Free tickets for a major Festival? Free memberships to Colorado Blues Society?
Yep it’s true! CBS is launching a giant instrument drive to help out Blue Star Connection. In case you didn’t know, Blue Star is a local organization started by Grand County Blues Society that puts musical instruments into the hands of kids with cancer and life threatening diseases. Musical instruments become a major part of their healing therapy. BSC has provided kids with instruments, as well as furnishing entire Therapy rooms in hospitals.
The problem is BSC needs more instruments, BSC can use most any instrument as long as it is in working order and in good shape. So here is the deal on how you can help and get yourself a nice perk, as well as getting that good feeling from helping these kids. You can donate two ways:
FREE FESTIVAL TICKETS - donate your instrument at the Blue Star Festival in Littleton on August 3 and get FREE admission into the Festival!!! The BSF has Paul Thorn, Jimmy Hall/Reese Wynans/Kate Moss/Andy Irvine/Scotty Rivera/Greg Martin(Kentucky Headhunters), Curtis Salgado, Ryan McGarvey, Steepwater Band, Mary Louise Lee Band, Paula Nelson (Willie's daughter) Austin Young Band, Dustin Pittsley, Cedar Avenue Blues Band with Robert Wilson.
FREE 1 Year CBS MEMBERSHIP - If you aren’t going to the Festival, you can also get a hold of us here at CBS (chick@coblues.org or info@coblue.org) and we will give you a FREE individual membership to the Colorado Blues Society ( $30 value). Give us your address and we’ll even arrange the pickup – if we have a Board member in the area. Bands looking for a Business membership for the IBC, we will give you that membership for two or more working instruments.
BSC can always use your cash donations as well, and if want to do that, we will gladly take your checks! Think of this like a canned food drive at Christmas except with musical instruments. Get those unused instruments out of your basement and closets and put them into the hands of some kids who will play the heck out of them. BSC is proof that music can really change lives…and save lives. Its healing powers are amazing!
Enter the 2013 Colorado Blues Challenge!
The Colorado Blues Society is proud to announce the dates for its upcoming Colorado Blues Challenge, a competition for both solo/duo and band acts with the winners advancing to compete in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN. The preliminary rounds will be held on July 21st, July 28th, August 4th and August 11th with the finals slated for September 22, 2013.
The International Blues Challenge is entering its 30th year with solo/duo acts and bands from all around the world competing for festival contracts, gear, media representation, and so much more. The dates for the 30th IBC are January 21st – 25th, 2014.
The entry form for this year’s Colorado Blues Challenge can be found HERE and must be received by June 30, 2013. Acts entering the challenge must be a business member of the Colorado Blues Society. Any further inquiries concerning the Colorado Blues Challenge can be directed to the IBC Chair, Kyle Deibler at kdeiblerbiz@cox.net or Colorado Blues Society President, Chick Cavallero at chick1951@hotmail.com
CBS members Moreland & Arbuckle are proud to announce the upcoming release of “7 Cities”!
Produced by Matt Bayles, the new album tells the story of Spanish explorer Coronado and his fabled Search for the Seven Cities of Gold in their homeland, the Kansas prairie. Get the full details on the release, links to listen to tracks, and how to preorder "7 Cities"
Dan Treanor's Afrosippi Band with Erica Brown releases "Tangled Road Again"
CBS members and 2013 International Blues Challenge 3rd place winners release their new CD. Find out all about it and how to order your copy!
Austin Young & NO Difference CD "Blue As Can Be"
CBS member Austin Young is proud to announce the release of his new CD “Blue As Can Be” on the VizzTone Label.“ Full details about the CD, performers, release concert, and how to get the CD
Introducing: CBS Classified Ads.
Need to sell, buy, trade musical instruments? Looking for musicians? CBS members can post advertisements HERE at no charge.
Blues In The Schools Update!
Grady Champion conducted a Blues in The Schools presentation on March 5th, 2013 in Denver at the Cherry Creek Hope Learning Center. Joining him in the picture is a teacher and a student that attended the presentation.
Dan Treanor conducted a Blues In The Schools session on Feb 22, 2013 at Overland Trail in Brighton.
We thank all of our Blues In The Schools artists for sharing their talents with our youth and we thank Jeff Koepke for his efforts coordinating these great events.
Do you receive the weekly Blues Update from the Colorado Blues Society?
Every week the Colorado Blues Society sends out a Blues Update that includes timely blues related news, band introductions, jam and performance schedules and more. There is no cost or membership required to receive the Blues Update. If you would like to receive this excellent Colorado blues resource please sign up here.
Looking for information on blues jams in Colorado? Check out CBS Jam Central!
3rd Place at the International Blues Challenge! Congratulations Dan, Erica, Michael, Mike, and Gary!
We are proud of all of our performers at the IBC! See videos and photos!
Raise the Roof - CBS Members Choice - IBC Winners Send Off Event Was a Great Success!
CBS Member Choice "Holley" Award Winners Announced!
Congratulations to all of the winners of the 1st Annual Members Choice Awards. Winners received a "Holley" award named for the late Colorado Bluesman Creighton Holley. View photos of some of the winners
Send off celebration for Colorado’s 2012 IBC winners: Inspired performances by JT and The Thunderbolts, Jack Yoder, Dan Treanor / Afrosippi and Erica Brown ! IBC details and artist biographies
CBS presented a check for $1250 to the Blues Foundation’s Raise the Roof Campaign to raise funds to build the Blues Hall of Fame Museum in Memphis. All proceeds raised from our event were given to the Blues Foundation’s campaign.
Thank you Colorado blues community for your support in making this event a very special evening for the blues in Colorado!
Kai Turner - CBS Lifetime Membership Award
CBS has presented Kai Turner with a Lifetime Membership in the Colorado Blues Society in honor of his involvement in the Colorado Blues scene which includes his Strictly Blues radio show, MC'ing numerous Festivals such as Blues From the Top, Mile High Blues Festival, and Blue Star Festival, and in honor of receiving his own Keeping Blues Alive award for radio in 2009.
The Blues Foundation has announced that your Colorado Blues Society is the 2013 Blues Organization of the Year!
CBS will be receiving their KBA (Keeping the Blues Alive) Award this coming February in Memphis!
CBS sends our congratulations to another Colorado KBA recipient...
The Boulder Outlook has been named the 2013 KBA recipient of Blues Venue of the Year!
Congratulations to Dan King and all of the Outlook staff!
IT'S A GREAT DAY FOR COLORADO BLUES!
Read the details from the Blues Foundation
Jack Yoder & The 2 Piece Suit "Songs We Don't Know " is the CBS "Best Self-Produced Blues CD" Winner and is Entered in the Blues Foundation's BSPCD Competition!
Checkout "Songs We Don't Know" at jackyoder.com. You can order a CD or download any/all the songs on the album. $8.50 – album download/$1.00 per song or $15.00 delivered CD.
Congratulations Jack, and good luck in Memphis!
John-Alex Mason Scholarship Fund
The Colorado Blues Society is creating an annual John-Alex Mason Scholarship to honor his memory and help continue the educational work he felt was so important. John-Alex took high school students from Colorado Springs to Mississippi on more than one occasion for an extended field trip that sometimes included visiting Memphis and New Orleans.
This scholarship will help send student-aged musicians from Colorado to workshops and seminars that will further their blues music (and cultural) education. Your donations will help keep the dreams and memory of John-Alex alive.
Announcing the New CBS Logo!
Like many of you, I joined the Colorado Blues Society at a blues festival. I was given my membership packet which included a t-shirt and a bumper sticker. I have never worn that shirt or used the bumper sticker. The original CBS logo didn’t speak to me for a number of reasons. With that in mind, I decided that it was time for a new logo. The image you are seeing now is a more inclusive graphic statement. It’s based on my old Telecaster – the original working musicians guitar – and I wanted it to look worn and rough, like something from the people. And by that I mean “blues people.” Not a certain race or color. I wanted something that represented all of us.
Change is a good thing. Keep that in mind as you navigate around our new website. Most of us will never make it to the Crossroads or see a cotton field. But the blues will always bind us together, no matter where we go.
- Jack Hadley
Want Your Music Featured in the CBS Website Music Player?
CBS members can send us an MP3 (320kbps preferred) of your music via email addressed to the webmaster and we will add it to the rotation. The rotation order will be shuffled monthly. In the email please include your permission for us to stream the music to our members and site visitors. If you do not own the rights to the music, please do not send it.
Colorado Blues Society Mission Statement
The Colorado Blues Society is dedicated to increasing awareness of and appreciation for the Blues as an indigenous American Art form (and the wellspring from which all contemporary popular American music originated).
Programs and Services Offered
To further our mission, we sponsor Blues in the Schools programs, in which musicians present music and information to students at all levels (kindergarten through college). We offer programs in American social history, women in blues, language arts, conflict avoidance, storytelling and even math.
We also donate Blues-related materials (books, videos and CDs) to public libraries and offer educational programs in conjunction with those donations. Because many musicians learn to perform during jam sessions, we sponsor blues jams in several Colorado locations. We also work with other nonprofits, such as The Blues Foundation, Volunteers of America, Hudson Gardens, Swallow Hill Music Association, the Business of Art Center in Manitou Springs, and Performance International. Our members number approximately 583 and range in age from 17 to 75. Some are professional musicians; most are fans of the music and culture of the blues.
We also publish a newsletter, The Holler, and maintain a web presence at http://www.coblues.com. The purpose of the newsletter and web site is to provide information to our members and the public about blues-related events in Colorado.
We work with local nonprofits, civic organizations and businesses to strengthen the awareness and appreciation of the blues as an art form.
