4th Annual Bob Sykes BBQ & Blues Festival
1pm – 9pm (Gates open at Noon) on June 1st, 2013
Admission price is $8 in advance or $12 at the gate
Kids 12 and under are Free
DeBardeleben Park in Historic Downtown Bessemer

Location: Birmingham – Doors open 1pm, Competition at 2pm, July 21st, 2013
The finals in Memphis - Tuesday, January 21 concluding Saturday January 25th, 2014
Birmingham Location: Iron City, 513 22nd St. S

BOBB – Iron City, July 21

Application form is available here to fill out and mail in.

Time for all Blues musicians from around the state to enter our Battle of the Blues Bands. The winners will represent the Magic City Blues Society at the 30th International Blues Challenge in Memphis where artists from more than 150 Blues societies from around the world will compete. The winner of the IBC will get a lot of sponsorship opportunities and will be booked for some of the most prestigious Blues festivals around the country. Many artists have used this competition to make the national Blues scene. We are looking for the best Blues bands in Alabama to compete in the 2013 Battle of the Blues Bands contest. There will be two first place winners: one band and one solo/duo act. 

The winners will be booked for paying gigs at MCBS events. The first place winner of the band competition will have their choice to headline the October Phelan Park finale or open up for Blues Ball in December. The second place winner will play the gig that the first place winner does not choose. The third place winner will play for our birthday party in January 2014. The solo/duo winner will have the option to open the October Phelan Park finale or open up for the March 2014 Junkyard Juke show.

Additionally, the MCBS will give a stipend to the winners to assist with the costs of attending the finals in Memphis. We plan to give the winning band $1500 and the winning Solo/Duo $750. The MCBS does reserve the right to change this amount.

Here are the rules and regulation you need to know:
• Members of the band must all be residents of the state of Alabama.
• You will be given a 20-minute set and will be penalized for going over your allotted time. You will not be penalized for playing less than 20 minutes. There will be a timekeeper present who will give you a one-minute warning.
• You must check your equipment with the stage manager before the competition begins.
• We will supply a high quality drum kit and bass rig for you. You can change out the snare, kick pedal and cymbals.
• The winning band is expected to compete at the IBC and with the same members who play in our competition. Any change in band members needs to be requested in writing. Approval is at the sole discretion of the MCBS Board.
• An individual cannot play in more than one act.

Below are the scoring criteria directly from The Blues Foundation’s website; we follow in their footsteps to make our competition as close to their model as possible.

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