TALL CITY BLUES FEST Lisa Grissom, Producer of Tall City Blues Fest 432-262-0034; [email protected] tallcitybluesfest.com For Immediate Release March 28, 2014 Tall City Blues Fest Announces 2014 Line-Up MIDLAND, TEXAS – Last night, at a line-up release party, Tall City Blues Fest 2014 presented by Mazda of Midland/Odessa announced its 2014 line-up. This year's Fest will feature 17 performances. FRIDAY, JULY 25-A TASTE OF MEMPHIS 6-7 PM Rock Island Rollers (Des Moines, IA) 2014 International Blues Challenge Semi-Finalist 7-8 PM Annika Chambers (Houston, TX) Houston Press Music Awards Best Female Vocalist 8-9 PM Ted Drozdowski's Scissormen (Nashville, TN) Keeping the Blues Alive Recipient for Journalism, Writer for Rolling Stone, Guitar World and Consultant for PBS' “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Blues” Series 9-10:15 PM Ghost Town Blues Band (Memphis, TN) 2014 International Blues Challenge 2nd Place Winner 10:15-11 PM Memphis Jam led by Ghost Town Blues Band “We are very excited about our Friday night line-up this year, because we're bringing a little of Memphis to Midland,” said Ronn Reeger, Talent Buyer for the Fest. “Every year, we go to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge that features over 200 bands from around the world. All of the Friday night performers at this year's Fest are artists we've met or discovered in Memphis during the Challenge. In addition to scouting the Challenge performers, we also discover a lot of talent at the after-hours jams which are really magical because there are so many fantastic performers collaborating. That's where we got the idea for the Memphis Jam that will be our Friday night finale.” SATURDAY, JULY 26-DOUBLETREE INDOOR JAM STAGE 1-2 PM Johnny Long (Springfield, MO) Proclaimed by Muddy Waters to be "the best young country blues artist playing today" 2-3 PM The Blues Doctors, featuring Adam Gussow (Oxford, MS) Award-winning Blues Literature & Culture Author, Associate Professor of English and Southern Studies with a Specialty in the Blues Tradition at the University of Mississippi 3-4 PM Tas Cru (Chaumont, NY) Keeping the Blues Alive Recipient for Blues Education 4-5 PM Ruben V (San Antonio, TX) City of San Antonio's Best Guitar Player, Best Songwriter and Best Blues Band 5-5:30 PM West Texas Regional Solo/Duo Act (TBD) “The heat during the day on Saturday is always a challenge and our patrons miss out on some really great performers, so this year we are hosting our daytime line-up inside the Doubletree and these shows are free and open to the public,” said Lisa Grissom, Producer of the Fest. SATURDAY, JULY 26-DOUBLETREE LOBBY 3-6 PM John Carl Escue (San Angelo, TX) 2014 IBC Solo/Duo Semi-Finalist SATURDAY, JULY 26-OUTDOOR MAIN STAGES 5:30-6 PM West Texas Regional Band (TBD) 6-7 Gregg Wright (Los Angeles, CA) Louisiana Hall of Fame Inductee 7-8 Jim Suhler (Dallas, TX) Named #4 on the Dallas Observer's “The 10 Greatest Dallas Blues Artists”, Guitar player for George Thorogood & The Destroyers since 1999 8-9:15 Mississippi Blues Child, Mr. Sipp (McComb, MS) International Blues Challenge 2014 Winner 9:15-10:30 Serbian-born Ana Popovic (Memphis, TN) HEADLINER Five-Time Blues Music Award Nominee & Experience Hendrix 2014 Tour Performer 10:45-11:45 PM Too Slim & the Taildraggers (Nashville, TN) FINALE ACT Lifetime Achievement Award and Hall of Fame Awards by Three Northwest Blues Societies “I'm really thrilled to be presenting the line-up for this year's Fest. I went to Memphis this year with Ronn and Lisa to see how they work and what it was all about. It's really a spectacle to see how everything comes together at the Challenge and observe the 'trench work' that Ronn and Lisa do to get the performers they get. We are presenting, not one but both the first and second place winners of this years International Blues Challenge right here in West Texas. I'd say that's pretty awesome,” said Chris Robin, President of Mazda of Midland/Odessa and Presenting Sponsor of the Fest. ABOUT TALL CITY BLUES FEST Now in its fourth year, Tall City Blues Fest 2014, presented by Mazda Midland/Odessa, will be held July 25-27, 2014 in Centennial Plaza (Downtown Midland, TX). The Fest is a multi-stage Blues music festival hosting award-winning performers across multiple stages. Tall City Blues Fest also hosts educational workshops, a silent art auction, a midnight spectator jam, an autographed memorabilia raffle and a Sunday Gospel Brunch. Our Mission is to create a family-friendly experience like none other that generates tourism, offers a culturally diverse attraction in West Texas and contributes positively to the quality of life. ABOUT MAZDA MIDLAND/ODESSA Mazda Midland/Odessa is comprised of Mazda of Midland and SKY Mazda of Odessa. In addition to offering new Mazda vehicles featuring the SKYACTIV technology designed to enhance driving performance and boost fuel economy, Mazda of Midland and SKY Mazda of Odessa also continue to offer a large selection of pre-owned cars and trucks across nearly every make and price point. It is the mission of Mazda Midland/Odessa to bring ease and integrity to the car buying process while making the experience quick, easy and enjoyable. ###.