BATTLE OF THE BLUES BANDS 2012

Another Harvest of the best of British Blues

Following the resounding success of this year’s UK-wide search for Britain’s best emerging Blues talent, the world-renowned Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, is launching, for the second year running, its ‘New Brunswick Battle of the Blues’. The competition is looking for unsigned bands and artists creating original, quality music and the winner will be showcased on a world stage at the Festival in September 2012.

New Brunswick Battle of the Blues will launch on 15 October. Heats for qualifying artists will be held in January in the North West (Newton Le Willows, Merseyside), the North East (Newcastle), the South West (Bristol), and South East (Billericay, Essex).

Hosted by the Province of New Brunswick, the competition is a fantastic opportunity for emerging or established British blues artists to raise their profile, play on a world stage – and experience the wonders of the Canadian maritime province that is New Brunswick!

Says Lisa Gagnon, who’s organising the competition in the UK for New Brunswick, “Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival is looking for new international talent to add to its line-up for 2012. There are exceptional blues musicians in the UK and this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Heat winners, plus one runner-up chosen by the public, will play at the final in London in March. We will then fly the overall winner out to Fredericton, New Brunswick, in September 2012 for their performance at the festival.”

24 Pesos were the overall winners of the 2011 New Brunswick Battle of the Blues and they have recently returned from their trip. Says Julian Burdock from the band; ‘We got the chance to play on 4 different occasions, once with Matt Anderson. We also did a live radio show for the CBC! The audience were so receptive and really loved what we did. We also did some fantastic things like whale watching and cycling in kilts, going out to clubs and drinking beer. Everyone was so welcoming, we can’t wait to go back. And since we’ve been home it’s been non-stop. The winners of 2012 have a wonderful – and career enhancing – experience ahead of them.”

‘New Brunswick Battle of the Blues’ invites bands or solo singer/songwriters to enter the first stage of the competition by visiting www.tourismnewbrunswick.co.uk. Here they will find all the information they need to enter. Artists will need to demonstrate the ability to produce new and original work, though some covers are permitted. To qualify, they will need to be unsigned at the time of the competition (including the final). Entries will be accepted from 15 October up until 15 December. The selection of acts for the heats will require the submission of details of an online video. Check the above web site.

New Brunswick is one of Canada’s 3 maritime provinces and is known as the ‘Jewel of Atlantic Canada’. The province is rich in history, culture and natural beauty and music is an integral part of its psyche. Visit www.tourismnewbrunswick.co.ukfor more information

The Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival is an annual music festival held in Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick. It has an international following and features blues, jazz and world music, taking over the city for 5 days in September.

Details of heats:

· 13th January, True Blues Club, Newton Le Willows

· 18^th January, The Thunderbolt, Bristol

· 19th January, New Crawdaddy Blues Club, Billericay

· 27th January, Byker & St Peters Social Club, Newcastle