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Where?Johnny D's 17 Holland Street, Somerville MA
When? November 1, 8 and 15 (finals) after the blues jam at 8 p.m.
Why? Winner goes to the International Blues Challenge 2010 in Memphis
How much? $7 for the semi-finals, $9 for the finals on November 15
Who?
I'm in one of the bands playing and we'd like to know..
What equipment do we bring?
Johnny D's has a great house system, monitors and backline that includes a basic drum kit and bass amp. Harmonica and guitar players should bring their own amps, drummers will want to bring their own kick pedal and possibly snare and cymbals. Keyboard players should obviously bring their keyboards and can bring an amp or use the house monitors – you can get your own mix in your monitor. The best way to check out the drum kit and the stage is to stop by the blues jam on Sunday afternoons.
What time do we go on and how long is our set?
Sets are the same length for the semi-finals at IBC, twenty minutes. There are penalty points for going over your time but no penalty for finishing early (check the IBC scoring link below). Teardown and setup time is fifteen minutes, for a total of 35 minutes between the start of each set. First set starts at 8:30, second set at 9:05, then 9:40, 10:15 and the final set is 10:50.
What time do we load in?
The first band loads in at 8pm and the other bands will load in as directed, based on the amount of gear and free space as the night progresses.
How does the scoring work, who are the judges and how can I trust the scoring?
Please use the links below to the IBC's website for rules and scoring criteria. The rules have changed this year and it's important to understand how your band will be judged.
The judges will be announced the night of the challenge. All are musicians who have participated in the IBC. Most have been in your shoes here in Boston and in Memphis at least once. They are looking and listening to your band the way that bands will be judged in Memphis.
The score sheets for a particular band will be collected before the next band performs. There is no way to change a band's scores once they are collected and each band will get a copy of their score sheets.