“Music today gives people a place to connect, escape, and heal. Blues is the root of it all — rock, soul, even hip-hop grew out of it. Preserving and spreading the blues matters ’cause it’s our history, our truth, and it still speaks to what folks are going through now.”

Jay Hooks: Tequila, Bullets &…

“My hope is that the Turkish blues community, which is already recognized and appreciated in the international blues world, will also receive the same appreciation here at home. Normally, people might phrase it the other way around—“we want the recognition abroad that we already enjoy at home”—but things don’t always work so logically in my country.”

Göksenin…

“Without sounding redundant hopefully. As I've said educating, and embracing our heritage, stop making Blues the last thought in the music field. And support the Blues, and live music clubs... Hopefully I made some sense in my responses to your questions. Thank you again for asking me to participate.”

Jimi “Primetime” Smith: My Blues…

“I think that the music is rooted in real southern culture. The bands that again “keep it reel“ are able to pull from their own experiences and translate that to a musical message that transcends and cuts through the noise of the world.”

Darrell Whitt: The Axe of Preacher Stone…

“The Blues will never die as long as we will need to exorcise our demons, daily struggles, heartbreak, or despair. Still, music won’t change the world—it just allows us to create parentheses, moments of peace, in a very troubled world. “

Manu Lanvin: Man On A Mission

Singer, guitarist,…

“Technique is the means to an end. You have to know the technical aspects in order to create a photograph. If your technique is poor the photograph will suffer. It’s the same with other art forms. The photo has to have soul otherwise it would be an empty image.”

Eric Antoniou: Rock to…

“Blues breaks barriers. It brings together people from every walk of life. If you love the blues, you love each other—because the blues speaks to something universal. Its impact is personal. It doesn’t shout—it whispers to the soul. If it brings peace to a troubled mind, then it’s done its job.”…

“Most people forget that blues and early rock ‘n roll are the backbone of almost all popular music today. Looking further back, swing and jazz played a part in the development of early rock ‘n roll. Jazz and swing were in turn heavily influenced by blues music. Remembering the wonderful roots of today’s music lets us appreciate it even more.”…

“The role of music in today's society is fundamental. It's not just entertainment but a powerful tool for personal expression, for bringing people together, for communicating. Furthermore, as I've already mentioned, music—good music—instills in people an aesthetic sense, a critical sense, an artistic sensibility, a sense of humanity, which are then reflected in social life.”…