Local Band Strikes Chord with Nationally Recognized Fest
Helena, Arkansas, September 5, 2008: The Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival, recognized as one of the largest free blues festivals in North America announced the artists selected to participate in the festival’s 2008 Emerging Artist Contest. This year over 200 artists, bands and performers applied to participate in the contest. A local favorite, Mahajibee Blues was selected by the Festival to take the stage and show the fans their version of blues.
The Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival is recognized for its efforts to preserve the traditions of the Delta Blues. Launched in 1986 as the King Biscuit Blues Festival, it attracts over 100,000 blues fans to the banks of the Mississippi River. The festival takes place in Historic Helena, Arkansas home to blues legends Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, and at one time Muddy Waters.
“The festival was started to preserve the traditions of the Delta blues. The organizers have realized the best way to preserve these traditions is to ensure that they are passed on to a new generation of blues artists. Artists are selected to participate in the contest by meeting several requirements like original music, blues traditions, and the festival organizers hope that while these new artists sit around backstage with blues legends they will learn first hand the history of the music”
The Emerging Artist Contest has created excitement in the music world as Blues Revue, and Beale Street Caravan a nationally syndicated radio program, joined as the national media sponsors. “We are proud to have these two music media outlets as partners. It demonstrates that preserving the blues, and building new artists is important to the world of music,”
Mahajibee will travel to Helena to perform at the festival October 11, 2008 and compete for the title of 2008 Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival Emerging Artist. Although the recognition of being selected to perform at the festival should provide national recognition for the band they hope this time that having the blues will be a good thing.
Rosie Swan - Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival
Blues event sells out!
Mahajibee Blues, described by the members of the Pittsburgh band as “not your mama’s blues” definitely got the fans out of its seats Saturday at the 15th annual River City Ohio Blues Competition.
The band has been around for at least the last seven years, but this was their first year at the Marietta competition. With a good chemistry between all the members and a playful laid back attitude, the band seemed to be having a good time.
“It's definitely a blast anytime you can get together with this many bands," said the band’s keyboardist and harmonica player, Pat Tevis.
Brent McConnell, the drummer, said the band kind of developed out of some simple jam sessions and grew from there.
"It's started on a whim,” he said. “We just decided to pound some beers and play and then somebody got the crazy idea to take it out on the road once, so we've been going ever since."
Lonny Holbdy, one of the guitarists in the band, said the blues, especially their particular sound, is hard to define but he was confident people would enjoy it. He said blues in general, though, is the source for a lot of different types of music people hear today.
"To me it's just close to the root of music," he said.
Mahajibee Blues was one of 18 bands from Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and other surrounding states that showed up to perform their best to a panel of judges and an excited crowd Saturday. The event, which has grown in popularity over the years, was sold out by 1:30 p.m., too.
Angie McCutcheon, of Waterford comes every year and has always bought a ticket at the door. This year, she couldn’t get in, so she listened to the music from the lobby.
"I like the talent, having multiple people from different regions come in and play,” she said. “You get lots of opportunity to see different versions of what people believe the blues is."
Peggy Bolen, treasurer of the Marietta Blues, Jazz and Folk Music Society, said last year sold out as well. So this year, the organization actually toned down their promotions, to avoid having too many people be disappointed that they couldn’t get in.
Although space is limited for both bands and audience members, Bolen has been pleased with the growth and success of the event.
"We really like 18 bands, that's a full day right there," Bolen said.
Bolen said she believes eventually the event will grow into a two-day affair.
John Gifford, director of the blues competition, said competition to come up with the 18 bands this year was stiff.
"We went through 27 applicants and had to eliminate nine of them, which was kind of a hard ordeal because they were all good," Gifford said.
Gifford said there was a great deal of diversity among the bands, though, making the event a good time for all blues lovers. Charlene Vaughn, a blues lover from Charleston, W.Va. was a judge for this year’s competition. Her job was to judge each band on originality, blues content, talent and stage presence.
"I'm pretty much judging on what I like,” she said. “I'm really learning the blues. I like Mississippi."
The event went from noon to midnight Saturday with a special appearance by the Blues Brothers Review, a new addition to the entertainment lineup this year. The band did not compete, but put on a performance reminiscent of the original Blues Brothers.
DIANA DeCOLA - The Marietta Times (Feb 19, 2007)
“Little Man” (4:08), MAHAJIBEE,
'Mountains of Blues' Thursday Sept 18th, 2008
