The Annual Houston Blues Society Challenge is back for another year and the talent is INCREDIBLE! On September 29th, the Houston Blues Society held Round 1 of the preliminaries at The Continental Club. After the final competition, a team of expert judges will select a band and/or a solo act to represent them at the International Blues Challenge (IBC). The IBC event, held the last week of January in Memphis TN, is sponsored by the Blues Foundation (www.blues.org).

In addition, the Houston Blues Society is excited to announce who will also be representing at the IBCs:

Band-Tweed Smith and the Internationals

Solo - Steve Gilbert

HBS mentioned via site that there are typically 40-50 blues lovers supporting their bands in Memphis. The IBC event provides four days of amazing Blues music from all over the world. Approximately 140 bands and 80 solo/duo acts perform at the event, scheduled for January 29 - February 1, 2020. Houston definitely has what it takes! In 2018, the Keeshea Pratt Band, won the challenging competition!

We got a wonderful opportunity to catch up with one of the two semi-finalists, a smooth and swaggering collective by the name of The Spectrum Blues Band.

Ke'Ke: Who are your influences in the Blues?

Spectrum Blues Band: "We would have to say our main influences collectively are Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, Jimi Hendrix, Huey Lewis, and British blues Legends like Mike Schofield, and Eric Clapton."

Ke'Ke: If you win the competition, what are your plans?

Spectrum Blues Band: "Gloat & Celebrate amongst ourselves. Also, play a lot more shows as a band and work on a debut blues album."

Ke'Ke: Where have you toured &/or played in the past?

Spectrum Blues Band: "Collectively we've played in many states including Tampa, Macon, Memphis, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Denton, Corpus Christi, Austin, New Mexico, New Orleans, Lafayette & New York."

Ke'Ke: How long has The Spectrum Blues Band been playing together? What makes your combo so extraordinary?

Spectrum Blues Band: "Just few weeks. I think our diversity and years of pro experience is our strength. Being from different generations, backgrounds, and having similar influences is what makes us a great trio."

Ke'Ke: Are you all originally from Houston? Give us a little history on The Spectrum Blues Band.

Spectrum Blues Band: "Dr. John is from NYC, been in Houston since 1993. Devon is from Florida but moved to Houston in 2016, and Perry is a Houston native. Dr. John first met Devon when he reached out to see if he needed a bassist to fill in with his Hendrix/SRV tribute. Dr. John invited Perry to fill the drum seat for that band but then Devon saw an opportunity to compete in the Houston Blues Competition, and the rest is history."

Ke'Ke: WOW! We are literally watching history unfold before our eyes, so, where do you see yourself in the near future?

Spectrum Blues Band: "Doing what we can to help one another out.... playing more shows together, getting our debut Blues Album out, and just having fun playing the Blues."

To learn more about the Houston Blues Society, please visit: www.houstonbluessociety.org