(WILLIAMSPORT, PA – The time
has come for the Billtown Blues Association (BBA) to hold their 28th annual
“Billtown Blues Challenge” Festival Audition Concert where local and regional
musicians compete for the coveted spot on the BBA festival stage performing
along with confirmed national and international acts.
This year’s BBA Audition
Concert is set for Saturday, March 14, 2020, in the Genetti Hotel Ballroom, 200
West 4th Street, Williamsport. The competition will consist of the bands and
solo/duo acts alternating throughout the night starting at 4 p.m. There will be
a brief intermission and the acts will resume at 6 p.m. Doors open at 3 p.m.
Admission is $15 for the
general public and $10 for Billtown Blues Association members. Continuing with
the same event format, the judges for this important event are drawn from the
BBA’s current membership. All current members are eligible to receive a ballot
and participate in the judging process as long as ballots are obtained prior to
the first note of the event.
Competition this year
includes local bands Roar and Jangle (solo/duo), Kevin Hyatt Band (band) from
Mansfield, Noaker-Combs Duo (solo/duo) from Lewisburg, J.P. Williams with Eddie
The Harp (solo/duo) from Tunkhannock, The Cadillac Cats (band) from
Williamsport, Selinsgrove based Jason P. Yoder (solo/duo) and Becky Blue &
the Brand New Review (band) from Selinsgrove.
All performers were required
to apply through a submission process and all criteria and performance rules
align with those set forth by the Blues Foundation in Memphis Tennessee. The
first prize for the winners is a guaranteed performance spot on the Festival’s
Sun-Gazette main stage. Winners also become eligible to register in the
esteemed International Blues Challenge in Memphis held the following January.
Performers are judged in the
following categories: Blues Content, Originality, Vocals, Instrumental Talent,
and Stage Presence. Participants are not judged against each other but only
through a numeric scoring system.
The event will also offer an opportunity for new member signups and membership renewals, as well as the opportunity to purchase the 31st Billtown Blues Festival tickets.