Delaware blues band Barrelhouse was formed in November of 2007 for the purpose of helping to raise money for a Middletown High School marching band trip. More than 10 years later, with a few personnel changes over the years, the band is still playing locations throughout the Delmarva region, with one notable national performance coming up. They’re taking part in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 16-20. Held each January, the Challenge is a worldwide search for blues bands ready to make the jump to the international stage. The event is judged by blues professionals from across the world who have years of experience listening to, producing, and creating blues music, while the Blues Foundation has established a set of criteria by which all acts are evaluated throughout the week.
Says vocalist and harmonica player Charlie Rickner: “We all agree that taking the stage on Beale Street, with the venue packed to standing room only, will be like an e-ticket ride at Disney World. To walk out on stage to a crowd that wants everything you can give them is a rush for any musician.”
Rickner says he and the band—Tom Nowland (guitar/vocals), Chris Miller (bass/vocals), John Whitely III (drums/vocals)—will take original material to Memphis, and hope to record it early this year.
“People have been asking us for a while about having a CD out,” says Rickner. “We think it’s time.”
For more, go to barrelhouse.rocks.
