
The folks at Bluegrass On The Plains, held in Auburn, AL in late May, have come up with a clever variation on the storied festival band competition. Aping the popular Fox program, their contest will be billed as Bluegrass Idol, with judges interacting with the competitors between rounds.
Scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, a day before the five day festival launches, 15 invited bands will take the stage for a chance at $2000 of free studio time. Mountain Fever Studio in Willis, VA will provide two full days to the winning entrant, enough to complete a professionally recorded 2-3 song demo. The winner will be responsible for their travel costs and accommodations at the studio.
The winning band will also be slated to perform on the Saturday night show, and each member will receive a full, five day pass to the festival.
To enter, bands must submit an application form and a live video to the festival by May 1. Video quality will not be a consideration in selection.
Full contest details can be found online.