Blues Society of Western PA - Newsletter

There was much planning and effort put out by the board of the BSWPA in the months leading up to the International Blues Challenge at Cefalo’s. We wanted something special. It was less than six months since our last IBC’s and while it was fun and we had some great bands, we did not have much time to plan and ended up busting our butts for no financial gain to the Blues Society that we were trying to revitalize. All of the board members contributed-distributing flyers, putting up posters, looking for acts to join so that we would have a full day of music for the fans. When it became apparent that we would not have enough acts, Jim Weber made calls to bands that he knew in other states. We were hoping not to do that, but after months of pushing local acts to join-we had to do something. We knew that it was controversial, but I agreed, as did most of the others that it was something that had to be done.

April 26th finally arrived and we started to set up. We all wondered: “Did we do the right thing,” “Would we get a good crowd? Would people not show because of the out of state acts? Was Cefalo’s the right venue? Would all the acts show up? Were eighteen acts too many? A few hours later, we had our answer. As Mike Lange would say, “IF YOU MISSED THIS ONE-SHAME ON YOUR FOR SIX WEEKS.”

Some of the comments that I heard from the crowd were (many had been do several IBC’s in different locations): “I’ve never seen so many great acts,” “…all five solo acts were great, I’ve never been so entertained by solos,” “I didn’t see a bad act all day,” “I have to come back next year,” and “This place (Cefalo’s) is the best place that I’ve ever been for any blues show-great sound, great seats.” Hearing those things made it all worth while-the work, the planning and the lost sleep. We saw bands that we had never seen before and some from our own backyards: the Ian Arthur Band and Step Off George. Both impressed the fans. We saw Willie Phoenix (Columbus) perform strange gymnastic feats with his guitar. We saw the colorful Gil Snyder (Mystic Knights) energize the crowd with the accordion. The overall band winner was, “Nothin’ But Trouble” from Delaware. About twenty seconds into their first song, we all knew that they had something extra. I did not think anyone would get close after their performance. People were gasping! Both the Pat McLaughlin Band and the Jimmy Adler band got first place votes and made it interesting. When all was counted, Nothin’ But Trouble had the best scores and accolades from the judges like: “They just blew me away,” “well established band with talent and professionalism on stage,” and simply, “WOW, AWESOME!” To me, they were the definition of what a band should be. Here is why-their set consisted of five tunes.
1. “Ain’t got a Clue” –written by guitarist, Chris Mcafee
2. “Oh You” –written by guitarist, Joey Fulkerson
3. “The Turnaround” –written by drummer, Billy Meyers
4. “$3.49 a Gallon –written by bassist, Greg Haughey
5. “John, the Revelator” –(a cappella by all four members)

Versatility! Each member wrote and led their own tune and then they harmonized beautifully. We found out Greg Haughey is a McKeesport High School grad and played in bands like “Tempo Tantrum” and “Raoul & the Passions.” He also played at Moondog’s, Luna Lounge, Penn Café and the Decade. I congratulated Greg on his band’s win and he said, “We had a great time and are proud to represent such a great group of people. We want to play in Pittsburgh very much.”

This was not the only hot act that day. Many others were being talked about: Willie Phoenix contorting like a man half his age, Tas Cru playing great tunes wonderfully despite getting “parkway delayed,” Memphis Cradle being a great band with great people, and Pat McLaughlin’s band had an amazing beat for just three guys. Other positive comments were made about the solo artists that included: Brennan John, Gary Prisby and Jill Simmons (whose voice always captivates me), the colorful Gary Applegate and the solo winner- our own Bubs McKeg! Bub’s inspiration for entering the competition was a lady who was in the hospital at the same time as him. She had lost her house in a fire. He also did a great modern blues song whose lyrics hit home, “Drive into Town.”
We also heard some of the groups that we love and flock to every week here in “the burgh”: the Mystic Knights, the Jimmy Adler Band, Blu Razor, Ms. Freddie an Blue Faze, Step Off George, the Ian Arthur Band, Shot O’ Soul and last but not least, Angel Blue and the Prophets.
I personally want to thank all of the bands and all of the fans for making this an unforgettable day for each other and for all of us involved.

–Don Vecchio