{"id":3123,"date":"2009-02-06T11:38:08","date_gmt":"2009-02-06T17:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/?p=3123"},"modified":"2009-02-06T11:38:08","modified_gmt":"2009-02-06T17:38:08","slug":"pics-international-blues-challenge-day-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/2009\/02\/06\/pics-international-blues-challenge-day-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Pics: International Blues Challenge day 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

$\"memo0089\"$ We started at Handy Park, where we listened to Texas bluesman Jeff Strahan.\u00a0 I was worried about sitting out in the cold, but they had a heated tent!\u00a0 Nice!\u00a0 We had great seats right behind the judges.\u00a0 While Jeff was performing, I caught up on the latest BBQ news from our team captain Chuck.<\/p>\n

$\"memo0092\"$ Then we moved on to the Tap Room, where a bluesman with dreads (didn’t catch his name) was on the stage.\u00a0 It’s the first time in over a year I’ve visited my mug at the Tap Room.\u00a0 As a member of the Mug Club I was able to get 22 ounces of PBR for $2.25.\u00a0 Not bad.\u00a0 I used to be a regular at the Tap Room and realized last night how much I miss the place.<\/p>\n

$\"p1010456\"$ Then we went to the Old Daisy.\u00a0 Our interest there was not so much the band, but the fact that Chuck and I had never been inside the Old Daisy, and Mikey hadn’t in many years.\u00a0 We wanted to see what it looked like inside.\u00a0 Above is a pic of the main room with the band performing on stage.<\/p>\n

$\"p1010463\"$ We were particularly impressed with the Old Daisy’s back room, which had a full bar and memorabilia from past concerts all over the walls.<\/p>\n

$\"p1010465\"$ Chuck (in his “Elwood Que” persona from the Ques Brothers) and Mikey pose in front of the Old Daisy bar.<\/p>\n

$\"p1010466\"$ A view of the posters and records on the walls of the Old Daisy’s back room.<\/p>\n

$\"p1010467\"$ Me on the Old Daisy’s stairs with Gloria, Leigh, and Harmony.\u00a0 Yes, the “I Love Romanian Girls” shirt is still around.<\/p>\n

$\"p1010470\"$ The gang at a table at the Old Daisy.\u00a0 Leigh, Shane, Harmony, Mikey, Gloria.<\/p>\n

We had one more stop on our schedule, a blues band from Australia playing at 11.\u00a0 By that point, though, all the Beale Street Big Ass Beers and Tap Room Mug Club PBRs had caught up with me.\u00a0 I headed to Bardog for to-go food (and what happened there is worthy of a separate post), then I was home for the evening.<\/p>\n

The IBC continues tonight, with a $15 wristband to get you in all the clubs.\u00a0 More info on the IBC can be found on the Blues Foundation’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I have a friend’s housewarming tonight so I don’t know if I’ll be at the second night of IBC… you never know though.\u00a0 Looks like a great night, with a low of only 48, followed by a weekend with highs in the 60s.\u00a0 This looks like a good weekend to come out of hibernation and be out and about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"