News
II Sigulda Blues Festival in pictures
Date taken: July 23rd, 2011. Venue: Sigulda Castle.
More pictures you can find here.
Sigulda Blues Festival program
We are on the stage at 14:30.
Doors open from 13:00. I National Blues Contest Finals: 14:00 – 16:00. Duration of each show – 20 minutes. Festival concerts: 16:00 – 01:00. Duration of each show will be around 45 – 60 minutes. The Blues Train to Riga departs at 01:30. Organizers reserve the right to ammend the festival programme.
Blues Contest Finalists
| 14:00 | Strong Mint |
| 14:30 | D11 Blues Band |
| 15:00 | Chehols |
| 15:30 | 4 Men Band |
Festival concerts
| 16:00 | The Twins Peek |
| 16:45 | Ginta Žilinska Trio |
| 17:35 | Ainars Pūpols & pBlues |
| 18:35 | The Blues Gang |
| 19:30 | Hot Dogs & Jānis Vanadziņš |
| 20:15 | Mirta & Hot Acoustics+Electrics |
| 21:00 | Mitrokhin’s Master Band |
| 21:50 | Fortress |
| 22:35 | Blues Contest winners announcement |
| 22:45 | Louie Fontaine & Starlight Searchers |
| 23:45 | Peaches Staten + Latvian Blues Band |
| 01:30 | The Blues Train departs from Sigulda railway station to Riga Train departure time is confimed. |
Source: bluesfest.lv
Grand Final is coming
23/07 we will take part in First National Blues Competition finals!
If it had happened to the characters from the legendary movie The Blues Borthers, they probably would have said: “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” Yes, we really have not only participated in the historic event – the First National Blues Competition, but also we have coped it and we will play in the finals!
First of all, a huge thank you to all those who had arrived on Sunday to support us because, as we have said repeatedly and will continue to do so – you, our friends and supporters, are just like another stabile member of the band. Thanks again! Thanks also to those who were with us remotely. Insight into the competition process you can get by looking this album.
Now about the bright future with a little revisit in the no less sunny past. A little should be made clear that on Sunday took place the competition’s professional round and there were nominated seven participants. On Sunday morning we found out that in the competition will not participate Bite’s Blues Band. Of the six artists– individual and collective, which on Sunday climbed to the competition stage, for the finale was brought forward four (in alphabetical order): Chehols, D11 Blues Band, 4 Men Band, Strong Mint.
The subsequent sequence is as follows. All four finalists will compete in front of the severe and venerable jury on Saturday, July 23, 14:00 Sigulda Castle ruins open-air stage, offering a 20-minute program. The winner will be able to participate in 2012 international competition European Blues Challenge, which will gather national blues contest winners from other European countries. Needless to explain the value of a prize and what is the responsibility…
Our in the competition finals stretched nerves we will be able to dismiss immediately after the race because at 16:00 in the castle ruins open-air stage will begin II Sigulda blues festival. There will be hot, definitely.
Keep your fingers crossed and see you!
Blues Competition Programm
June 30, 2011
Executive Committee of the First National Blues competition has announced the presentation order for Sunday, July 3,at the Majori beach restaurant Coconut Beach in which the contestants will enter the stage. And the order is as follows:
13:30 – Double Diese;
14:00 – Ieva Kākule;
14:30 – 4 Men Band;
15:00 – Strong Mint;
15:30 – Bite’s Blues Band;
16:00 – Chehols;
16:30 – D11 Blues Band.
Observant eye owners will immediately notice that we have drawn the last. Hopefully, this will give us an extra boost and inspiration.
The Executive Committee of competition has reported that after the results, which conceived around 18:10, contestants, their supporters and all good people will be welcomed by special guests – Church of Peace & Love with a few familiar faces on musical instruments. As a memorable end of the blues competition day there will be a Jam Session with the venerable jury participation. After that – Peace, Love & Go home.
We want to say a special thanks to our friends and supporters who have already confirmed their presence in this historic event. Ieva with her three friends, Edgars J. un Edgars H. – thank you! And thanks also to all those who still plans to attend. Again and again, we can repeat that you, our supporters, are like another member of the band.
See you!
Blues challenge
June 20, 2011
With quick steps in this summer is coming July 23, not only by referendum, but also by a Second Blues Festival in Sigulda, where everyone would be certain that “blues in Latvia also is blues”, as stated in the event motto. But a festival is no true festival, if there is no competition before. Sigulda Blues Festival is no exception. So on Sunday, July 3, 13:00 Jurmala, at the restaurant Coconut Beach in the Majori beach, at the end of Konkordijas Street, will take place the first national blues competition.
Some time ago we applied our participation in this race and at least one victory we have won, passing the qualification round (thanks for the applause, thank you). Now, more often than usual we meet one another in the rehearsal room, where we are trying very hard to rehearse very hard, because the fight will not be easy. Far as we know, without us on the competitions stage boards will climb the following bands and individual artists: 4 Men Band, Bite’s Blues Band, Chehols, Double Diese, Ieva Kākule and Strong Mint. According to the competition regulation each participant must prepare a programm in length of one real slow blues – it’s 20 minutes. Four best contestants will be competing in the Second Blues Festival in Sigulda. But in 2012 the winner will go to Germany to represent the Latvian Blues in the international European Blues Challenge competition, where a few years ago our own Latvian Blues Band celebrated a victory.
In the First National Blues Competition originality and appropriateness for the genre, as well as the stage image and individual talents will be judged by the such blues experts as blues photographer Aigars Lapsa, Boogie-Woogie pianist Gints Žilinskis, old master of drum playing Indris Orubs, Latvian Blues Band leader Jānis ‘Bux’ Bukovskis, as well as the blues festival in Sigulda engine and fuel in one person Normunds Kalniņš. Competition organizers promise that at the end of the competition will be the Jam Session with the venerable jury participation. It looks like it’ll be fun.
So we will have unspeakable joy and happiness if you, our always trusted and faithful supporters, will be there and cheer for us. Because without you we are as a guitar without strings, a piano without the black keys, and bass player without a hat. And quoting the classics, let the whole world see and wonder that the Blues fans also in Latvia are Blues fans. See you on July 3, 13:00 Majori beach!