Local musicians compete in international challenge

They were playing the Susquehanna Valley blues over the weekend on Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn., considered the birthplace of the blues, as a group of local musicians took the stage to compete in the International Blues Challenge.

Although they did not make it to the finals, the Ann Kerstetter Band is returning home a winner.

"We were very, very pleased with our performance," Kerstetter said Monday. "Musically, I don't think we could have done any better."

South Williamsport resident Lori Butler, a Billtown Blues Association director who attended the event with her husband Tom, agreed.

"I don't think they could have done any more than what they did, and they were unbelievable," Butler said. "The (international) competition is extremely tough, but everybody that makes it there is already a winner."

The international competition is the high point in what has been a whirlwind year for Kerstetter and her bandmates, guitarist-vocalist Sean Farley, drummer Steve Mitchell, pianist-vocalist Greg Burgess and bassist-vocalist Andy Seal.

Last March, the band won the Billtown Blues Association's Billtown Blues Challenge.

That gave them the right to be the opening act at last June's Billtown Blues Festival and represent the association at the international challenge last week.

In Memphis, Kerstetter and her bandmates were among 100 bands from 36 states and nine countries to compete in the band division.

Band competitions were hosted Thursday and Friday night at 10 music venues on the famed Beale Street. Bands performed the same 20-minute set each night before a different set of judges.

The winner at each venue, based on the cumulative score from both nights, went on to the finals on Saturday at the Orpheum Theater.

The atmosphere on Beale Street is similar to Mardi Gras.

"The atmosphere is electric - it was wonderful," Kerstetter said. "I thought to myself, 'I'm 56 years-old and here I am, singing on Beale Street.' "

Kerstetter said she was floored by how well her band performed.

"There is no doubt about it, we peaked," she said. "We were playing as a single musical unit. Everybody was on their game."

Only a few weeks ago, Farley nearly severed his thumb, yet performed like a trooper once the competition began, she said.

"You wouldn't believe this kid had surgery on his hand six weeks ago," she said.

Not all of Kerstetter's warm feelings were a result of the competition. On two occassions, she was asked to perform with seasoned blues veterans.

The first time was Friday afternoon during an open jam at the Handy Blues Hall, a music venue attached to another famous Beale Street landmark, the Rum Boogie Cafe.

Kerstetter introduced herself to sax player-vocalist Pat Pepin and discovered they had a mutal friend in Dublin, Ga.-based blues musician EG Kight. Before long, Kerstetter and Pepin were on the blues hall stage, trading verses on a handful of blues standards.

The next day on the way to watch the finals at the Orpheum, Kerstetter stopped at B.B. King's blues club to buy her son a T-shirt. Performing on stage at the club was the Joyce Henderson Band, which included former Al Green sideman bassist Leroy Hodges and drummer Howard Grimmes.

Kerstetter said she was standing near the stage listening to the band when Henderson held out her microphone to her to allow her to sing along. Later, she did it again.

Between sets, the two women struck up a conversation. Henderson invited Kerstetter to perform with her and by the time she was done, the finals were over.

"I never made it to the finals," Kerstetter said. "I was playing on B.B. King's stage. For me, that was my finals."

The Billtown Blues Association and Billtown Blues Festival is known worldwide, Mitchell said. Much of that can be attributed to the quality of performers the association sends to Memphis each year, he said.

Regional bands like the Lip Smackin' Blues Band, the Blind Chitlin Kahunas and Black-N-Blues have all made their mark in previous competitions, he said.

"All of these band represent the really unique sound of the area. Our music doesn't sound like anybody else's blues," he said. "There's the Detroit sound, the Philly sound, but there is also a central Pennsylvania sound."

Now, the Ann Kerstetter Band can be added to the list.

"We laid our central Susquehanna Valley blues sound out for everybody," Mitchell said.