Local Blues Band in Finals of Memphis Competition

The band Misty Blues has made quite a name from themselves on the local music scene, but now their talents have taken them all the way to finals of the International Blues Competition in musical mecca Memphis, Tennessee.

Established in 1999, Misty Blues was founded and is lead by the powerful and sultry voice of Gina Coleman who entered the music scene in the early 90’s as the lead singer of the folk/rock group Cole-Connection. From that original band, guitarist Jason Webster and bassist Bill Patriquin were both on board to morph into Misty Blues and with the addition of Aaron Dean, Edward Moran, Benny Kohn and Rob Tatten the band was complete.

This year the band traveled to Memphis, Tennesse to join 250 other blues bands from across the world to compete in the 34th Annual International Blue Challenge.  Hosted by the nonprofit International Blues Foundation, the mission of the challenge is to preserve blues heritage, celebrate blues recording and performance, expand worldwide awareness of the blues, and ensure the future of the uniquely American art form.

For anyone who has ever heard the group perform, it's no surprise that the band has made it to the through to the finals, all the way from the original 250 bands, to the top eight, a pretty incredible accomplishment considering the the caliber of musicians the competition draws. We got talked to Coleman as the band prepares for the finals tonight at the famed Orpheum Theater in Memphis.

We are nearly speechless. The competition has been a blast. The music we have been performing is off of our latest album, Call & Response, which happen to be our best original music to date. We have been performing those songs for nearly a year now so we have been able to really hone the arrangements. We have just been enjoying the music scene in Memphis and doing our stuff the only way we know how, with fun and passion. Thanks to everyone who supported us in the journey.

Gina Coleman, lead singer Misty Blues

Check out two of the performances that got the group all the way to the finals.