Sometimes lightning strikes twice, especially if you’re in a blues band. Boston-based blues outfit Bees Deluxe entered the Granite State Blues Challenge as a band last year, winning as a four piece band unit, and, after winning first place were able to represent Granite State Blues Society in last winter’s International Blues Competition in Memphis, Tennessee.
This year, Bees Deluxe members Carol Band (keyboards, harmonica) and Conrad Warre (guitar vocals) competed in last springs’ Granite State Blues Challenge as a duo, winning in that duo category. That means that Bees Deluxe will compete in the IBC in the second year in a row. The IBC will take place in Memphis, Tennessee in January, 2027.
“We are thrilled to return to Memphis again. Last year’s IBC was great fun and we were happy with our performances,” Band said. “It was thrilling to play on Beale Street at venerable clubs like BB King’s and Rum Boogie. We made it to the semi-finals and had the opportunity to meet lots of wonderful musicians and play with folks from all over the world.”
Because the International Blues Competition draws at least a hundred bands a year, Bees Deluxe found no shortage of blues bands to mingle with and to perform with.
“We shared the stage with bands from France, South Korea, Croatia and Australia—such is the power of the blues,” Band exclaimed. “We entered the Granite State Blues Challenge as a duo because we were unsure of being able to get our drummer and bassist. to commit to a trip to Memphis. It’s a new sound for us and so we are polishing up the rough edges, adding some new tunes.”
Former Granite State Blues Challenge winner Arthur James competed in the IBC four times, becoming a finalist and a semi-finalist in his last two Memphis competitions. James said that the Bees Deluxe are in for a rewarding experience.
“What they can look forward to, winning or losing, is schmoozing,” James said. “Make those connections. Lots of jams and showcases and opportunities to meet new people in the biz that may further your career. Its more than just competing.”
Since Band and Warre perform their set lists regularly, as Bees Deluxe maintains a busy gig schedule, they use their band shows, trio shows, and duo shows as a laboratory to test out new material, duo versions, and trio versions.
“We try to keep the tunes that we’ll perform in Memphis at the top of every set list—so we kind of sneak in a practice every time we play,” Band said. “Ultimately, being able to play as a four-piece, a trio—which we do often— or a duo just gives the band more freedom. We can play more intimate rooms and venues that only book small groups…. we can play in phone booths. Duo and trio ensembles also give me a chance to step out from behind the keyboard at bit more.”
Bees Deluxe, known for their “acid blues” approach to the century old genre, created a sound that successfully draws crowds from far beyond their greater-Boston-New England fan base.
“We travel up and down the East Coast because we think that it’s important to build our audience beyond Boston,” Band said. “We do a lot of publicity on social media and in local papers. We also have friends and they come out to see us and bring friends when we play in Brooklyn or the Hudson River area or Philly. We can play the Bull Run or Boston City Winery several times a year, but we try to keep it fresh and not play the same local clubs over and over.”
Bees Deluxe will be playing their usual haunts like Sanctuary in Maynard, Massachusetts on Sunday, November 8 and at Toad in Cambridge on Saturday, November 14. The Bees Deluxe have posted a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for their Memphis mission.
Constantly in and out of the studio and releasing new albums, Bees Deluxe just completed an album called Garage Blues which is dropping on November 11.
“It’s the band Bees Deluxe as well as several guest musicians, adding sax on one track, an additional guitar on another, plus a track recorded live at WUML in Lowell,” Band exclaimed. Band, Warre, and their Bees Deluxe band members seek to expand their audience as well as their repertoire.
“Bees Deluxe would love to keep creating music, playing as much as possible and doing what we do for as many folks who want to hear it,” Band said. “We’re optimistic that the live music scene in Boston and beyond is thriving and that the desire for real, hand-crafted, non-AI, human-generated creativity is real and that our music has never been more relevant.”
Fundraiser by Conrad Warre : Help Send Bees Deluxe Back to Memphis!
