[The Announcement]

[The Happening] [The IBC Event]

THE GREATER TWIN CITIES BLUES MUSIC SOCIETY WILL SPONSOR A SOLO/DUO ACT IN THE INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE HELD IN MEMPHIS, JANUARY 29, 30, and 31, 2004

THE ROAD TO MEMPHIS STARTS AT THE VIKING BAR, SUNDAY OCTOBER 19, 2003 1 PM - 6 PM

If you want to enter the Road to Memphis Competition, scheduled to be held at the Viking Bar on October 19th, it will help us out if you RSVP by the end of September so our society can better plan the event. The competition will be judged by Gregg Harcus, Doug Grant, Terry Marshall. MaryKay Harcus will be timekeeper. Christina Marlatt will help tally the scores. We're still looking for one or two more judges and one more timekeeper.

Order of play is randomly selected. We expect each performer will get 20-30 minutes play time. In Memphis, I believe each solo/duo performer gets 30 minutes. The GTCBMS will assist (no guarantees) the local winner to raise funds for the trip to help cover costs of travel, hotel and food. We'll start fund raising at the Viking on October 19th by taking up a collection.

Eligibility to compete requires that the solo/duo act does not have a contract (nor be in negotations to enter one) with a nationally-distributed record company. Former contracts are okay so long as they are no longer in effect and no new material has been released by that record company over the past 10 years. Reissues are okay. Band members/individuals can only compete with one performing act entered in the 2004 IBC -- if you compete as part of a band at the IBC, you cannot compete solo too.

All applications to compete in Memphis must go through affiliate blues societies. The final winner of the IBC becomes a representative of the Sponsoring Blues Society as well as the Blues Foundation for the duration of the tour that serves as part of the prize package (up to 1 year). Competing acts are required to provide publicity information, sign agreements, affadavits, releases, etc. Those are due the first week in December! In 2005 we want to send a solo and a band. Next year's solo/duo competition will be held at 7th Street Entry. Place for the band contest is still to be determined.

In the past, the IBM Solo Competition has had one prize award for first place, including $500, trophy, studio recording time at House of Blues Studios (Memphis), CD reproduction, booking consultation, PR consultation, and many scheduled gigs at nightclubs and festivals around the nation during 2004.

The 20th International Blues Challenge runs from Thursday through Saturday night, January 29, 30 and 31 - 2004. Solo competition has been held Thursdays in the past with the winner performing at the "Keeping the Blues Alive Awards" on the following Sunday morning. Orientation is mandatory (20-30 minutes) and probably held early Thursday afternoon. More information will be available this fall.

Scoring for the International Blues Competition is weighted in the following order: blues content (x4); talent and originality (each x3); stage presence (x2) and overall impression (x1). If an act goes over the alloted time during the competition, points are docked from the total score at the rate of one point for each 10 seconds over the time limit. The Road to Memphis will mimic the IBCs scoring method. If we could randomly select a band to send, we would. But we can't. IBC requires we hold a competiton.

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