1KKgX6T

The Night Owls
Massachusetts
Blues Society
excite their audiences with memorable
modern blues into a powerful
114 H BANDS The Blues Foundation • blues.org stage shows and perfor-
mances. Mojo Theory is powered
by Todd Mollette on drums, Brian
Beatty on lead guitar, Curtis Justus
Categorizing the Night Owls into
on bass guitar, Jeff Morris on keys,
one specific style is no easy task.
and Mark Richard on vocals. A performance
you don’t want to miss!
Their mutual appreciation for all
things blues runs too deep to be
pigeonholed, and is reflected in
all areas of their music. They draw
Mojomatic
from their collective and eclectic
musical heroes and genres,
Huntington Blues Society
while still managing to produce
Teacher Kayla Massie and her a pure and spirited product all
band Mojomatic have been doing their own. The quality and attention
to detail in terms of tone and
some blues-based education all
their own. With a youthful burn, feeling from their vocals and instruments
is uncanny, and unex-
the soul-powered blues band
is turning new generations on pected from such a young bunch.
to classic blues belters such as They may have only recently found
Big Mama Thornton up through each other frequenting the same
Beth Hart, and diving down into late-night Massachusetts blues
their originals. Based in Huntington,
West Virginia, Mojomatic sion and energy radiating from
jams and venues, but the pas-
testifies to a new birth of blues their unified performances is
from clubs to festivals, putting sure to take them any distance.
its own tattoo on tunes from rare
Led Zep covers to roots-twisting
1980s pop songs and back to
The Norman
the blues. Armed with marchingband
percussion history, Mojo-
Jackson Band
matic has a rock-solid rhythmic
Lake of the Ozarks
Blues Society
backbone for a new era of blues.
Norman Jackson, the “Soul Machine,”
Mother Ship grew up in Detroit and
Chicago singing alongside many
Blues Band
of the fathers of soul and blues
music. He has a genuine and rare
The Blues Societies
voice. He’s also an virtuoso guitarist.
Saxophonist Rick Shortt
of Iowa
This aptly named quintet was born grew up watching Norman Jackson
perform. He approaches the
in the heart of Iowa. Jeff Banks,
James Biehn, Justin Appel, Jon saxophone with aggression and
Locker, and Scott Dawson have fire. Like a blazing turbine, he creates
the energy of the band; you
been performing together since
1999, and bring it every time with never know what he’ll do next.
a sound that is funky, greasy, and Jackson and his soul-soothing,
high-energy. Even though they groove-inducing band will amaze
have a tightness most bands only you with the most sincere and true
dream of achieving, they know how blues you’ll find anywhere. True
to get loose and stretch out, and it to the moniker “The Baddest Soul
has become their trademark. The Band in the Land,” they strive to
Mother Ship’s aim is to be true help you “get your happy on”!
to the spirit of the blues, with an
original voice—because in the end,
the music must speak for itself. Odell Gray and the
House Rules Band
Houston Blues Society
Hailing from Houston, Texas, Odell
Gray and the House Rules Band
blend a mixture of classic and
sound that is unique and all their
own. The band members, Odell
Gray (vocals), Shawn Allen (bass
guitar), Dan Carpenter (sax), Jon
Cometta (guitar), Tommy Hampton
(drums), and Aaron Lakey (organ
and keyboards), are all seasoned
musicians who learned their craft
playing in bands around Texas
before this inspiring collaboration
paired Gray’s dynamic vocals
with the band’s stellar musicianship.
These guys deliver a soulful,
high-energy show that grabs
the audience’s attention and
leaves them roaring for more!
The Paul
DesLauriers Band
Montreal Blues Society
The Paul DesLauriers Band is
made up of singer/guitarist
Paul DesLauriers, bassist Greg
Morency, and drummer Sam Harrisson.
These three pillars of
the Quebec blues scene bring a
unique interplay, subtlety, and intensity
to the stage, blending a
modern approach with tradition.
Released in March 2014, their current
album reached No. 1 on the
iTunes Canada blues chart within
a month. Collectively they have
won three Maple Blues Awards,
including Guitarist of the Year
and Bassist of the Year, as well
as 14 Quebec Lys Blues Awards.
They are currently complementing
their busy touring schedule
with work on their newest album,
set for release in April 2016.
Phil Bee’s Freedom
Dutch Blues Foundation
At the Dutch Blues Challenge
2015, the jury was unanimous,
saying Phil Bee’s Freedom showed
“outstanding skills, repertoire,
and stage presence.” This sensational
eight-piece band excites
the crowds with original
blues tunes, mixing jazz and soul
grooves, played by the finest musicians
around. Imagine 1960s-’70s
Hammond and Rhodes, a tight,
groovy rhythm section, two amazing
lead guitarists, and sultry
background singers, topped by
Phil Bee’s blue–eyed-soul vocals.
It’s show-stopping quality that
will hit you like a freight train.
RD Olson Blues Band
Northern Arizona
Blues Alliance
RD Olson, bandleader and harp
player, grew up on the farm in
Zumbrota, Minnesota, and now resides
in Prescott. His blues style
is high-energy, gritty, and downhome.
Dr. Bob Sellani, drummer,
is president of the Sedona-based
Northern Arizona Blues Alliance.
Darryl Porras, “Big Daddy D,”
from Phoenix, has been honing
his blues guitar skills for 30 years
and is a former 2008 IBC contestant.
Phoenix bassist Jamie Waldron
is an accomplished guitarist
with 25 years’ experience, and
now adds upright bass to his credentials.
Rounding out the lineup
are Flagstaff stage veteran Tom
McMillian on the Hammond B3,
and the “Sedona horns” featuring
Andy Neilson on slide trombone
and Lee Sullivan on tenor sax.
Rebel Airplane
Black Swamp
Blues Society
Rebel Airplane, a dynamic blues
trio, took flight from Toledo, Ohio,
in August of 2015. Scott Hafferkamp
(drums) and Mike Klein
(bass) unite to forge a swampy,
lucid rhythm backbone while
Scott Biddle (vocals/guitar) lends
his snarl and color to round out
the trio’s groove-laden grasp of
the blues. Rebel Airplane personifies
the new blues of the
Midwest—a sound that is familiar,
yet fresh. Nestled between
a dose of Motown poise and a
dash of buttery Southern charm,
you can hear a testimony of what
the band knows best—booze,
women, and trouble. Rebellious?
Perhaps, but likable enough to
make your momma smile.
32nd International Blues Challenge
BANDS H 115