The IBMA Youth Council is on the hunt for ten young bands to showcase at their Youth Stage during this year’s Wide Open Bluegrass festival in Raleigh, NC. Festivities will run September 30 and October 1 and a special outdoor stage will be provided for young entertainers.
To qualify, two or more band members need to be between the ages of 5 and 25. The showcase opportunity is not limited strictly to bluegrass groups, but encompasses the more general roots music scene including old time and Americana music.
Bands wishing to be considered must apply online by May 31. Before starting an application, the following materials should be ready for digital transfer:
- Name, email, and role (i.e. banjo, fiddle) of each member of the applying act
- One studio recorded song (mp3 format only, an optional second recording may be submitted as well)
- One Hi-Res artist photo
- An artist bio with artist location, names/roles of band members (if known at time of application), description of the artist’s sound, and note of any recently released recordings
- A stage plot, indicating locations of instruments, instrument mics, vocal mics, and any other equipment (i.e. amp, pre-amp)
The Youth Council was established by IBMA in 2012 to foster the participation of younger bluegrass artists in the organization. They organize and host a number of special events for young people during the Wold of Bluegrass week, including a youth only jamming room in one of the hotels all week.
For more information about the activities of the IBMA Youth Council, you can contact Susannah Armstrong by email. They also offer heavily discounted membership for young pickers.
