Local artist Cale Hawkins is on his way to Memphis, Tenn., to perform in the International Blues Challenge.
If it seems like you've read this somewhere before, you probably have - the 17-year-old Maple Grove High School senior is making his third appearance in the challenge in Birthplace of the Blues and second representing the Canada South Blues Society as a member of The Bluesers.
''It's a great experience, because everybody is down there just to have fun,'' Hawkins said. ''It's a huge gathering of musicians, and it's a great thing to be around so many other people who have the same interests as you, especially now that there are a lot of youth artists that have been coming down for the competition.''
After appearing in the solo competition during the event two years ago, Hawkins joined the Bluesers in the group division last year. He co-fronts the group along with Chris Cotton, another 17-year-old from Toronto, whom he met in conjunction with his first trip to Memphis. The group has been together for nearly two years.
''We toured Canada this summer, going all across Ontario and Quebec,'' Hawkins said. ''We played festivals all over the place - it was great.''
The first year Hawkins went to Memphis, he earned his entrance in the competition through a contest put on by The Blues Society of Western New York. For the Canada South Blues Society, he said the Bluesers were judged based on videos of their performances and were selected to represent the group.
The Bluesers will be performing at B.B. King's Blues Club on Beale Street, the same place they performed last year. Hawkins played solo at The Pig on Beale, a smaller club designed for acoustic shows, on his first trip to Memphis.
Hawkins began performing with the Infinity Performing Arts Program in 2003 and has played with many ensembles in the program. His involvement with the program has given him the opportunity to receive musical instruction and perform on stage with different bands. He is now an Infinity instructor.
Artists and bands at each venue on Beale Street in Memphis will put on a 25-minute set, Hawkins said, with judges selecting winners from each location. Originality, blues content, stage presence and overall ability are the criteria used in judging, he said. Two different sets of judges rate the performances over a two-night span, and chosen artists then play in the finals at the Orpheum Theater on Saturday.
Hawkins has yet to make the finals of the challenge, he said, but he has been close in each of his first two appearances. While he and his fellow Bluesers have lofty goals for their appearance in the competition this year, Hawkins said the main goal for the weekend is to have fun.
''You're on Beale Street and you meet up with people your own age and jam on each other's instruments and go to each other's shows,'' he said. ''It's just cool, the whole atmosphere of walking on Beale Street, with the neon lights and the people there to hear you play - it's great.''
There may be good news waiting for Hawkins when he returns from Memphis, as he will find out next week if he has been accepted to the prestigious Berklee College of Music. While he has accomplished much in his young life, he said his long-term goal is to carve his own niche and invent a new style of music.
''I'm hoping to sort of find out along the way,'' he said when asked what that style might be. ''I'd like to do something that I love doing, first and foremost, and after that I'd like to make my mark and do something new that no one has done before.''
Hawkins released a CD in May called Random Acts of Confusion, which is available at iTunes, amazon.com and on his own Web site, calehawkins.com. For more information about The Bluesers, visit their Web site at www.sonicbids.com/thebluesers2.
