Dayton native wins Telluride Blues Challenge

Anyone who has followed the musical advancements of Joe Waters wasn’t surprised the Dayton native won the Telluride Blues Challenge in Colorado in September. The guitarist and harmonica player turned 25 in July but he already has two decades of stage experience and has been working in recording studios almost as long.

Waters was 5 when he made his stage debut at the Trolley Stop in downtown Dayton, playing harmonica alongside his guitar-playing father, Jack. He was 10 and releasing his second album with his dad when I first interviewed him for the Dayton Daily News in 2008. Given that history and Waters’ determination, it’s safe to say this is just the beginning of a new musical chapter for the second-generation bluesman.

Rocky Mountain high

Among the prizes Waters received included a Martin acoustic guitar, performance slots at this year’s and next year’s Telluride Blues & Brews Festival and a spot on the 2023 Durango Blues Train.

“I found out about the Telluride thing from my friend AJ Fullerton, who did it in 2019,” said Waters, who spent two years in Colorado before returning to the Dayton area in 2021. “It was a lot of fun. I got to compete against three people that were on ‘The Voice.’ There were a couple of people that won the International Blues Challenge. It was pretty cool.”

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Waters, who slept in his car during his latest trip to Telluride, credits the win to not just his determination but one other very basic motivator: cash.

“The only reason I did win is because I needed the money to get home,” he said. “The universe provided because I needed it. I feel like, if I didn’t need it, it wouldn’t have happened. I wouldn’t have put the energy in it to get there. If I did have a place to stay, it might not have mattered as much to me. The people I was going against were already established and have money. I’m trying to get there so I can have money to stay in hotels. They’re already where I want to be.”

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Live and in-person

Waters’ hustle mentality is reflected in his busy monthly schedule, which he recites.

”Every Tuesday, I’ve got a gig in Yellow Springs at Trail Town Brewing from 6:30 to 9:30,” he said. “Every Thursday, I’m running sound there for Sharon Lane and Danny Sauers from 7 to 9. Every First Friday, we’re at Tuck-N-Red’s in Yellow Springs from 6 to 9. Every third Friday, we’re at the COhatch in Springfield from 6 to 9. Every Third Saturday, I’m at the Firehouse BBQ and Blues in Richmond, Indiana. Next year, I’ll be a resident artist at the State Theater in Springfield. They just got a grant to rebuild it. It’s a nice, big room. That’ll be cool.”

Although he won Telluride as a solo act, Waters also performs with his Back Porch Band, which features Saxtone Arrington (drums), Scott Houchens (piano) Casey Ott (guitar) and Craig Rockland (bass).

“We’ve been working together for the last year,” Waters said. “I think it’s going to be good. We’re all friends. It’ll be like hanging out with them and not feel like work. I have a good, determined group of people at the moment that will stick together and really do it.”

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

A permanent record

Waters’ next step is to get in the studio and start a new album backed by the Back Porch Band.

“We’re going to start recording in about a month,” he said. “We’re doing it with my friend from the Intergalactic Space Force. It’s a band out of Dayton and they have a studio above Mike’s Bike Park. Marcus Cornwell is the engineer. I want to make something that sounds super good so I can get to the next step. Some of the people that won at Telluride are opening for people like Robert Cray. They’re hanging out with some big names. I don’t know how to do that but I feel like I’m ready.”

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Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.

HOW TO GO

Who: Joe Waters

When: 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays

Where: Trail Town Brewing, 101 Corry St., Yellow Springs

Cost: Free

More info: 937-319-0489 or www.trailtownbrewingys.com

When: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4

Where: Tuck-N-Red’s, 305 N. Walnut St., Yellow Springs

Cost: Free

More info: 937-319-6008 or www.tucknreds.com