Texas Throwdown.

2010 Comments on bluesSHOUT! by Keith Shapiro, of the Austin crew.

Buddy Guy once said about Chicago, "This is the place where people just like myself came from the South to create new lives and a new kind of music." (Blues Foundation, Memphis) The blues is not only an irreplaceable part of the city's past, but also adds a thriving pulse to its present. There was no question in my mind that the next home of bluesSHOUT! was my hometown, Austin.

Austin is the home of live music. Blues music can be heard live every single night of the week. I speak on behalf of my team members and many other dancers when I say that the dancer-musician relationship in this city is amazing. Talk about inspiration! I've heard it said before that musicians get energy from dancers, and that a game can be played between the floor and the stage, but I can't say that I've ever lived in a city where that actually happened, and all the time. I'm very excited for us to share some of our favorite bands with you all this year.

Each year, bluesSHOUT! brings you the best of what's around, and also finds something new to bring to the community. Up and coming instructors and DJs, awesome bands that you've never heard before, but are dying to hear again, and every year someone new gets up in a competition and knocks your socks off, although you swore they were solidly on your feet. That is what bluesSHOUT! is all about. This year my brand new and totally awesome bluesSHOUT! Task Force is bringing you all of that, and you'll still have plenty of time to get some Austin pizza. How's that for inspiration?

Want to know who's on the team this year? Check out the Task Force page.

2010: Comments on bluesSHOUT! by Heidi Fite.

When Keith,Tina and Summer approached me with the suggestion that Austin host bluesSHOUT! in 2010. Her dedication, persistence, and organizational skills have not only helped these Blues events be major successes, but these traits have also keep me from going insane and helped prod me along when there was more work that needed to be done.

But what I never would have guessed is that Sara would pull together a team in Austin that would match and complement her in skill and substance. I could not have asked for a better team to work with. They've been the brains, the legs, and the heart behind this event. I just stand here and look pretty. Seriously, if there's anything about this year's event that you love (and my guess is that you'll love most of it), they deserve all the credit.

If this is your first experience with bluesSHOUT!, I think you picked a great year to check it out. To find out more about what this event is all about, you can read our comments from previous years and get a little background as to how this event came to be what it is today.