Tenth Annual D.C. Blues Society Festival


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Blues on Board Remembers Memphis

Photo of Blues on Board courtesy (and ©) of the band

Wow, Blues On Board sure did have fun in Memphis at the IBC. The Club that we played at was called the Club 152 and it is right across from BB Kings Club on Beale Street.

The first of two nights of competition, Thursday, we had the honor of getting the Opening Slot. That’s right we played first! The advantages to playing first were having the time we needed to setup, and then all night to network and listen to the other bands. We played our set and gave it our all, and in the end that’s all that counts. The other bands were all great and all very diverse. At the end of Thursday’s set the bar owner came to us and invited us to come back anytime to play in any of the 5 clubs he owns on Bealle Street. We will do that for sure.

The 2nd night I thought we did very well. We played right after Ronnie Ray and The Coolers. That’s right Ronnie Ray was there and they were great as always.

We did get to meet some great people like, Patrick Hilton from the band Big Mo out of Monterey Blues Society, Ca. (they are amazing)! Also had the privilege to meet Zippy the Blues Director of WMPG @ www.WMPG.org. He gave us great compliments and offered to put Blues On Board on his Radio Show. Cecil Davis from the Blues Society of Western New York www.wnyblues.com. A BIG THANKS to Jordan Lunardini and the Bad Beat from Kalamazoo Valley Blues Association out of Michigan. They have a really cool progressive sound. They are great guys too!

The Westcott Brothers were also IBC competitors. They happened to compete in the same Club (152), but on the ground floor. That made the competition even more thrilling for me as I was able to enjoy watching them perform. They were great as always. Awesome job gentlemen.

None of us made the finals, but playing on Beale Street was a thrill in itself and an experience I will never forget. We look forward to having the opportunity to represent at the IBC in the future.

—Mike Westcott

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