Happy New Year all!
EXCITING NEWS to announce!! In 4 days I'm going to be travelling down to Beale Street in Memphis, representing Northern Alberta, to compete in the 30th annual International Blues Challenge! The competition takes place in the blues 'mecca' and is the largest blues competition in the entire world! There will be over 150 acts in 20 some clubs playing every night from Jan 22nd-25th representing blues societies from cities all over the globe..... I can't wait to walk outside (+15 degrees.. take that Edmonton!)... with a drink in hand (rumour is you can leave the bar with a beer!).. and hear a kaleidoscope of blues colours bouncing off the walls of Beale Street.
This is such an exciting opportunity for me to grow on a musical and human level. I'm going to play for blues fans and musicians from around the world! AND Memphis is the home to Stax Records, Sun Records, Graceland, and is also the place that activist Martin Luther King made his last mark. It truely is a historical place. I hope to find time to travel down to Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta region - home to Muddy Waters, where Robert Johnson 'sold his soul to the devil' at the crossroads, and where Bessie Smith died... The area is rich in tradition with its roots heavily tied to slavery, racism, poverty, blues, spirit.....
None of this would be remotely possible without the support of the Edmonton Blues Society (http://www.edmontonbluessociety.net/). Because of them, they are enabling my friends and awe-inspiring band Boogie Patrol (http://www.boogiepatrol.com/) and myself to experience a week unparalleled to any other event I have partaken in up to this point in my career. I can't thank you enough EBS! And I can't WAIT!
Boogie Patrol and I are hosting a fundraiser this Saturday evening to help send us off. If you'd like to come join the bash - please do! It will be at New Castle Pub (8170 50st, Edmonton) - $10 - Doors at 8 - Music at 10pm. More event info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1426585040911058/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
Also, if you're interested in checking out more about the competition, there is a great write-up on their website about it's history and a list of all the entered acts etc. here: https://blues.org/ibc/#ref=ibc_index
Lastly, I will be showcasing on a couple of different stages and playing for a program called "Ditty TV" (stream-able online) which is seperate from the competition. I'll keep you posted on when those things are happening so you can tune in and join me during my adventure!
Thanks so much for reading,
Can't wait to post more!!
Love,
Jenie Thai
EXCITING NEWS to announce!! In 4 days I'm going to be travelling down to Beale Street in Memphis, representing Northern Alberta, to compete in the 30th annual International Blues Challenge! The competition takes place in the blues 'mecca' and is the largest blues competition in the entire world! There will be over 150 acts in 20 some clubs playing every night from Jan 22nd-25th representing blues societies from cities all over the globe..... I can't wait to walk outside (+15 degrees.. take that Edmonton!)... with a drink in hand (rumour is you can leave the bar with a beer!).. and hear a kaleidoscope of blues colours bouncing off the walls of Beale Street.
This is such an exciting opportunity for me to grow on a musical and human level. I'm going to play for blues fans and musicians from around the world! AND Memphis is the home to Stax Records, Sun Records, Graceland, and is also the place that activist Martin Luther King made his last mark. It truely is a historical place. I hope to find time to travel down to Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta region - home to Muddy Waters, where Robert Johnson 'sold his soul to the devil' at the crossroads, and where Bessie Smith died... The area is rich in tradition with its roots heavily tied to slavery, racism, poverty, blues, spirit.....
None of this would be remotely possible without the support of the Edmonton Blues Society (http://www.edmontonbluessociety.net/). Because of them, they are enabling my friends and awe-inspiring band Boogie Patrol (http://www.boogiepatrol.com/) and myself to experience a week unparalleled to any other event I have partaken in up to this point in my career. I can't thank you enough EBS! And I can't WAIT!
Boogie Patrol and I are hosting a fundraiser this Saturday evening to help send us off. If you'd like to come join the bash - please do! It will be at New Castle Pub (8170 50st, Edmonton) - $10 - Doors at 8 - Music at 10pm. More event info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1426585040911058/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
Also, if you're interested in checking out more about the competition, there is a great write-up on their website about it's history and a list of all the entered acts etc. here: https://blues.org/ibc/#ref=ibc_index
Lastly, I will be showcasing on a couple of different stages and playing for a program called "Ditty TV" (stream-able online) which is seperate from the competition. I'll keep you posted on when those things are happening so you can tune in and join me during my adventure!
Thanks so much for reading,
Can't wait to post more!!
Love,
Jenie Thai