| Mark Wendel photos
Sunday, April 13 -- Back Beat Blues (top) and No Right Turn at the Celina, Ohio Moose Lodge. |
CELINA, OHIO -- The 2008 Riverside Bluesfest Blues Challenge wrapped up the preliminary round in front of a big crowd of blues lovers at the Moose Lodge here Sunday, April 13. "Back Beat Blues," a new band from St. Marys, took on "No Right Turn" from Lima to determine the fourth blues band to advance to the Blues Challenge Finals next month.
"Back Beat Blues" took the stage first. With Jodi Allen as featured vocalist, the seven-member band included Chip Brogan (lead guitar), Dean Axe (guitar), Andy Klosterman (keyboard), Steve Grimm (harmonica), Jim Miley (bass) and Mark Klosterman (drums).
Their judged numbers were Coco Montoya's "Back In A Cadillac," "Can't Keep It Up" from Little Charlie and the Nightcats and two Susan Tedeschi songs, "Gonna Move" and "The Feeling Music Brings." Back Beat Blues filled out their set with blues classics from Carl Perkins, Junior Wells, Freddy King and Janis Joplin.
"No Right Turn" came right back with lead vocals by Kara Place, Chris Place and Dale Rucklos (guitars), Charlie Brinkman (bass), Mark Edelbrock (harmonica) and Matt Morgan on drums. Songs played for the competition were "Little By Little" by Junior Wells, Shemekia Copeland's "I Always Get My Man," T-Bone Walker's classic "Stormy Monday" and "Voodoo Woman" by Koko Taylor.
After two hours of great blues that had the audience on its feet, the three-judge panel gave the nod to "No Right Turn," which advances to the Blues Challenge Finals to be held on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at the Eagles Lodge in St. Marys, Ohio.
"No Right Turn" joins "Big Worm and the Nightcrawlers" from Delphos and "M.C. Blue" and "Lady Bird and the Dirty Dirty Earth Worms" (both from Celina) in the final competition to determine the opening act for the Riverside Bluesfest, to take place Saturday of Labor Day weekend, August 30, 2008.
For more information on the 2008 Blues Challenge and the Riverside Bluesfest, visit www.stmarysblues.com.
