11th annual IRE Blues Bash

Blues great Eddie Shaw & his Wolf Gang will headline the 11th annual IRE Blues Bash on Thursday, June 11th — the opening night of the 2009 conference in Baltimore. Eddie Shaw is a living history of the blues — one of the last in a lineage that includes Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and other legends. Since his sold-out Blues Bash appearances in 1999 and 2001, Eddie made his movie debut last year in John Sayles' "Honeydripper," which starred Danny Glover. In the film, Shaw portrays Time Trenier, a sax-blowing music teacher in a 1950s Mississippi juke joint. Equally cool is our venue: The 8x10 at 10 East Cross Street — in the heart of Baltimore’s Federal Hill neighborhood — will literally take our party to the next level. The revelry begins at 7 p.m. with a social hour, cash bar and complimentary pizza (while supplies last). The Wolf Gang will take the stage at 9 p.m. The 8x10 is closed to the public until midnight for our private party. Don’t miss out! We expect another sold-out show. Get your ticket in advance at a discount price of $20 when you pre-register for the conference. The Blues Bash has raised more than $32,000 for IRE; the event is organized by Mark Lagerkvist (Mark@Lagerkvist.net).

Join us for a night at Camden Yards!

Make plans to join us Friday, June 12 @ 7:05 p.m. for the Orioles vs. Braves. It’s a fun opportunity to unwind and support IRE. Tickets are $15, with $5 of the ticket price going to IRE. We have a block of tickets reserved in left field (lower reserve, section 81) reserve your ticket by June 1st to guarantee seating with the group. --> If you have special event or general conference questions, please contact Stephanie Sinn, conference coordinator, stephanie@ire.org or 573-882-8969.