2022 "Road to Memphis" Solo/Duo and Band Blues Challenge 

​As an affiliate member of The Blues Foundation, THE HUDSON VALLEY BLUES SOCIETY is hosting the Annual HVBS Solo/Duo and Band Blues Challenge. The Blues Challenge will take place Saturday, June 25, 2022, from 12:00 pm to ​5:00 pm at Meadow Blues Coffee, 8 Greycourt Ave, Chester, NY 10918. (rain date Sunday, June 26, 2022) This will be held outdoors.
  
Each act (Solo/Duo or Band) entered will perform a 20-minute judged and timed set. The HVBS Blues Challenge winners of each act (Solo/Duo and Band) will be sponsored by HVBS to participate in the 38th International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, January 2023. Please note: Each act should be prepared to perform its original music. Covers may be performed in the band's style, however, in an IBC competition points will be deducted from your scoring. 

​HVBS Local Eligibility Requirements
  • Acts competing as Band for the HVBS Blues Challenge must have a current up-to-date HVBS Band Membership. 
  • Acts competing as Solo/Duo for the HVBS Blues Challenge must have a current up-to-date HVBS Individual Membership(s.
  • A minimum of 2 solo/duo acts are needed to run the solo/duo competition.
  • All competitors must be 21 years or older. 
  • Registration for the HVBS Blues Challenge can only be done online (see above). No walk-ins will be allowed on the day of judging. 
  • In accordance with The Blues Foundation rules, Blues Music Award (past or present) nominees are ineligible to compete. 
  • An act may enter the IBC a maximum of 3 times, after which they are no longer eligible. They may not participate in the IBC in three consecutive years, i.e. there must be a break of at least one year after competing in a first or second IBC. 
  • A musician may not compete in the band category and the solo/duo category in the same year.
  • All performances will be judged by writers, DJs, musicians, and fans active in the Blues community.

IMPORTANT READ! Download the Hudson Valley Blues Society Challenge guidelines and rules.

Download the Blues Foundation's Rules and Guidelines for Local Affiliated Blues Society Challenges
Adam Power represented HVBS in the Solo/Duo category, performing 2 nights of the quarterfinals at the 2022 IBC in Memphis.


"Being in Memphis was AWESOME! It's as if the very streets "breathed" blues and soul. The people were all of one accord. Knowing that everyone you saw was there for the blues  turned strangers to fast friends!"
-Adam Power
The Menza Madison Band made it into the semifinals representing HVBS. We couldn’t be more proud of them for what they achieved. 

This was the first IBCs for the Menza Madison Band, Adam Power Project, and the Hudson Valley Blues Society, and we think we did pretty good. We met lots of great musicians and new friends and had a strong support team from our blues community. As you can tell by the list of semifinal competitors that the blues continue to be alive all over the world. 
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For anyone in the Hudson Valley who performs in a blues band or as a solo/duo act, consider signing up for our local competition for an opportunity to experience the whole Memphis scene next year (January 2023).

2021 HVBS Local Challenge Winners (2022 IBC)