On January 20, help the CBA’s Journey To Memphis winner Ben Rice make his way to the International Blues Challenge at the end of the month by attending an all-star extravaganza of some of Portland’s most amazing talent. This all day event will feature local luminaries such as Karen Lovely, Kivett Bednar, Doug Rowell, Marty Henninger, Dante Zapata, Arrogant Bastards, and a performance by United By Music North America. 100% of all raffle proceeds and admission sales, plus 10% of all bar sales for the event will go towards helping Ben make his way to Memphis.

Catfish Lou’s, 2460 NW 24th Avenue. January 20 — Noon until whenever. Admission is your donation, $10.00 minimum recommended. 21 & over.

Fenix Project

Fenix ProjectThe Fenix Project will represent The Cascade Blues Association at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis this month. A dynamic, soulful rhythm and blues band led by saxophonist/vocalist Fenix Sanders, the band has held court in Portland’s most venerable juke joint, the Blue Diamond, weekly for nearly twenty years. Fenix, with his gravelly vocals and stirring sax, reveals the depth of emotion and experience of an authentic blues man. He is backed by a smooth and well-oiled rhythm section: Jason Thomas on guitar, Jeffery Frankel on drums, Calen Uhlig on bass, and Danny Barnett on keyboards.

Traveling to Memphis is an expensive journey — especially for a large band like The Fenix Project. To help ease some of the expenses, on Saturday, January 19 there will be a last minute fundraising effort held at The Blue Diamond. Hosted by past IBC third-place winner Rae Gordon (who will also sit in with the band), the night will also include raffles to help raise funds, so come out and help support their trip to Memphis and cheer them on to the international event.

The Blue Diamond is located at 2016 NE Sandy Blvd. The fun begins at 6:00 pm and tickets are $10.00 at the door.

 

Portland Spirit of Portland Blues Cruise

Portland Spirit of Portland Blues CruiseJoin the Rae Gordon Band on October 6 for the biggest party and Fall Floating Fundraiser of the year! Once again, Rae and the guys will be hosting a Willamette River party on The Portland Spirit, featuring the acts who won the Cascade Blues Association’s Journey To Memphis competition this year at the Waterfront Blues Festival. Those winning acts, Ben Rice and The Fenix Project, will be traveling to Memphis, TN in January to represent the CBA and the region at the International Blues Challenge, one of the largest blues events in the world. Acts from around the globe will descend on Memphis’ famed Beale Street for four days of competition to help find some of the best unsigned Blues bands on earth.

Music will be flowing on all three levels of The Spirit, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm as the ship cruises up and down the Willamette River for amazing views of the downtown Portland skyline.

Come dance and sway with other blues lovers and support YOUR CBA representatives and help put Portland on the blues map.  Food and beverages will be for sale on board, plus there will be drawings and a silent auction taking place. Funds raised through these and ticket sales will help offset some of the cost for the acts to travel to Memphis.

Buy your ticket to ride the river and dance to fun blues music at www.brownpapertickets.com/pbc2018

2023 Journey to Memphis Finalists

The finals for this year’s Journey to Memphis competition were held on July 4 at the Waterfront Blues Festival. Four strong acts, who had won the right to participate out of a field of fifteen original acts at Mekong Bistro in mid-May, brought out their best before the scoring judges and an enthusiastic crowd on the Front Porch Stage.

Fenix Sanders - Journey To Memphis WinnersJourney To Memphis Winners - Ben RiceThis year was unique in the fact that we had two bands, Fenix Project and Johnny Wheels & The Swamp Donkeys, and two solo/duo acts, Rae Gordon & Kivett Bednar and Ben Rice, vying for the right to go to Memphis in January. So it was guaranteed that one from each category would have that honor. Each delivered amazing sets, but when it was all over Ben Rice was named the overall winner of the event and will represent the Cascade Blues Association in the solo/duo category. The top band of the day was the Fenix Project who will also be heading to Memphis to compete in the band category.

Thanks to our finals judges, Chris Azorr, Kendra Carpenter, Michael Bard and Tony TC Coleman. This is a very tough job having to score each act individually in blues content, vocals, instrumentation, originality and stage presence, without trying to compare one act against the other.

Congratulations to the winners and all those who competed!! Good luck in Memphis. Watch for upcoming events to help these acts raise funds to defray travel costs.

2021 Best Self-Produced CD Competition

Best Self-Produced CDThe Blues Foundation has annually held a competition to recognize excellence in independent blues recordings since 2005. The Best Self-Produced CD competition is open to affiliated blues societies from around the world to submit one entry each, preferably selected by a regional competition. The Cascade Blues Association has taken part in this event since its inception, including having the overall winner chosen in 2011 with Joe McMurrian’s Get Inside This House.

The CBA is now accepting submissions for this year’s Best Self-Produced CD competition. All are welcome to enter with the exception of artists who have been nominated for or received a Blues Music Award; or recordings that are released on labels that have been nominated or received a Blues Music Award. No compilation discs are accepted. Only discs from artists in Oregon, Washington or Idaho will be accepted by the CBA for consideration. Only CDs released after November 1, 2017 are eligible for consideration as the 2018 Best Self-Produced CD.

Entries will be judged by a committee and will be based on the same criteria that The Blues Foundation will later use in their own judging. These are: Blues Content,  Musical Performance, Audio Quality and Production Value of the Recording, Professionalism and Visual Appearance of Cover Art and Design, and Credits and Liner Note Information.

After submissions from each affiliated blues society have been received, The Blues Foundation will conduct judging in three stages, with the first two rounds being conducted by a select group of radio/print media people. The finalists will be announced a week prior to the 35th annual International Blues Challenge and the winning recording will be named at the IBC finals in Memphis in January 2019.

All entries for the CBA must be received no later than the October 3 membership meeting at Catfish Lou’s. Entries can be mailed to: BSPCD c/o Cascade Blues Association, PO Box 6566, Portland, Oregon 97228 or can be delivered in person at the August, September or October general membership meetings.

Thank You To Holiday Party Volunteers

Thank You VolunteersOften the Cascade Blues Association holds events where we need extra hand on deck, and we greatly appreciated when our volunteers step forward to help us out. Thanks to the following individuals for their assistance for our Journey To Memphis competition in mid-May:

Working as judges for the event:Alan Spinrad, Chuk Barber and Jenny Jacobs.

Helping with the door, merchandise table and stage break-down: Bert Pagett, Cherie Robbins, Jon Pierce, and Richard LaChapelle

2023 Journey to Memphis Finalists

The 2018 Cascade Blues Association Journey To Memphis competition will take place at Mekong Bistro, 8200 NE Siskiyou Street, Portland over the weekend of Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20. Fifteen acts will face off for the right to represent the Cascade Blues Association and the region at The International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in early 2019. Past CBA acts have fared well in Memphis including Karen Lovely, Ty Curtis, and Rae Gordon each taking home prizes from the finals.

Each act will play 20 minute sets before a group of judges scoring them on blues content, vocals, instrumentation, originality, and stage presence. The top two scoring acts from each day will move onto the finals to held at the Waterfront Blues Festival on July 4 where the overall winner will be determined.

The Journey To Memphis is open to all ages. Admission is $10.00 each day, and those proceeds will be awarded as prize money to help defray some of the cost of traveling to Memphis.

The schedule for this year’s opening round is:

Saturday, May 19:
12:00 -Blue Owens Band
12:35 – David Pinsky
1:10 – Dan Lowe & Skeletal Remains
1:45 – Ben Rice
2:20 – Arrogant Bastards
2:55 -Riven
3:30 -The New Iberians

Sunday, May 20:
1:00 -Fenix Project
1:35 -Rae Gordon & Kivett Bednar
2:10 -Justus Reece
2:45 -Johnny Wheels & The Swamp Donkeys
3:20 -Al & The Bluetones
3:55 – The Lightning Kings
4:30 – The MojoBlasters
5:05 – Mick Schafer Band

2023 Journey to Memphis Finalists

2018 Journey To Memphis Dates SetThe first round of the 2018 Journey To Memphis competition will be held on Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20 at Mekong Bistro, 8200 NE Siskiyou Street in Portland. The CBA will hold the event earlier this year to avoid conflict with Rose Festival events and holiday commitments on the weekends of Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. Also, this year’s competition will take place during the afternoon to allow acts to keep already scheduled evening gigs.

This event will determine The Cascade Blues Association’s representative for the International Blues Challenge in early 2019. The highest rated acts from this event will compete in the finals during this summer’s Waterfront Blues Festival.

Applications to compete in the Journey To Memphis must be turned in no later than the April Cascade Blues Association Membership Meeting on Wednesday, April 4. If sent by mail, the application must be postmarked prior to April 4.

Blues acts from Oregon and Washington who have not been nominated for or received a Blues Music Awards are eligible; this applies to all members of bands who may have been nominated – no exceptions. Application fee is $25.00 and all money will go toward prize money for winning acts. You must submit a short intent to compete letter, a band bio, any performer under 21 must be noted, a photo at least 300 dpi, and a sample of your music (full length songs or CDs as we try to set time for radio promotion if possible). Application packets can be turned in on hard copy (paper), disc, or USB thumb-drive.

Set lengths will be determined depending on number of acts submitting applications and set times will be drawn at random.

Due to state-required building updates and improvements, The Garages will be closed until further notice — thus the reason behind the change of venue for the Journey to Memphis competition.

2023 Journey to Memphis Finalists

2018 Journey To Memphis Dates SetThe 2018 Journey To Memphis first round will be held on Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20 at The Garages Music & Event Center, 4800 SW Western Avenue in Beaverton. We will be holding the event earlier this year to avoid conflict with Rose Festival events and holiday commitments the weekends of Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. Also, this  year’s competition will take place in the afternoon allowing acts to keep gigs that they may have already scheduled for the evening hours.

This event is to determine who will represent the Cascade Blues Association at the International Blues Challenge in early 2019. Highest scores from this event will determine who will compete in the finals to be held at the Waterfront Blues Festival on July 4.

Applications to compete in the Journey To Memphis must be turned in no later than the April Cascade Blues Association Membership Meeting on Wednesday, April 4. If sending them by mail, they must be postmarked prior to the April 4 date.

Blues acts from Oregon and Washington who have not been nominated for or received a Blues Music Awards are eligible; this applies to all members of bands who may have been nominated – no exceptions. Application fee is $25.00 – all money to go toward prize money for winning acts. You must submit a short intent to compete letter, a band bio, any performer under 21 must be noted, a photo at least 300 dpi, and a sample of your music (full length songs or CDs as we try to set time for radio promotion if possible). Application packets can be turned in on hard copy (paper), disc or USB thumb-drive.

Set lengths will be determined depending on number of acts submitting applications. Set times to be drawn at random.

2023 Journey to Memphis Finalists

The Journey To Memphis is the Cascade Blues Association’s regional competition to select the acts that will represent our organization and region in 2019’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. Up to 250 acts from around the world converge on Beale Street to perform before the music industry searching for new talent, with the chance to win recognition and prizes that include major festival performances and more. But the only way an act may participate is to win a regional competition held by one of The Blues Foundation’s affiliated societies like the Cascade Blues Association.

The Journey To Memphis competition consists of two rounds. The opening round will be held this year in mid-May at a venue to be determined.  The event may take place over more than one night depending on the number of acts wishing to compete. Acts are scored by a trio of judges selected for their backgrounds and knowledge of the blues. The highest scoring acts from each night of competition (up to four acts) will advance to the finals held at the Waterfront Blues Festival on July 4th.

Applications to participate in the competition will be accepted from now until Wednesday, April 4 at the Cascade Blues Association membership meeting. No late applications will be accepted. All acts that meet our criteria as described below will be eligible to compete. The performance schedule for the competition is drawn at random.

Here’s what you need to do to enter:

  • Entry fee is $25.00
  • Each act must have at least one person in the band who is a member of the Cascade Blues Association.
  • Only acts located within the region of Oregon, or Washington are allowed to enter the Journey To Memphis.
  • Any act or member of an act that has been nominated for or received a Blues Music Awards from The Blues Foundation are ineligible to compete. No exceptions.
  • Any act that has competed in the International Blues Challenge two consecutive years, regardless whether with the same society or as a solo/duo or band act, must sit out a year before being allowed to compete again. Acts can only participate three times in Memphis (acts competing previous to 2017 will be grandfathered and may compete three times starting from 2017).
  • Along with your $25.00 application fee, send an up-to-date band bio including names of all members, a 300 dpi photo of the band, full song samples of the band’s music (this may be used on a radio broadcast to promote the event), and we need to be made aware of any band member who may be under 21 years of age at the time of the competition so the venue is aware ahead of time for Oregon or Washington Liquor Commission laws.
  • We require that any act that moves forward in the competition must use the same band members that they won the rounds with. In other words, if you won with a certain bass player or drummer at the Waterfront Blues Festival, that bassist and drummer must be in your band to compete in Memphis. Exceptions will made in rare circumstances when not under control of the act, such as health issues.
  • We do not prevent acts competing with the Cascade Blues Association from doing so with other societies. All that we ask is that if you win another group’s competition before ours is held, or if you win ours before theirs, please remove yourself from further competitions to allow other acts the chance to win the right to go to Memphis.