You were so supportive both financially and emotionally. Dave, I guess it's time for me to get my Lucky 9 pick back. :-) I was so honored to be selected to compete in your band competition as a solo and just as surprised as you were that I won it.
I hope all of you know that all the love and support from everyone who helped me get ready could never be repaid but is appreciated from the bottom of my heart. So, until 2014, when I hope to get to compete again in Memphis I leave you with the words you hear most on Beale Street... "The Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Thang"
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