August 1, 2020

Dear Blues Lovers,

We are thrilled to see that music is finally returning to the Hudson Valley. Although there are limits on indoor dining and entertainment, we are seeing some great outdoor venue setups. Daryl's House in Pawling now has Back Porch shows and Live-Streaming from their in-house stage. The Falcon in Marlboro has been entertaining socially-distanced audiences with some great shows (and food) outside on their decks overlooking the waterfall. The Moonlight Cafe in Brewster has been holding sold-out parking lot shows to raise funds for essential workers. And new venues like Iron and Wine in Patterson are offering live music while you dine outside. Please help support these and many other venues in the Hudson Valley. 

The Board of the Hudson Valley Blues Society are saddened and frustrated to announce that we are withdrawing from the International Blues Challenge to be held in Memphis, January 2021. It was a hard decision to make, but along with other neighboring blues societies in Connecticut and Long Island, we have all opted for the safety of everyone competing. The Blues Foundation has given a lot of thought into adapting new guidelines for competitions, such as virtual and video competition. Since IBC is an international event with societies all over the world who compete, there will be assumed travel restrictions abroad and within the states. And the truth is without a live audience to cheer on the bands, it just changes the dynamics of the competitions. It was a long and tough decision to be made, but we feel this is the best way to keep our blues loving family safe. However we are looking forward to holding a "Pre-Comp" event in the future for a practice competition. When it is safe for bands, venues, and audiences, we will let you know the schedule. 

Lastly, we would like to invite our HVBS member bands to submit your music for our upcoming compilation CD, which will be an HVBS fundraiser, but also allow you to reach a broader audience. The deadline has been extended to August 15th for submissions. Also note, HVBS is able to offer additional instruments for your tracks or help mixing/mastering, if you need it. For more information, email me at p.toscano@thehvbs.org. 

Don't forget we are offering an 18-month membership for new and renewing HVBS members. This is six extra months of membership added to the standard one-year. You can find more information at our website here https://www.thehvbs.org/memberships.html. We thank the many members who have already renewed with this offer.

Remember to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, as well as checking our website (www.thehvbs.org) for updates and events. Please be safe and we look forward to seeing everyone soon. Thanks for keeping the blues alive!

 
Paul Toscano, HVBS President
and the HVBS Board