2022 Annual Battle of the Bands & Solo/Duo Competition
Congratulations to the winners and to all of the competitors!
Solo/Duo WINNER
Battle of the Bands WINNER
Spice Cake
Spice Cake blends youthful energy and originality with experience to create a tasteful musical treat
Spice Cake blends Yaya Patterson’s vocals with Miles Spicer’s acoustic guitar to create a tasty blues treat. Miles Spicer (guitar and vocals) has been a part of the Washington area acoustic blues scene since the 1990’s. As principle guitarist of M.S.G. Acoustic Blues Trio for over 20 years, he’s played venues from house concerts to National Festivals including the Chicago Blues Festival. Yaya Patterson (vocals) has played music from a young age. She studied music therapy and jazz voice at a collegiate level and is additionally a songwriter and guitarist. Yaya and Miles play local markets festivals and at the Archie Edwards
Blues Heritage Foundation Barbershop.
Mama Moon and the Rump Shakers
Hard Charging barefoot blues
Mama Moon & the Rump Shakers was formed in 2021, but most of the band, including Mama Moon, played together previously as Full Power Blues Band for 9 years. Adding blues fusion with Mama Moon's dynamic voice. Mama Moon & The Rump Shakers are ready to do just that. Shake things up. They are currently recording their first EP to be released soon. Band members include David Harris on harp, Murray Green on sax, Calvin Newbill Jr. on drums, Kenneth Sparks on guitar, Denzel Hathway on bass, and Mama Moon – vocals.
Solo/Duo Entrants
Sam O’Hare & Danny Garrett
Slick pickin’ and general foot-tapping music
Sam and Danny have been playing roots music together since being in high school. They write songs that combine traditional playing with imaginative melody. Sam’s guitar style is groove-oriented, and his vocals are clean and clear as a ‘65 Deluxe Reverb. Danny’s judicious harmonica lines weave through the music like a garden snake through a collection of 45s.
https://dannygarrettharmonica.com/sam-o-hare-and-danny-garrett
Johnny Never and John Colgan-Davis (The Two Johns)
John and John offer new and used vintage blues
"Two Johns" pairs seasoned acoustic blues artist, Johnny Never, with veteran harmonica performer, John Colgan-Davis.
Johnny Never - Song Writing, Guitars and Vocals
Johnny Never is a highly regarded acoustic blues guitarist. His recent self-produced album, Blue Delta, has gotten radio play around the world and had great reviews.
John Colgan-Davis - Harmonica
John Colgan-Davis played and recorded with Bonnie Raitt in the early 1970s. He also toured and recorded with Tennessee bluesman Sparky Rucker, and with The John Cadillac Band. John is a founding member of The Dukes of Destiny.
Sadia
A 20-year old singer songwriter from Hyattsville MD
Sadia is a 20-year old singer songwriter hailing from Prince Georges County, Maryland. She is a multi instrumentalist playing instruments including the piano, guitar, and bass. She has been playing and writing music since the age of 12 and is currently self producing her first body of work.
Paul the Resonator & Vince Fireball
Paul the Resonator & Vince Fireball delight in bringing the best in traditional country blues and gospel to contemporary audiences
Paul the Resonator plays resonator guitar and Gibson guitar; Vince Fireball plays harmonica. Paul the Resonator and Vince Fireball have been playing traditional country blues in the DMV region and West Virginia for the past decade, thrilling audiences with a sound that is both archetypal and fresh to the ear. They were invited guests of the U.S. embassy in Ghana to perform at the annual Independence Day Celebration in June 2017 and of the U.S. embassy in Togo to play at an annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration in January 2018. They enjoy bringing traditional blues back to Africa and finding local African musicians to jam with. https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=paul%20the%20resonator
Billy Slides While Suzanne Fiddles
Internationally acclaimed Blues musician Billy "Got Slide" Pierce and classically trained Suzanne Dayton (fka Ludwig), follow Billy's motto- Play from the heart!
Billy Pierce is an internationally recognized touring/recording artist and session musician. Billy specializes in playing slide guitar in a Louisiana-style with a Cajun twist. Playing fiddle with Billy Pierce, Suzanne Dayton has heard many of Billy’s life stories recorded on his blues albums, including Take Me Back to the Delta and Shapes of Soul. He has managed to include a who's who of successful blues musicians on all his albums. Billy was performing when the two first met: "That's Suzanne from No Stringz Attached! Let's jam sometime Suzanne." Classically trained, Suzanne learned after receiving no set list from Billy what his music motto is: "Play from the heart.”
Battle of the Bands Entrants
The Gayle Harrod Band
A fusion of Contemporary, Soul, Rock, Country and Gospel Blues styles, reminiscent of the Muscle Shoals era.
The Gayle Harrod Band is coming into their own as an original Blues Band, with material spanning the full range of Blues styles, it is reminiscent of the Muscle Shoals era. Band leader and lead vocalist, Gayle Harrod, delivers both incredible emotional and vocal range, whether a growling, raucous rock-blues number, a powerful Soul-Blues groove or an intimate Slow-Blues ballad, her authenticity and vulnerability instantly connects with audiences. She is supported by a stellar cast of musicians, including Stan Turk on guitar, Check Ferrell on drums, Doug Ross on bass and Annamaria Raffaella on keyboard. Their first, all-original CD, Temptation, is currently in production and set to be released in February 2023. https://www.thegayleharrodband.com
Reggie Right Eye & the Missing Pieces
Blues & more old school blues, originals, and a few surprises
Reggie Eye & the Missing Pieces was founded just over four years ago by Takoma Park, MD resident Reggie “Right Eye” Stout, and at first featured a rotating cast of top local musicians, but has now settled into the tight combination of Reggie on vocals and guitar (and songwriting), Jim Termaat on guitar, Lucinda O’hh on bass, Neal “Bam” Feldman on drum, Barefoot Dave Gorozdos on keys & vocals, and Greg Meyer on saxophones & vocals. They play mostly old school blues, a touch of New Orleans, some eclectic surprises, and blues originals.
Thanks to everyone who attended the DCBS Annual Solo/Duo Competition and Battle of the Bands, which was held on Oct. 23. The competition this year was superb, with 7 solo/duo acts and 3 bands competing. A big thank you goes to the DCBS Board members who produced the event, plus volunteers Ms. Anne and Gayle Cinquegrani, and sound man Clarence "The Bluesman" Turner. Thanks also to our volunteer judges: Anthony "Swamp Dog" Clark, Ida Campbell, Lady Myrrh, Charles Solomon, and Steve Levine. And thank you to Westminster Presbyterian Church, for permitting DCBS to use their wonderful venue.
Congrats to everyone who performed. First place Solo/Duo Winner was Spice Cake (Miles Spicer & Yaya Patterson), 2nd place was Sam O'Hare & Danny Garrett, and 3rd place was Johnny Never & John Colgan-Davis (The Two Johns). First place Band winner was Mama Moon & The Rump Shakers, 2nd place was The Gayle Harrod Band, and 3rd place was Reggie Right Eye & The Missing Pieces.
Spice Cake and Mama Moon & The Rump Shakers won the opportunity to represent DCBS at the 2023 International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, TN, Jan. 24-28, 2023. Note: There is nothing like local fans going to the IBC to cheer on their home winners. IBC tickets and hotel information are now available on The Blues Foundation website, www.blues.org. Consider attending the IBC to cheer on Spice Cake and Mama Moon & The Rump Shakers!
DCBS also submitted the following entry to The Blues Foundation for 2023 Best Self-Produced CD, which is another IBC category:
​Karl Stoll & The Danger Zone
The Workhouse
Richard Green
Solo acoustic blues classics and rarities
Richard Green gained notoriety in the mid-70s as leader of the Charlottesville Allstars, cited by Rolling Stone as “just about the best blues band in the Southeast.” RS made particular note of Green’s reading of Muddy Waters’ “Forty Days and Forty Nights” as “an expression of desolation imbued with Biblical wrath.” Green and Allstars colleague Doug Jay went on to form DC’s Choirboys. Hearing loss ultimately forced him to quit ensemble playing, though he continued to work sporadically as a sideman. When the pandemic hit, Green began livestreaming solo sets and now has reemerged as an acoustic blues player/singer.