Lowcountry Bluesconnection

The Board of the Lowcountry Blues Connection would like to announce a t-shirt art contest. We would like you to design the front of the Connections next t-shirt. Here are some details:

Your submission must be made before October 1st 2024. There will be more details later as to the method for submission.

Your artwork would need to fit on the front of a t-shirt (duh...).

You may use up to 3 colors in addition to the background.

The artwork must prominently say Lowcountry Blues Connection.

So get your minds and hearts moving in that direction, and let a board member know if you have any questions.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!

We had another Board Meeting last night, 8-29-2024. Following are the notes from that meeting:

Lowcountry Blues Connection Board Meeting Minutes Date: 8/29/2024

In Attendance:
Raymond, Jeep, Ron, Linda, Daniel, and Jim

Order of Business

1. Treasurer’s Report:
a. $4,265.04 currently in the account.
b. The only expenditure this month was for storage fees.
c. It was noted that donations continue to come in but at a very low rate.

2. Membership Report:
a. There are currently 66 Paid members in the Connection.

3. Jam Report:
a. Attendance at the last few jams has continued to be slow. Several possible causes, nothing directly within our control. We are hoping that cooler temperatures will help bring more folks out.
b. The Artist Of The Month program continues. Jeep will continue to own the base task, Daniel should be posting.
c. I encouraged everyone to help promote the jam by posting or sharing someone else’s post concerning the jams.

4. Discussion regarding the RTM/Competitions:
a. Ron Gill presented his findings for several items connected to the RTM/Competitions
b. The board voted on several items related to this event, to include the venue, dates for the event, and prizes for the contests. These details will be published as soon as all details are confirmed.
c. The equipment will be provided by members. We may hire someone to run sound.
d. The winners of each category will receive a cash prize for winning. There is also a stipend payment if the act continues and represents LCBC in Memphis
e. The board also discussed possible judges for the event.

5. Discussion regarding the raising of funds
a. Jeep was able to get pricing and a reliable source for t-shirts. We will be having a t-shirt Art contest to determine what will be on the front of the shirt. More details regarding the contest to follow. Jeep will now start to find a sponsor or sponsors for the back.
b. The Donations Bucket has yielded similar results to the old tip jar method. I have encouraged everyone to make sure to announce what the donations bucket is about at every jam. Bill does a great job of mentioning it at jams, but it always helps to hear different voices.

6. Discussions regarding Social Events or Parties:
a. We are interested in finding someone who will plan and lead some parties, themes, or social events at the jams and possible outside of the jams. Several people have expressed interest in having this happen. We just need to find some who will be responsible to lead this effort. If you are that person, please reach out to a board member and let them know.

7. Social media/website help
a. The Connection could definitely use some help in maintaining and managing our social media efforts and our website. Daniel has been doing all he can for our social media presence, but has become too busy to make the effort he would like to make. If you have the time and expertise to help in this regard, please reach out to a board member for more details.

8. Next Meeting Date:
a. Next Meeting will be September 18th at 7:30 at the Clubhouse.

THANKS EVERYONE.

September song challenge.

August Song Challenge.

Lowcountry Blues Connection Board Meeting Minutes

Date: 7/25/2024

In Attendance:
Raymond, Jeep, Ron, Joane, Linda, David, and Jim

Order of Business

1. Treasurer’s Report:
a. $4,171.04 currently in the account.
b. Expenditures this month included Blues Foundation dues and Storage fees.

2. Membership Report:
a. Linda was at the meeting, but had sent the latest membership report earlier. There are currently 66 Paid members in the Connection.

3. Jam Report:
a. Attendance at the last few jams has slipped a little. Several possible causes, nothing directly within our control.
b. The Artist Of The Month program continues. Jeep will continue to own the base task, Daniel should be posting.
c. I encouraged everyone to help promote the jam by posting or sharing someone else’s post concerning the jams.
d. Discussion was had regarding the house band, including possible ways to get the regular attendees more involved.

4. Discussion regarding the RTM/Competitions:
a. Ron Gill identified several items that need to be discussed and/or procured to move the event forward. These items include a budget, a venue, judges, equipment, and promotion.
b. Several board members volunteered to reach out to specific venues for availability for this event.
c. The equipment will be provided by members. We may hire someone to run sound.
d. Ron suggested that the prizes for the winner(s) be structured to incentivize acts to participate in Memphis.

5. Discussion regarding the raising of funds:
a. Jeep received some pricing parameters and will gather some pricing information for t-shirts. Jeep will also coordinate the effort to raise sponsorship commitments relative to this.
b. The Donations Bucket has yielded similar results to the old tip jar method. I have encouraged everyone to make sure to announce what the donations bucket is about at every jam. Bill does a great job of mentioning it at jams, but it always helps to hear different voices.

6. Discussions regarding Social Events or Parties:
a. I will post for a volunteer or volunteers to coordinate jam events and parties. I think it is a good idea to have events, but someone else would need to be in charge.

7. Next Meeting Date:
a. Next Meeting will be August 29th at 7:15 at the Clubhouse.

THANKS EVERYONE.

This is a reminder to board members that there is a board meeting this Thursday evening at 7:30. The meeting will be at 1 Leila Lane, Charleston 29414.

Paid connection members are welcome to attend.

Thanks everyone.

I know it’s late notice, but I will be playing with “No Regerts” tonight at the Rivertowne Public House. Rivertowne Public House is at 2015 Hwy 41 in Mt. Pleasant. Music starts at 8:00, with Rob McCurry starting the evening with some acoustic music. As you’re finishing up dinner, the whole band will join Rob and we will play some of your favorite classic rock.

Come on out and join us. 

The house band for this coming Sunday is Billy Gadol. Dave Herr, Paul Walls, and Bill Nance!

House Band this weekend is Brad Henty, Jerry Ray, Wes Powers, and Bill Nance !!

Hello everyone. Its been a tough month or so for me and my family, I appreciate everyone's patience as we worked through several issue.

This will be a long post. I am presenting the meeting minutes from the last board meeting. If you are a member in good standing in the Connection, you are welcome to attend these meetings.

These meetings minutes are being presented so that you have an idea about what the board is doing and discussing. I would ask that you read these minutes with a "grain of salt". Most of the items discussed are works in progress. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or any board member.

Once again, thanks for your patience.

Lowcountry Blues Connection Board Meeting Agenda Date: 5/23/2024

In Attendance:
Daniel
Raymond
Jeep
Ron
Jim

Order of Business

1. Welcome Ron Gill back to the board.

2. Treasurer’s Report:
a. $3,985.04 currently in the account.
b. It was requested that moving forward the treasurer's report would include all transaction to show a balanced report.
c. It was also requested that all payments being made from the account be made by check, and only in an emergency should a cash disbursement be made.

3. Membership Report:
a. Linda was not at the meeting. However, Raymond mentioned that the paid membership had increased significantly.

4. Jam Report:
a. The last few jams have seen very good attendance.
b. The Artist Of The Month program has re-started. Jeep has volunteered to own that task.

5. The board officially acknowledged that it does not need to Vote to “give itself permission” to make changes to the By-Laws. It was recognized that the By-Laws are in need of amendment, but they can be changed through a procedural vote by a quorum of the board.

6. Discussion regarding the RTM/Competitions structure moving forward:
a. Ron Gill will serve as the coordinator for official club competitions.
b. Ron felt that more than one major competition a year was ambitious.
c. Discussion was had regarding the winner of a competition being paid vs, being sponsored by the club to go to Memphis. The sponsorship has been a significant cost to the club with very little benefit for the membership.
d. It was agreed to maintain our membership with the Blues Foundation.

7. In our discussion of the competition, it was suggested that we also consider having a local festival/benefit opposite the competition (Fall and Spring). This could be tied to sponsorship for the event from local vendors. Several ideas were aired at the meeting. We will discuss further at our meetings moving forward.

8. Discussion regarding the raising of funds
a. LCBC currently does not have a budget.
b. Current revenue streams include annual dues, T-shirt Sales, and donations.
c. Jeep was authorized to create a new “Donations” bucket to use at the jams.
d. Discussion was held regarding a t-shirt design competition. The t-shirts could include sponsorship information on the shirts. We discussed the merits of a large run of shirts, vs. several smaller runs of shirts. Jeep is also looking into cost information for different run sizes.
e. Sponsorships could also manifest themselves and competition prizes, stage banners, etc.

9. Discussions regarding Social Events or Parties:
a. We discussed bringing back social events; Someone would have to own the responsibility for this. Everyone is considering this topic and will discuss further at our next meeting.

10. Next Meeting Date:
a. Next Meeting will be June 27th at 7:30 at the Clubhouse.
b. We will have another meeting on July 11th at 7:30 at the Clubhouse.

Just a reminder that there is a Board Meeting Thursday, 5-23, at the Clubhouse (1 Leila Lane) starting at 7:00. Notes will be taken and a report published.

Members of the Connection in good standing are welcome to listen in.

Thanks everyone.

FYI: A Blues Connection Board Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 23rd at 7:00. The meeting will be held at the clubhouse (1 Leila Lane, Charleston, SC 29414) Access from Hunter's Forrest off Bees Ferry.

Paid members are welcome to attend.

Thanks everyone.

IT'S BAAAACK... With a twist.

We're bringing back the Connection Jam Artist of the Month. We will give you the artist and a few of their songs to choose from. If you announce to the Jam Master and then perform one of the songs from the list, you will get a song added to your set. Once a song is played, it is removed from the list. This is time permitting and at the discretion of the Jam Master. The list will re-fresh each week.

Tell us what you think.

We'll start with some low hanging fruit.

Don't forget, there is general membership and a board meeting on Saturday, April 13th 11:00am at the Oide Towne Villas Clubhouse @ 1 Leila Lane, West Ashley, for the purpose to elect a Club President. Ballots with be given to all current paid club members attending the meeting. The ballots will be collected and counted. The Board of Directors will then vote to elect the President, based on the majority vote as requested by the membership.
Please plan on attending if you want to vote.
You may pay your club dues ($15) at the meeting.
You must be present to receive a ballot.
You will not be identified on the ballot.
The ballots will be available for review after the vote.
If you want to have a voice in the club please attend.

Looking for Bands!
Lowcountry BlueSConnection is looking for bands to showcase there skills and find this years acts to compete in the Road to Memphis (RTM)

Categories include :
•Bands
•Solo/Duo acts

Bands/solo/duo acts must be signed up by August 13th

Come Sunday, August 27th at The Pub on 61 to showcase your skills or listen!

Contact Ron Gill for more information.

[email protected]

ROAD TO MEMPHIS - Lowcountry Blues Connection 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. The world’s largest gathering of blues musicians will take place on Beale Street, with over 20 clubs hosting the...

Breakfast - made it look like a biohazard symbol 😂 those are fresh home grown Serrano peppers on top 🥵 with fried grits, and home pickled onion and garlic cloves, and an egg 🍳

Give it a try tonight

Get up on this challenge