Well music fans, our 9th Annual Music Festival is just around the corner. AUGUST 3, 4 and 5 2012!

So be sure to clear your calendars for the first weekend in August and plan to have a great time with the whole Family!

The weather is getting hotter and so is our 2012 line-up!

Always wanting to do the right thing.. we’ve made a few changes to the Festival this year. We’ve been listening to our fan base and made the bold decision to expand our genre from mostly blues/rock to include some pop and country this year… And we know you will be excited to see what we have planned!!

Just this past week we have added multiple Juno award winner Greg Sczebel to our Friday ‘High Octane’ night. This night is designed to rock your world and get you outta your seat. Greg is just coming off a whirl-wind tour with Country Great Paul Brandt but Greg’s style is definitely his own! And to keep the energy going we’re bringing back Newworldson!

This will be the first time NWS and Greg Sczebel have shared the same stage so come early and get a good seat. Several Youth Groups are expecting to come for this night so it might be standing room only!

Saturday… well, Saturday night is setting up to go down as one of the best nights we’ve put on in our nine years of doing this festival! Great local Blues bands all afternoon leading up to the Best Blues night anywhere in the Pacific Northwest this summer!! Coming back this year is the GKB! Glenn Keiser Band from Chicago is the tightest 3 pc band you will ever hear. From Glenn’s soulful vocals and guitar licks to the smoothest rhythm section this side of Chicago…. Hmmm… they are from Chicago.. ;)

Then it’s on to the biggest name we have ever had at B2B… Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives us great pleasure to introduce the one and only… Mr. Phil Keaggy. For those that know Phil… you can pick your jaw up off the floor now.. ? Yes, Phil Keaggy will be closing out the Blues night with a solo set that will leave you mesmerized. If you don’t know Phil and his timeless style… trust us… you will thank us after for twisting your arm to come out to see and listen to Phil play. Aside from being one of the most talented guitarists in the world and playing with all the greats including Paul McCartney and many others, you will also feel how his songs will touch your soul…

And then it’s New Country Sunday Featuring 5 time GMA winner and Juno Nominee High Valley! Brad, Bryan and Curtis will be rounding out the weekend in our first ever Country Night. The High Valley boys have been opening up for Paul Brandt coast to coast and are bringing their talented band to Country-fry our lil’ stage.

So… between Greg Sczebel and High Valley… I guess we have 2/3 of the Paul Brandt show! Nice!

You are not going to want to miss this year!! Tell your friends and neighbours and take advantage of our group rates and our Earlybird specials on right now till the end of May!!

THIS is what happend Last Year... read on...
So, for starters, putting together this years mix of talent for the festival has been really fun. With bands from all over North America hearing about what we’re doing up here in lil’old Chilliwack, is creating a bit of a buzz…
Keeping to our Blues roots we’ve put together a line-up that’s gonna move you for sure… and if you don’t walk away encouraged… we haven’t done our job!

For those of you just catching our wave.. we’re a non-profit organization that loves Live Blues Music. Now… even if you don’t have any blues music on your MP3 player (or… I don’t want to date anyone.. a walkman) you have to admit.. everyone Loves Live Blues. There’s just nothing like it. Our festival is all about good music, family time and our charity projects, namely our over-seas water drilling projects. More on that later…

So what do we got in store… Kicking things off this year on Friday night is a great band from Washington State called First Born Live! A super tight local group called the Chopped Liver Band is next, setting the stage for… wait for it… New World Son!!! Just coming off tour with the Newsboys, NWS is setting the pace for new blues music. I can’t wait to see them live!!!

Saturday… wow, what a full day! Great local bands all afternoon. From traditional Blues to Rocky Funk to a First Nations Groove and a full-on Elvis Gospel experience (without the tassels and sweaty towels..) Sliding into the night we have Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne banging out some hot piano licks! Leading right into our Headliner.. Danny Brooks and the Rockin’ Revelators. With multiple JUNO nominations, and the shear energy from this group, you won’t want the night to end. As many a writer and critics around the world have said.. Danny is the ‘Real Deal’. The tightest rhythm section on the planet and a message that’s from his heart.

Starting Sunday off just right will be Jason Latreille with a little Sunday mornin’ praise Blues givin thanx to the Maker of music! Then a special treat with Dalannah Bowen, another multiple JUNO nominee singer who has opened for Blues giants: B.B. King and Buddy Guy! Steve Delamar and Aaron Loewen round out the “locals only” afternoon.

Then, opening for our closer is The Thomas McClary Band. Mr. McClary is the guitarist for Lionel Ritchie and The Commodores and has put together a smokin' hot group just for us… Then… closing out the weekend is, of course, the Legendary Darrell Mansfield backed up by our very own Rob Taylor. Need I really say more… It’s not like.. ‘who has Darrell played with’… it’s more like, ‘who has played with Darrell’… so many classics, so many albums over the decades. Darrell has been with B2B since the beginning. He doesn’t even ask if we’re having him back anymore, he just books his tickets! He’s claimed B2B as his festival… What can we say, we love Darrell and what he brings to the event!!

Bring the whole Family out to “The Best Little Blues Fest West of Chicago”

Back to the Blues 2010:

Last year's B2B festival was another great time of seeing and listening to some of the very best Gospel Blues Artists in the biz. Our Friday night attendance hit new records as we listened to John Lee Sanders close out with a fitting tribute to Danny Brooks who couldn't make the show due to an unexpected medical condition. (Danny is recovering fine now... thank you for your prayers!)

Saturday was fantastic as local bands rocked the afternoon. Then Nashville sensations Ashley Cleveland and husband Kenny Greenberg blew us away with an amazing acoustic set. Setting the stage for Blues Legend: Larry Howard and the Southern Rock of Ages Band from Georgia to close out the evening. Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Larry pulls together a midnight jam featuring some of the best musicians from the day… and just jammed. The finale was having Eric Turner on stage with everyone pulling out all the stops on a cover of Eric Clapton's 'Crossroads'… are you kidding me??? Wow!!! (our very own sound wizard: Lyndon Toftager jumped on the B3, laying down a smooth Hammond solo… awesome!)

Well, what can we say about Sunday? Where does all this talent come from and why are there not 10,000 people at this event? Again, the local afternoon acts where great. Then we had last minute entry Greg Sczebel (from Paul Brandt's Band) bring everybody to their feet. For those who where there… tell me we're gonna have him back!!

Then back to back Legends: Darrell Mansfield and Eric Turner followed by Jim Byrnes. Old school rock n' roll and classic Chicago Blues… I'm runnin outta things to say… Un-real!! Then the Johnny Mannion Band brings it all home with an inspirational rock/blues set to close out the weekend.

Thank you again for coming out. Keep in mind, for those who would like to sponsor B2B to help keep this show going, you are encouraged to contact our office. Back to the Blues: Gospel Blues Festival is a non-profit organization and gladly accepts one-time donations and monthly contributions for administration and travel expenses and artist fees.

See you THIS Summer!!! July 29, 30 and 31.

Don't forget to leave a comment on our Facebook Page and feel free to send in your photos to cary@back2blues.com

To all our dedicated Fans of Back to the Blues...

THANK YOU!!!

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