Press release:
Asheville, NC-based band Laura Blackley & the Wildflowers won first place in the 2016 North Carolina Piedmont Blues Society’s 31st Annual Blues Challenge. They will travel to Memphis, Tennessee from January 31-February 4 to compete in the International Blues Challenge with musicians from all over the world.
IBC gathers the best of the blues community in one place for an intensive week of workshops, jam sessions, and panel discussions. The theme of this year’s event is “Blues As A Healer.”
A fundraising event to offset the band’s travel expenses is planned for Sunday evening, January 22 at Tressa’s Downtown Jazz & Blues Club at 28 Broadway in Asheville. Showtime is 6pm. There will be food, silent auction items and an all-star jam featuring the Wildflowers and friends from the Asheville musician community, including Peggy Ratusz, Aaron Price, Valorie Miller, Krista Shows, Joshua Singleton, Vinnie Corda, and Pam Rivers Williams.
“The purpose of blues music has always been about telling stories and about bringing communities together,” Blackley says. “And we need that now more than ever.”
For the band’s show schedule, please visit http://www.laurablackley.com
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