Deborah Stafford & the State of Affairs
For 2023...
Hello again, it was such a blast to open up FOCOMX last year at Avos and to a packed house! We gave them their moneys worth too. So with that said we are more than happy to re-apply hoping to do it all over again. If accepted this will be our fourth time to be a part of FOCOMX which is a big deal for us. When I say accepted we were chosen the year Covid hit hard and FOCOMX didn't happen. We have played Avos many times so we loved to open up FOCOMX at the famed venue twice. So let's do it again! We are continuing to grow as a band up and down the Front Range developing ever larger crowds with blues dance groups packing every dance floor we play. And we have a lot of new original tunes written by Deborah and I. Our highlight this year was being chosen to perform at the Greeley Blues jam with the Fabulous Thunderbirds following us and also opening for Buddy Guy a couple years back at Thunder Mountain. We bring it. So thank again for the opportunity to reapply for 2023. Give me a shout if you need anything else. 970-420-1453 or [email protected]. THANK YOU! Dave "Doc" Dougherty-- guitarist, songwriter and vocalist with the band.
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Hello again concerning FOCOMX 2022. Glad you are back!! We sure want to play for you again. We did in 2019 opening the Avos show. A great place for us because we have played many shows there and are always welcomed back. Hope we can do it again. We were selected to play FOCOMX in 2020 until Covid shut everything down. Which is understandable. Sure is nice to be out gigging again with lots of great gigs so far this year with the highlight being opening the Trinidaddio Blues Festival again. Also the Louisville Underground. We're writing new material now for our second release and KRFC is still playing our 1st CD, Blused and Confused, which made it to the finals in Memphis for best self produced CO CD. We also won the Mile High International Blues Challenge that same year and went to Memphis to represent Colorado. What a blast that was. We also opened for Buddy Guy at Thunder Mountain the same year. We are still a kick-ass highly original band of real pros. Deni LaRue will confess to that. So please consider us again especially after being selected for 2021 which was ultimately canceled. We are ready and will give you a great show! Thank you sincerely. Dave Doc Dougherty Hello... This is us reapplying again for the 2020 FOCOMX. We were thrilled to be accepted last year and opened focomx at Avos on the opening Friday night. What a blast and there were folks there that took notice which resulted in us opening for BUDDY GUY at Thunder Mountain in October 2019. I wanted you to know that. Now that's cool. We also released our new musical video which I included in the link below. And we performed live for KVNF for their 40th anniversary celebration in Paonia which they broadcasted live to the entire Western Slope. So those were the highlights of 2019 for us as well as shows at the Dickens Opera Hall and Goldens Buffalo Rose as well as many front range gigs most of which were sell outs. We are in the middle of producing our 2nd all original CD now which we're excited about. So LET'S DO IT AGAIN! Thanks for considering us again for 2020. We're ready. The paragraphs below were from last years application which remain as they were. Thank you sincerely for considering us again, Dave Doc Dougherty ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deborah Stafford & The State Of Affairs Band formed about two years ago with some of the finest musicians from Denver, Boulder, Longmont and Fort Collins. The goal was to promote original songs written by Deborah Stafford & Doc Dougherty backed by a very strong rhythm section with a strong saxophone influence. Playing their originals in the past summers Mile High Blues Society International Blues Challenge and winning earned them the right to represent Colorado in Memphis in January 2019. They will compete against the winners of the other States and European country's for the Blues title. Cary Morin won this same honor a couple years ago. A debut CD was released in May, 2018, of all originals. It has received airplay across the State especially on KRFC receiving many plays and received the 2nd most played band in late August, 2018. The CD won the Mile High Blues Society's Best Self Produced CD and was also entered by them into a National Best Of Blues CD to be judged in Memphis the same time as the 4 day IBC competition. I would encourage you to speak to KRFC's Deni LaRue and Big Steve Weintraub as a source of reference having played our CD on the air and seeing us perform several times. The band normally performs in Denver & Boulder venues. Bringing the act lately to the Fort Collins Scene the band sold out Avos, the Whiskey and the Swing Station. The band is led by Deborah Stafford on vocals, Dave Doc Dougherty on guitar, Bob Tiger on bass, Alanya Simmons on saxophone and Doug Murphy on drums. Alanya was voted by the Colorado Blues Society in 2017 as the best horn player in the State and she is. Our main goal performing live is too bring excitement and energy to the audience with powerful originals and to pack dance floors which the band does. Many local Blues Dance Troupes and dancers follow the band up and down the front range. It's all about making music that matters. Please check out our website as a source to see us perform live and hear the CD for yourself. Energy defines our songs and live performances.