(KANSAS CITY, MO) – Jason Vivone and The Billy Bats are the new champions of Kansas City blues.
This weekend the finals for the Kansas City chapter of the International Blues Challenge were held at Knucklehead’s Saloon. This has become an intense annual competition whose previous winners include Mary Bridget Davies, Levee Town and Trampled Under Foot –who went on to win the national IBC title in 2008.
As winners, Vivone and band will journey to Memphis in late January for the Blues Challenge main event sponsored by the Blues Foundation.
“We’re very proud to be part of the rich heritage of Kansas City music” says Vivone. “People all over the world are talking about the musicians you can find playing any night of the week.”
The next few months will see a series of fundraisers to cover the band’s travel and lodging expenses. Last year, Vivone was named King of the Roots by the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival in Columbia, Missouri.
