Best Local Blues Act

Blue Hornets

These blues vets debuted in the 1997 Best Music Poll as runners-up. This year, the Blue Hornets' fans wasted no time in taking a second chance to vault the band into the victory spotlight. Regularly featured at their Worcester base camp, Gilrein's, as well as at Ashland's John Stone Inn, the Hornets have been stirring up a buzz (sorry!) across the region and within the dedicated blues society. Led by the stellar guitar burn of George McCann and the harp of vocalist Justin Quinn (and rounded out by bassist Jack Bialka and drummer Mike Avery) the Marlborough-based four-piece rip up dance floors and burn down dance halls. Their live shows earned them a loyal following as well as the respect of the blues elite. With their debut disc, It Takes Time, the band wake up blues giants Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, and Lonnie Mack, while adeptly showcasing their ability to construct white-hot tunes that feature gritty-downtown-alleys and dusty, rural expanses that are the total blues experience. Soulful, tasteful, and a little tattered in all the right places, the Blue Hornets celebrate a climb that's been steady and well-deserved because of their collective passion.

-- John O'Neill