Melbourne country blues band Rhythm X Revival cap off a huge year with the news they'll be representing their state in Memphis, Tennessee at the 2019 International Blues Challenge.
It's a massive achievement and huge leg-up for the band that comes after releasing their self-titled debut album in April.
Rhythm X Revival shares the honour with previous winners such as Fiona Boyes, Geoff Achison and Jimi Hocking, and have scored plane tickets to Memphis plus accommodation for the international competition this January courtesy of the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society (MBAS).
To celebrate the imminent trip to the US, and to raise some spending money for the trip, Rhythm X Revival will be banging out their special brand of countryfied blues at the MBAS Fundraiser on 18 November.
Run by The Blues Foundation, The International Blues Challenge is a worldwide search for blues musicians and bands that are ready to perform on the international stage but need some extra help breaking through.
Rhythm X Revival is centred around the friendship and songwriting of Victorian boys John-Luke Shelley and Johnny Tesoriero - JL out front and Johnny on the drums – and neither are strangers to the thriving Melbourne scene.
Completed by Chris Rourke on bass and Jeremy Neumann on keyboard, Rhythm X Revival has soulful tones of country and blues with modern melodies, catchy lyrics and captivating harmonies.
The album drips with the influence of Memphis, Nashville and perhaps a couple of dodgy honky-tonks in-between. It was recorded by another Melbourne soulman, Sam Teskey in The Teskey Brothers’ studio.
The album has remained in the Australian Blues & Roots Airplay Chart, peaking at #4. Rhythm X Revival delves deep into the soul of a far-gone era, while maintaining a pace sure to keep things moving on many festival stages in the coming year.
