The time has come again for the Billtown Blues Association, BBA, to hold their 27th annual “Billtown Blues Challenge” Festival Audition Concert, where local and regional musicians compete for the coveted spot on the BBA festival stage performing along with confirmed national and international acts.

The BBA Audition Concert is set for Saturday, March 23, 2019 in the Genetti Hotel Ballroom, 200 West 4th Street, Williamsport, PA. The Solo/Duo competition starts at 4:00 p.m. and the Band competition begins at 6:00 p.m. Doors open at 3:00 p.m. Admission is $15 for the general public, $10 for Billtown Blues Association members. Continuing with the same event format, the judges for this important event are drawn from the BBA current membership. All current members are eligible to receive a ballot and participate in the judging process as long as ballots are obtained prior to the first note of the event.

Competing in the Solo/Duo category are Williamsport and Bellefonte based, The Blues Creakers, Jason P. Yoder from Selinsgrove and Mini Mojo from Williamsport. In the Band competition are the Becky Blue Band from Selinsgrove, A.C.’s Soul Medicine from Lewisburg, Scranton based JP Williams Blues Band, Blues On The Loose from Lancaster, the Benjamin Vo Blues Band from Lititz, and The Cadillac Cats from Williamsport.

All performers were required to apply through a submission process and all criteria and performance rules align with those set forth by the Blues Foundation in Memphis TN. Although the #1 prize for the winners is a guaranteed performance spot on the Festival main stage, winners also become eligible to register in the prestigious International Blues Challenge in Memphis held the following January and become eligible to accept performance opportunities at the annual Destination Blues Festival and the Exchange Listening Room in Bloomsburg.

Performers are judged in the following categories: Blues Content, Originality, Vocals, Instrumental Talent and Stage Presence. For more information visit the Blues Foundation website http://www.blues.org. Participants are not judged against each other but only by the judges through an individual numeric scoring system.

The event will also offer an opportunity for new member signups and membership renewals, as well as the opportunity to purchase 30th Billtown Blues Festival tickets.

Audition Concert Lineup:

4:00 p.m. start time for Solo/Duo performers:

The Blues Creakers
JT Thompson and Doug McMinn are grizzled veterans of the Central Pennsylvania blues scene, with thousands of gigs played, multiple trips to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge, and a dozen recordings as leaders or sidemen on their resumes.

Jason P. Yoder
Jason P Yoder is an American Blues Performing Songwriter. His finger-style guitar technique blends moving rhythms, catchy melodies, and thought-provoking lyrics.

Mini Mojo
Shawn Strickland’s musical heritage runs deep weaving through a very musical family dating back generations and is the great-grandson of renown bluegrass fiddler, Clay “Red” Edwards.

6:00 p.m. start time for Band performers:

Becky Blue Band
The Becky Blue Band is composed of seasoned musicians from throughout the Central PA area

A.C.’s Soul Medicine
A.C.’s Soul Medicine, laying down funky and blues-infused grooves, and Heartland Drive, a four-piece Rock n’ Roll band for fun.

JP Williams Blues Band

Blues On The Loose

Benjamin Vo Blues Band

The Cadillac Cats
The Cadillac Cats are a Williamsport PA-based five-piece band that has been playing an eclectic blend of blues-based music throughout northcentral Pennsylvania since 2013.