UPDATE: Two West Michigan blues bands competed alongside 140-plus acts in the international competition this week. Read more about their Memphis experience.
Bound for Memphis: Jim Shaneberger and his band will compete in the International Blues Challenge. (Photo/Anna Sink)
SAT. JAN. 24 UPDATE: Neither West Michigan band advanced to the final rounds. Although disappointed, Shaneberger thanked his fans on Facebook, saying they’re “all the reason I continue to soldier on in this crazy music world.” And Billy LaValley of Big Boss Blues called the competition “a blast.” “We learned a lot about stagecraft and showmanship,” he told Local Spins. “It was like going to blues school. We were inspired and motivated to go to the next level as a band (and) met musicians from about eight countries. Too much fun!”
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
A pair of West Michigan blues bands are heading to Memphis this week to test their mettle and their music against a host of groups from across the country.
Big Boss Blues (Photo/Local Spins)
The Jim Shaneberger Band, based in Grand Rapids and winner of the Kalamazoo Valley Blues Association blues challenge, and Big Boss Blues, with roots in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Battle Creek and winner of the Capital Area Blues Society challenge, will compete in The Blues Foundation’s four-day International Blues Challenge, which draws more than 140 bands from around the globe.
Each band will perform and compete Wednesday and Thursday nights within a group of about 10 bands with different judges each night. The contests will take place at a variety of Beale Street clubs.
The band compiling the best combined scores from the two nights at each club in the competition will advance to the semi-finals on Friday. The finals take place on Saturday night at Memphis’ Orpheum Theatre.
PUMPED UP ABOUT UNLEASHING THE BLUES IN MEMPHIS
“I’ve been there once before and can’t wait to play with my own band,” guitarist and singer Shaneberger told Local Spins. “We’re gonna bring it.” His band includes Robert Pace on bass and Karl Schantz on drums.
William “Billy” LaValley, bassist for Big Boss Blues, said band members started getting excited during Sunday’s sendoff/fundraiser at Lansing’s Green Door.
Jim Shaneberger Band (Photo/Anna Sink)
“Now, nerves are setting in, but we know we are ready. We are playing all band originals,” he said. “Going to Memphis to the IBC is a thrill and totally unexpected. (Guitarist and Karl’s dad) Charles Schantz is the only member who hasn’t been to the International Blues Challenge. For the other three, this is the second time. We are meeting a lot of old friends there, and still have contact with musicians we met from past years.”
The band also features Joe Ferguson on vocals and harmonica, and Eric Busch on drums.
The first-place winner of the full-band IBC earns $3,000 and receives a host of high-profile band bookings at festivals across the country.
Read more about Shaneberger in this Local Spins Artist Spotlight.
Read more about Big Boss Blues in this Local Spins Artist Spotlight.
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
