LOCAL BANDS ON THE ROAD TO MEMPHIS

The Long Island Blues Society recently held a rousing blues challenge at Katie’s of Smithtown that featured Joe Louis and the Groove and Gail Storm rising to the top of a robust competition to represent Long Island in the upcoming International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. Joe Louis and the Groove, the band winner, and solo/duo champ Gail Storm will take on the world this coming January held each year on Beale St., the most iconic strip in the world of Blues. It’s the street where BB King and a host of other famous blues men and women honed their chops.

The winners erupted when they heard their names announced from the stage on June 3.

“I am thrilled and honored to represent the Long Island Blues Society down in Memphis for the IBC,” said Storm, who wowed the crowd with her New Orleans-influenced set. “This win is especially meaningful for me given the other challenges I had to face this week. I am so appreciative of all the support I have received, and I totally look forward to rockin’ Memphis!”

The local winners will challenge musicians from around the world during the four-day competition at a host of clubs up and down the strip, while blues fans revel in a week devoted to the genre. Recent challenges have featured acts (and winners) from Europe, South America and as far off as Asia and Australia, proving the blues is alive and well worldwide.

“I am truly blessed to be able to represent the LIBS in Memphis for the 2024 International Blues Challenge,” said Joe Seher, guitar slinger for Joe Louis and the Groove.

“Playing the blues is what I live for, and It means the world to be able to experience this opportunity with my band and everyone else that I love so much around me.”

The other acts that helped make the day a huge success were Big Bad Wolf, the Sammy Louis Band, the Tony Santos Band and the Lenny Michelle Duo.

“The International Blues Challenge represents the worldwide search for blues bands and solo/duo blues performers ready for the international stage, yet just needing that extra big break,” according to the Blues Foundation’s web page.

The Long Island Blues Society and its member bands will be scheduling a number of fund-raisers in the coming months at various sites in Nassau and Suffolk to help our representatives offset travel and lodging costs.

Tony Davenport is the vice president of the Long Island Blues Society. He can be reached at tonyd@libsny. org for more information.

The third week of May has long been “Upfront Week” for the major television networks. The emphasis is normally on primetime scripted shows, but with the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, the attention was primarily on sports. That meant at the Disney Upfront, the lion’s share of the stage time was devoted to ESPN. Serena Williams kicked things off by announcing she is collaborating with the Worldwide Leader in Sports on a multi-part documentary on her life titled “In the Arena: Serena Williams.” It will be modeled after the ESPN “In the Arena” special it did with Tom Brady. The other big ESPN news was former NFL punter and extremely successful podcaster Pat McAfee will be launching an afternoon show on the network. McAfee is known for his ribald sense of humor, bawdy language,