Blues Society of Western PA - Newsletter

When you visit the Blues Foundation website for some general information on the next IBC (http://www.blues.org/ibc), you might begin to ponder the origin of this blues phenomenon on Beale Street, 777 miles away. I did. So, I clicked on "IBC History." I was directed to an article by Steven Campbell, published in the July 2008 issue of the Memphis Downtowner. Here is a quote from that article… The camaraderie of the musicians, the musical heritage of Memphis, and the appreciation of the genre by fans the world over is why The Blues Foundation first decided to hold a competition in 1985 to find the best unsigned blues bands, soloists, and duos on the planet. Next to these words is a photo by Dusty Scott; it's a Technicolor, in-your-face personification of the genre. It's Sean Carney.

The Sean Carney Band was 2007's IBC First Prize winner for Best Band. Sean, himself, won the Albert King Award for Best Guitarist. Who was the "Best Dressed" contestant? Sean Carney. Sean is also a pretty nice guy. Nice enough to share some insights with BSWPA and our IBC hopefuls for 2012!

Blues Society: Can you tell us what is was like entering your local blues competition in Columbus? (How many times did you enter/win/go to Memphis IBC?)

SEAN: 2007 was actually my third time at the IBC in Memphis. In 2003 and 2005 I went as guitar player for Teeny Tucker. Interesting… both times we made it to the finals; also I was nominated each time for the Albert King Award. The first time, it was exciting to be there! The second time, I have to say, it was a letdown not to win. For 2007, Teeny was taking time off. I entered as The Sean Carney Band; with bass player Steve Perakis, and Eric Blume on drums. We competed with about a dozen other bands in Columbus. We did it on a whim; just to have fun. ('Hardly fazed by, "Hey! You've gone from a six piece band to a three piece! No sax, no piano, and they had a better singer than you!")

BS: When you headed for Beale Street in 2007, you were not inexperienced. You had already been on the road many times, hosted a radio show, and worked/played on over a dozen CDs, while being very involved in the Columbus blues community. Was there much preparation necessary for you and the band during the months leading to your Memphis gig? How did you choose which songs to perform for your timed sets?
SEAN: By the way, for reference, here is the IBC judging criteria list: 1) Blues Content, 2) Vocal Skills, 3) Instrumental Skills, 4) Originality, 5) Stage Presence. …Once we digested the fact that we were going to Memphis, we got a serious game together, and we practiced. A lot. See #4 on the list: "Originality". I consider that to mean "original material." We played our own tunes. On stage, I made a point to say that. "We're playing all original music by The Sean Carney Band."

BS: What inspired that snazzy leopard trimmed jacket you wore? (Did you have it made for the IBC, or was it already your lucky coat? (Should contestants give more thought to wardrobe?)
SEAN: The jacket was a gift from a friend in Paris, Renee Malines. He gave it to me in the summer of 2006. He said, "I don't know anyone else who would wear this!" I wondered, "When could I possibly wear it??" I took it with me to Memphis. "If we make finals, I wear the jacket!" I think that comes under #5… "Stage Presence."

BS: Looks like you did a lot of things right in 2007. What are your suggestions and advisories for first time participants?
SEAN: Many bands come out playing loud and hard. Part of our strategy, having been there before... Start: Subtle, slow, mid-tempo tune. (You can see people leaning forward to listen.) Then, a medium shuffle. Third song… something slow and quiet. (This was our defining moment - the judges leaned in.) One more: Fast, loud. … We knew we had won!

BS: You practice cultural sharing that allows music to thrive from one generation to the next. Your jazz musician granddad is no doubt smiling down at you. Last question: What do you understand now, something that you didn't realize before your IBC experience?
SEAN: Really, just the way I value and connect with the band. We have hundreds of gigs under our belt. There is no substitute for years of playing together. I give credit to my bandmates for hanging in there. They are more musically astute than I am. I usually come up with some lyrics for a song, and have the feel of it. Then Eric and Steve put in their touches; they latch on to subtle things I do. It is pretty incredible, after that amount of time together, how ideas gel. I can see it in bands. It's there, or it's not there. The International Blues Challenge is a great opportunity. Any band that enters seriously comes out a better band! Some bands don't even make it to the finals, and get signed. You don't have to make finals to have something good happen to you.
BS: Thanks so much, Sean! 'Looking forward to your new CD, Throwback