J.D. and the Chasers, a local blues band from the Excelsior Springs and Lawson area, are preparing for a big opportunity as two members, Jacob Duncan and Larry Stronger, known as The Redbeards, recently received an invitation to represent the Kansas City region at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee.
Band members Duncan and Stronger, who have dubbed themselves The Redbeards, are preparing to go to Memphis to compete in the International Blues Challenge. The Redbeards earned their spot in Memphis by participating in the Kansas City Blues Society’s local competition. According to Duncan, it serves as a qualifier for the International Blues Challenge. Each year, blues societies from across the country choose their top acts to represent their city on the national stage.
“The Kansas City Blues Society does their final round of competition locally to decide who gets sent to Memphis,” Duncan said, “So it’s kind of exciting to be selected and to see what the competition’s like on a national scale.” Once there, he explained that he and Stronger will showcase their talent in a 25-minute set, giving them the opportunity to network, compete, and share their music with a wider audience in the heart of blues country.
Duncan added that the opportunity for him is about more than just winning. He looks forward to “networking and connecting with other people,” he said, because “even if we don’t win when we get back to town, we can gain a little more notoriety, and we may even get more gigs.” READ the full article at Excelsior Citizen.