The Genetti Hotel will be rocking with the sounds of the Blues when the Cadillac Cats, a noted area Blues band in their own right, presents the Winter Blues Bash from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday, January 12.
The Cadillac Cats hope to make this an annual event each year in January to help keep the Blues alive for future generations and to showcase the amazing talent in the Williamsport area. The event will be held in the historic grand ballroom of the Genetti and will have an excellent menu for Blues-themed food along with a cash bar. The Billtown Blues Association will have a stand set up for people to buy merchandise and membership renewal/festival tickets for The Billtown Blues Festival.
“The Cadillac Cats Winter Blues Bash is all about local talent. I hope that by bringing together some amazing local artists and musicians, our community will realize the importance of American art like the Blues,” Blair Mitcheltree, a member of the Cadillac Cats, told Webb Weekly.
The line-up for the Winter Blues Bash is:
– Mini Mojo 7:00 -7:30
– Urie Kline Band 7:45- 8:15
– The Cadillac Cats 8:30- 10:00
The Cadillac Cats are recognized as one of the busiest and most professional blues bands active in the Williamsport area. Established in 2015 by local businessman and longtime musician Blair Mitcheltree, it counts among its members alumni of the Uptown Music Collective, instructors at local universities, and active members of the region’s rich musical scene. What unites each of these distinct individuals is a deep passion for “the Blues.”
Year after year, the Cadillac Cats have continued to hone their skills and appreciation for the blues; this discipline has been rewarded with more and higher-quality performance opportunities, the pinnacle of which was surely competing in the International Blues Competition in Memphis, Tennessee in May of 2022. Recently, we have continued to take exciting steps forward by filming professional music videos for our singles and incorporating them as a formal LLC. While these initiatives have all helped to raise the profile of our specific brand, they also reflect their mission to “keep the blues alive and well in Central PA,”
As a gesture of good faith and their love of the community, a portion of all proceeds from this event will be donated to the Billtown Blues Association.
According to Mitcheltree, the blues is a genuine American art form: it evolved in the cotton camps and juke joints of the Deep South after the Civil War, went on to become an early sensation in America’s fledgling recording industry, and even influenced the sounds of jazz and rock and roll. Given the immense historical and cultural value of the blues, many organizations—such as the Billtown Blues Association, itself a local chapter of the international Blues Association—exist to support the genre, ensure its continued survival and evolution, and educate the public on the artform’s cultural worth.
Tickets to the event are available at Eventbrite.com (link is available on the Cadillac Cats Facebook page) and are $15.
