Blues society?s kickoff concert set for June 4

The newly formed Southeast Iowa Blues Society will be presenting a kickoff concert at 7 p.m. June 4 in the banquet room of Best Western Fairfield Inn.

The lineup will be: Two Pony Blues Band from 7-8:30 p.m., The J Roland Blues Band from 8:30-10 p.m., and The Avey Brothers Band from 10 p.m. to midnight.

The Two Pony Blues Band has played at the Blues on Grand in Des Moines, and the group?s musicians have a long history of playing the blues.

Jeremy Roland of the J Roland Blues Band brings Texas blues alive with his hard-pounding guitar licks. Jeremy has shared the stage with Jonny Lang, BB King and others in his earlier years while living in the Kansas City area.

The Avey Brothers were voted back-to-back champions of the 2008 and 2009 Iowa Blues Challenge. They also were finalists in the 2010 International Blues Challenge held in Memphis, Tenn. They currently have two CDs to their credit, ?Devil in My Bed? and ?Preacherman.? The band has shared the stage and venues with artists such as Kenny Neal, Delbert McClinton, Walter Trout, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Lonnie Brooks, Big Pete Pearson, Corey Stevens and Blues Traveler. The group blends elements of Cajun Swamp with blues rock and Chicago blues.

The Southeast Iowa Blues Society was founded and incorporated in October 2010. The founder and current president, Casey Cannon, felt the need to bring talented blues artists to the region.

?Having lived near Chicago a majority of my life, I felt compelled to do anything possible to expose my friends and local music lovers to live blues music,? Cannon said. ?After forming our initial board, it was determined that there are several worthy venues in the region.?

The group is being formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, awaiting final IRS determination and currently has more than 50 members.

Doors open at 6 p.m. General admission will be $10 per person and $8 for society members.

Membership applications will be available at the event. For information, e-mail info@southeastiowabluessociety.org.