OBBS E-NEWSLETTER April– June 2015 2015 Central Florida Blues Challenge Sunday August 9th Starting @ 2 Preserve Promote and Present the Blues 1 Inside this issue: Karen Stott –Editor We need volunteers for the OBBS booth at : Letter from August 9 Central Florida Blues Challenge the President 3 Please contact OBBS at [email protected] Central Florida Blues 4 Challenge We are looking to the membership to assist with these committees – Tampa Bay Blues 5 Tour Bus Trip Publicity/Press - Marketing/Promotions Newsletter OBBS Events Blues in School / 6 Membership Ladies of the Blues _________________ Entertainment Spot light 7 Blues In School—BITS Don’t Scare the Dog Sponsorships and Volunteers. Please contact OBBS at [email protected] Lakehouse 8 Records _______________ Around Town 9 Mt Dora Blues Fest E Newsletter Single Issue Rates _________________ 10 Business card 3.35” x 3.8 $10 The Alley Blues Bar Quarter page 3.5 “x 7.875” $20 BB KIng 11 ______ Half page 6.125” x 7.875” $30 RBM Productions 12 Bo Diddley 13 Full page 11.25” x 7.875” $70 Band Listings 14 About OBBS Back page 11.25” x 7.875” $80 Your BOD 15 Business 2 Memberships 16 Hey Blues Lovers, Fans, and BANDS!!!! It's that time of the year for the Central Florida Blues Challenge!!!! Get the word out to all of your favorite Blues bands in the area and point them to www.obbs.org to get signed up! The date of the CFBC is Sunday, August 9th. This year we are very excited to be holding the event at the ONLY pure Blues music venue in Central FL - The Alley Blues Club in Downtown Sanford!! As you all know and have heard, the Alley is now non-smoking and will soon include a full service restaurant just to the immediate left of the current building. In the past we have held the event at McWells and The Plaza both in Orlando, and at Timmy Mac's/Trizzy's (now Cooter Brown's) located in the Altamonte/Longwood area. All the venues had one great thing in common - THE FANS!! The details for the bands . Sign up can be done at http://obbs.org/cfbc.html and needs to be complete by JULY 10th 11:59pm! Access to the application, the official rules, and payment (via PayPal) can be done at the link above. Applications should be scanned and emailed back to us. We encourage all participants to contact us with any questions regard- ing the event, the application process, or the official CFBC and IBC rules at [email protected]. We are available to answer any questions about the logistics and details of the event. This year we are pushing to have another great mix of talent from around Central Florida. The bands are encour- aged to play original music and showcase their stage presence and audience appeal. There will be two awards in the "group" category - First Place Winner and The Peoples' Choice Award Win- ner. The five (5) appointed judges will be selecting the CFBC 1st Place Winner and the Fans will be selecting the Peo- ple's Choice Award Winner. In past years we have seen this occasionally be one in the same!! We will also have a Solo/Duo category again this year and would like to see the participation in this category increased! The same rules apply with major emphasis on originality of material. We support both 1st Place Winners of each category on the trip to Memphis . oh wait, I didn't tell you that, did I? The first place winners of both the Group and Solo/Duo categories are automatically entered as the OBBS representatives in the International Blues Challenge in Mem- phis in January 2016!!! The IBC includes over 200 participants from around the world and it is the premier showcase and springboard for acts to get themselves on the international Blues map!! Past winners such as Selwyn Birchwood, Mr. Sipp, Grady Champion, Trampled Under Foot, JP Soars & The Red Hots, Sean Carney, Joey Gil- more, Zac Harmon, and Delta Moon have all gone on to garner both national and international recognition. The winners receive support in the areas of agent representation and management, automatic festival slots at events both stateside and around the Blues world. Many of our national and international Blues publications provide expo- sure for the artists in the form of advertising and interviews throughout the year following their win in Memphis. To get more info the the IBC, go to http://www.blues.org/international-blues-challenge/. Let's get the word out and let all of our local bands know this is their opportunity to aim for the top and showcase their amazing talent to the masses! Did I mention that one of our past winners, Selwyn Birchwood, who ultimately took 1st Place at the IBC, won the 2015 Blues Music Award for the Best New Artist Album?? That's right!! The BMAs are the Grammy of Blues music worldwide!! How cool is that?? We are looking to make this an event that is more than just memorable, but one which showcases our Central Flori- da talent and the outstanding Fan base we have here in the area supporting LIVE Blues Music! This is our premier event of the year and we are looking for support in the form of SPONSORS, VOLUNTEERS, AND PARTICI- PANTS!!! As Mr. Sipp says, "Let's knock a hole in it!!!" Board of Directors Orange Blossom Blues Society www.obbs.org www.blues.org 3 4 5 email Poppa D if you would like to volunteer. EMAIL PappaD at [email protected] As part of our ongoing dedication to community service, the OBBS sponsors Blues In The Schools (BITS) programs on the local level. Based on The Blues Founda- tion's Blues in the Schools program, BITS is designed to introduce students to the blues and educate them about the origins, styles and history of the music through exciting, interactive presentations at elementary, middle & high schools levels. OBBS is looking for musicians and volunteers to help out with the BITS program. This entails volunteers receiving training on the BITS program and attending the school programs throughout the school year. (Our goal is once a month). The programs are during the school day, so you will need to be available at those times. Review our website to see the impact this is making on students in the community and the fun the musicians are having with this program. www.obbs.org/blues-in- schools.html For more information or volunteering, please contact the OBBS at [email protected]. Preserve Promote and Present the Blues The Gary Ingber Memorial Fund was created by the Orange Blossom Blues Society in April 2008 in honor of our dear friend, Gary Ingber, who passed away in February 2008. The mission of the fund is to offer modest financial aide in a timely and practical manner to any deserving area musician (or their immediate survivors.). The range of assistance is from $100 - $500 and the types of assistance that will be considered are medical, prescriptions due to illness, accident, emergency needs and burial/final expenses. The fund is available to active, professional musicians (or an immediate survivor) in the Central Florida area. A recipient does not have to be an OBBS member to receive funds, but requests for assistance must come from an OBBS member. Assistance is limited to one application per person each six months, or a one-time request for funeral expenses. Please click on the below email link to email the board for further details. All inquiries are confidential. Please email us at [email protected] for more information OBBS holds fundraisers featuring the Ladies of the Blues a few times a year. Please email or check our calendar for updates to these events. Order your copy of the Ladies of the Blues—[email protected] 6 By Lonnie G Don’t Scare The Dog Band To Celebrate 20 Years of Rockin’ The Blues! The Central Florida blues scene continues to experience a resurgence. Local musicians, venues that embrace the music, and OBBS volunteers continue to pull together to preserve, promote, and present the blues. From live local shows, numerous weekly jam sessions, and festivals that include national acts, to the Biscuit, Bacon n Blues radio show Sundays on WPRK (91.5FM), the area serves up a variety of “blues plate specials” to satisfy the appetite of blues fans. On Saturday, July 26th local blues- rock band Don’t Scare The Dog will serve up their brand of electric blues at The Abbey, in Downtown Orlando’s Thornton Park District [100 S. Eola Drive 32801]. The band has been rockin’ the blues since 1994 and will perform at this special music event 20 years in the making! From a humble beginning in the pubs and parties of the 1990’s, through countless shows throughout Florida, Don’t Scare The Dog has weathered the storm of the evolving Central Florida music scene. The band specializes in drivin' blues-rock. Their shows feature guitar- centric versions of traditional, classic, and modern blues along with a few originals. The band puts their own spin on traditional artists like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, JD Loudermilk, and the Downchild Blues Band while also embracing the modern blues of artists such as Joe Bonamassa. The band’s sound simmers from the heat and influence of Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, Kim Simmonds/Savoy Brown, Robin Trower, and the late Alvin Lee of Ten Years After.