The BRATPACK: Filipino Blues Band Wallops Competition To Qualify for 2014 International Blues Challenge Finals

The Bratpack, a Filipino blues band, became the first ever Asians to make it to the finals of the 2014 International Blues Challenge (IBC) at the Memphis Orpheum Theater last January. They bested over 200 blues bands from all over the world to join the nine finalists—quite a feat for these novices—in this IBC annual fest, considered the nation's biggest and most respected showcase for blues musicians.

Making up the Bratpack are bassist David de Koenigswarter, who boasts some real blue blood as grandson of the famous Jazz Baroness, Nica Rothschild de Koenigswarter; pianist RJ Pineda, a child prodigy who plays  Rachmaninoff to Ray Charles; Allan Abdulla, a member of the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra on the percussion/drums,  and singer Christine Mercado,  a Music Production major at De La Salle.

The group stopped by San Francisco on their way to Memphis and played to sold-out audiences at the Biscuit and Blues last January 19, 2014.

Watch the amazing performance that earned the BratPack a spot at the finals: