Denver’s Erica Brown Band is heading to Memphis.
Last month, the local blues band won the final round of a statewide competition organized by the Colorado Blues Society, and now the group is gearing up to represent Colorado at the International Blues Challenge held in Memphis in January.
“This is like the ‘American Idol’ of blues,” vocalist Erica Brown explained. “The IBCs are extremely important to us. It’s a showcase for musicians who are on the verge of hitting the national stage, and it’s one of those visibility things. If you’ve got it, you’d better bring it.”
Brown and her band went through three rounds of competition with 20 other Colorado blues bands in the past few months to win the opportunity. Several rounds in October led up to last month’s finals, and now the band is busy working on preparing for the national competitions, which begin Jan. 31 in Memphis.
Last year’s International Blues Challenge drew more than 100 bands, which were whittled down over three days of eliminations to determine winners in three different categories, including best band, best solo/duo act, and best self-produced CD.
“For me, winning would mean the recognition of what we’ve been working toward for the last 10 years,” Brown said. “We’ve wanted to take this national all along. And we’d love to get with a good label and great booking agency. We’re ready to go, and we want and need that credibility.”
The next step for Brown and the band is to whip up some new original material for the competition.
“The guys have been woodshedding on a bunch of new stuff,” she said. “We want to have a bunch of really good originals. You can get to the competition by playing cover tunes, but they really want to see originals at the national level.”
Want to check out the latest songs from the Erica Brown Band? Catch one of their next two gigs before they retreat into hard-core rehearsals in January. They’ll play Herb’s Hideout (2057 Larimer St.) on Dec. 21 at 9:30 p.m. ($5) before headlining New Year’s Eve at Jazz @ Jack’s (500 16th St.) on Dec. 31 ($50).
Santa Crawl, Round II.
So you missed last weekend’s 7th annual Santa Pub Crawl through LoDo?
No worries.
It seems that Denverites can’t get enough of red fleece and cocktails to celebrate the season. Denver has joined a host of other cities in the Running of the Santas, an annual event that will take place nationwide Dec. 15. The concept is the same: Deck yourself with boughs of holly, a Santa suit, or an elf hat and hit the downtown streets in search of drink specials and holiday cheer.
Join the pre-party this Saturday night at the Public House (1920 Blake St.) to meet some of the Running revelers in advance. You can sign up for the guest list (denver2night.com) for Saturday’s special; $10 buys you access to an open bar from 10 p.m. to midnight. For the actual Running of the Santas on the 15th, the party starts at the Giggling Grizzly (1320 20th St.) before heading to Lodo’s, Jackson’s and ending the night at the Public House. Check for tickets.
Ludacris celebrates Sagittarians.
Head down south to Treo nightclub (9070 Maximus Drive) in Lone Tree — look for the searchlights waving in the sky — to celebrate this month’s Sagittarius birthday boys and girls. Ludacris and DJ Jaycee (Disturbing tha Peace Records) will man the decks, with Denver’s DJ Jam’N-I opening the show. Tonight’s theme is “The Good Life,” and all Sagittarians can sign up for VIP treatment, including one lucky party person who will score a free reserved booth and bottle service. Doors open at 9 p.m.; $10 cover for 21 and over. Check out the promoter’s website at for details.
Kat Valentine: 303-954-1568 or kat@kingproductions.com.
