Diary of an IBC Newbie – by Kevin Kelley

2025 marked the third time I’d entered the Cascade Blues Association’s Journey to Memphis Competition. In 2022 the Pat Stilwell Band made the J2M finals and had the opportunity to perform at the Waterfront Blues Festival. That was the year Timothy James… excuse me… T.J. Wong won the competition. In 2024, the Nikki Jones Band competed and fell short to a very entertaining performance by the Beacon Street Titans.  2025 was our year! Lord knows we put the time in preparing. We’d been rehearsing virtually every Wednesday night for over 2 years.

I was doubly excited when Taylor Newville informed me that she had been selected to perform at the IBC’s National Women in Blues showcase! So, with me and Taylor both there, we had to get our drummer, Jerry Jacques there. Thankfully, he had no gigs booked that week. Taylor and her parents helped with the plane ticket, and the Nikki Jones Band had an extra bunk in the Airbnb that we rented. We were set!!

Tuesday afternoon, Taylor Newville and the Riders were featured in an hour-long interview and performance on Radio Memphis! The National Women in Blues had made arrangements for all of the participants in their showcase to be featured…some artists were simply interviewed, and others were asked to perform using equipment provided by the studio. Taylor had the privilege of performing and the whole hour went very well! The hosts were Ric Chetter and Monica

O’Donniley-Summerfield. Also in the room was Memphis Blues Society Vice President Mark Caldwell… the MEMPHIS…Blues Society! After Taylor’s performance of the slow blues tune “Wild Men Give You the Blues” all three of them clapped, raved, and the chat line was blowing up with compliments from all over the country!! Ric later said “You’re setting a standard here that’s going to be hard to beat!… We’re used to hearing players, but occasionally a standout shows up and everybody goes ‘whoa! What the hell happened here?’ and you’re one of those people!!” That was really great to hear from blues lovers based in Memphis!

Tuesday night we traveled to Clarksdale, Mississippi, home of the Crossroads, for the “Mississippi Mingle”. The event was hosted by Stan Street at his Hambone Art Gallery & Music Venue. Attendees included the usual suspects from the Portland blues scene including all IBC participants… Nikki Jones, Lilla and Sleeper Wave, as well as participants representing the Washington Blues Society. It was the first night we got to see Lynnwood, Washington’s Jonathan Pitman, who would go on to win the title of “Best Harmonica” at the IBC. There were so many CBA folks at the Mississippi Mingle that one participant said “this is just like another night at the Blue Diamond!”

Wednesday afternoon, the Pacific Northwest Showcase took place at Club 152 on Beale Street. Organized by former Washington Blues Society President Tony Frederickson, the afternoon featured performances by all of the IBC participants from both the CBA and WBS…the Nikki Jones Band, Lilla and Sleeper Wave from Oregon, and the Joel Astley Band and Sutton and

Pitman from Washington. There were other performers from the area on the program including Taylor Newville and the Riders, and Chad Rupp and the Sugar Roots, featuring Timmer Blakely and Ben Rice. The afternoon was a great way to warm up for the challenge which began later that evening.

Wednesday evening the challenge began. There were 64 bands from all over the world competing at 10 different venues. Our venue, the Blues City Cafe, is right next door to Club 152, so we did not have far to go. There were several really fine bands at our venue including the Chicago Dawgs from Connecticut and Michael King and the Icebreakers from Dallas, Texas. But going into the first night I felt a real sense of confidence knowing how well rehearsed we were, and… we have a unique sound!… Plus, you will not find many vocalists with Nikki’s power and soul. That confidence waned upon hearing the band who performed right before us, Big Mike and the R&B Kings from New Orleans. O.M.G!! The band was led by Big Mike Perez, originally from Chicago, and 3 of New Orleans finest players, saxophonist Tajh Derosier, guitarist Paul Provosty, and drummer Lou Smith (aka Lou Lou). Big Mike is a very fine bass player with a powerful voice as well. And his band!!… The interplay between Tajh’s saxophone and Paul’s guitar led the audience into a frenzy, especially when Tajh held out one of his long, loud, high squeals!! I never said it out loud, but immediately I’m thinking “we’re not beating these guys.” However, we became friends with all of them. I told them they were my favorite band, and Lou Lou told me that we were his favorite band!

When it was time for us to play, our attitude was simply “go out there and do what we do and play our best.” At the end of our set, I felt pretty good about how we performed, but I was not watching the clock. We finished our set a minute and a half before our allotted 25 minutes had expired! We had timed that set SO many times and generally fell within 30 seconds of our 25 minute allotment and often ended within the last 5-10 seconds. That told us we were rushing… we were pumped up and excited! We knew that might happen, but never would I have thought we’d have to add an extra chord to extend our time, but that’s what we did.

We must have made an impression!! As soon as our set was over, the sound man approached Nikki and asked if we would host the afterhours jam at Blues City Cafe!! I will admit, when I first heard the news, I was thinking “Ugh..”. It had been a very long and busy first couple of days and I was ready to go back to the house and sleep. (we all probably averaged 4 or 5 hours each night) But Nikki emphasized “WE GET TO HOST A JAM ON BEALE STREET!!!” She was right! It turned out to be the best part of the whole day!! One of the first things Nikki did was to call Big Mike up and ask the band to come back for the jam. Micheal King from Dallas brought his band back, and Sleeper Wave, the CBA’s youth representatives were also on hand. Nikki did a FABULOUS job of putting musicians together! Her first move was to pair guitarist Cameron, and keyboardist Jonah of Sleeper Wave with Big Mike and his band!! And the Sleeper Wave guys weren’t “supporting” Big Mike.. Big Mike’s band supported the Sleeper Wave guys!!! Cameron was front and center behind the mic, singing and playing guitar as he does, while being backed by an awesome New Orleans band!! It was so cool!!!

Thursday afternoon, the National Women in Blues Showcase took place at Alfred’s, one of the largest rooms on Beale Street. The room was absolutely packed with probably more than 300 people, maybe more… We were told that Taylor Newville’s set would start around 3pm. After a very busy first 2 days, drummer Jerry Jacques and I casually walked in around 2:30. We weren’t in the room for more than 2 or 3 minutes when someone informed us “you’re up!” We only had a 10-minute time slot, but as usual, Taylor knocked it out of the park!! I am always amazed when I look at audience faces when Taylor performs… eyes are wide open and often mouths are actually open in wonder! There were a lot of notable people in attendance, and it is so awesome that Taylor is reaching out to a wider audience!!

Thursday night, round 2 of the IBC quarter finals took place. It was at the same venue, with the same bands from the previous night playing in a different order, and in front of a new group of judges. It was easily the best performance of the week for the Nikki Jones Band!! The room was absolutely packed and we got ‘em! The performance was flawless and energetic!! We had people clapping at the appropriate moment… heads were bobbing and after the last a cappella vocal section at the end of our showstopper “Take Me to the Top”, the crowd erupted!!!

As late as it was, we stuck around Beale Street and waited for the announcement of semi-finalists at Club 152. A jam that featured Daves Fleschner and Melyan as well as Timmer Blakely as part of the house band was delayed. They were on stage waiting for votes to be counted. It was well past midnight when the 24 semi-finalists were announced, and the Nikki Jones Band made the cut!!

Friday, during the day was the first time all week that the band could take a breath and we all needed it. The Nikki Jones Band felt like family well before this trip, but when you put 9 people in 1 house (with 2 bathrooms) you get to know each other pretty well. We stayed up around a kitchen island telling old family stories late in the evening… some quite unbelievable! But there were a couple of clouds hanging over us all. Everyone in the house, except for me, was dealing with what is known as the “Memphis Crud.” I had lived in East Texas, about 6 hours from Memphis for 28 years, so I was accustomed to breathing the various bacteria and germs present in the southern piney woods. But I can only imagine what it’s like for those who spent their lives in the pristine air of the Pacific Northwest to deal with that air. (not to mention the water…)

Another… element of the week… Nikki learned about 2 weeks before the trip that her father was diagnosed with lung cancer. Friday morning a biopsy was taken, and the resulting news was not good. The cancer had advanced to a stage that required the family to make decisions regarding

treatment. Keep in mind that it was Nikki’s father who wrote our showstopper “Take Me to the Top” back in the 70’s. Our hearts were heavy.

Friday night the semi-finals took place. There were 24 bands playing in a handful of locations. We heard some new bands this time! I did, however, check the schedule to see Big Mike’s band at Rum Boogie Cafe… I told myself I wasn’t missing them. I took video of their song “Ain’t

Enough for You” and shared it on my Facebook page. (Jan 17) That song was going through my head for the rest of the week.

An hour later it was our turn at the Blues City Cafe. This was a 30-minute performance… basically our 25 minute performance with the added song “Mizz Karmen” at the end. Unfortunately, the energy we felt on the previous night was not quite there. It was good… in a club setting we wouldn’t have had any problem with it. But for competitive purposes… We hadn’t played Mizz Karment in a week or two. It is a demanding song with regards to Nikki’s voice and she fought through the crud… And we made a change to the tune right before we got on stage that probably should have been rehearsed. We felt pretty good about it. The audience was receptive and the looks on the judges’ faces were still very positive, but it wasn’t quite like the night before.

I had one more performance after hours that night. Michele Siedman, creator of the National Women in Blues, made arrangements for Taylor to play at the late-night jam at Alfred’s, hosted by a guy from Pittsburg, PA known as Billy the Kid. It was quite a jam!! He started with players he knew who had obviously been there a few times before. Billy jumped off the stage and stood on tables playing a mean wireless guitar… then I noticed a throng of people heading towards the club entrance with their phones up recording. There sat Christone “Kingfish” Ingram!! There had been several Kingfish sightings throughout the week. Billy, mid-solo, ran over and handed him his guitar and let him play over a chorus or two.

As the night progressed, Billy kept calling players up who were obviously seasoned pros…everyone was really good. But I’m thinking to myself “this is a jam! He’s not gonna call us up to play as a band.” But sometime around 11:30 or so, he approached our table and said “you’re up next!” I said’”the whole band?” He said “yes, the whole band!” We were given 20 minutes to play, and as usual, Taylor caught the room’s attention. As soon as we were finished, Billy approached Taylor and said, “We’ve got to figure out a way to get you out to the East Coast!”

As soon as we were off the stage I texted Nikki, who was across the street, where the announcement was being made as to who made the finals and would perform in the Orpheum Theater on Saturday. Nikki said it was so loud she couldn’t hear the entire announcement, but in the end our name was not called. Disappointment: Yes. Reality check: Yes. But in the end, we had the satisfaction of knowing that we did our best. The road was long, but now we could rest.

Saturday we all had time to wind down. Some in the house stayed home for much of the day, recuperating from the crud. Others went to the finals. It was a 6-hour event, lasting from noon to 6pm. Jerry and I went to see the first half and then strolled down Beale Street later. I did get to see Big Mike and his band play one more time, but in the end, they placed third. I never got a chance to see the eventual winners, Derrick Dove and the Peacekeepers from Alabama. Nikki did see them Friday night and predicted that they would win.

I’ve given you a day-by-day account of all of the events, but that really doesn’t tell the IBC story. What I will always remember and cherish was the interaction with so many people. First of all, the love between all of our bandmates grew exponentially. We ALL got to know, love, and understand each other at a much deeper level. But I’ll also remember John from Connecticut… the guy with the black Sinatra hat who plopped himself next to me at the first night’s jam and talked bass, bass playing and bass players for 2 hours! I’ll remember Tajh and Lou Lou from New Orleans… and the guys from Luxembourg, a tiny European country about the size of Memphis itself. A pretty average band, but they traveled all the way from Europe and soaked in the American blues culture in the land of B.B. King and Elvis!! It was so awesome!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Cascade Blues Association for providing this opportunity for the Nikki Jones Band, Lilla and Sleeper Wave!!! It really was one of the highlights of my life! It’s right up there with traveling to Budapest and touring Hungary for a week with a big band! It’s up there with attending Victor Wooten’s music and nature camps! It’s even up there with taking an early morning flight to Chicago in 2016 and watching the Cubs clinch their first trip to the World Series in 71 Years!! Well… pretty close anyway.