Telluride Band Contest
Telluride Band Contest
Telluride Band Contest
Finalists are awarded cash and prizes, as well as critical acclaim, well-deserved recognition, and a spot on the 2019 lineup to perform on the festival main stage.
2019 Contest Bands
The 2019 Telluride Band Contest features these bands from around the country:
- Avenhart (Denver, CO)
- Bison (South Tahoe, CA)
- Billy Birrell & the Squirrel Hunters (Santa Monica, CA)
- Bowregard (Boulder, CO)
- Buffalo Commons (Steamboat, CO)
- Deer Creek Sharp Shooters (Denver, CO)
- Honey Be Kind (St. Louis, MO)
- One Fret Over (Winston-Salem, NC)
- Pick & Howl (Arvada, CO)
- The Pine Hearts (Olympia, WA)
- Stillhouse Junkies (Durango, CO)
- Stray Grass (Grand Junction, CO)
Bands will perform in a randomly selected order.
Entering the Band Contest
- The 2019 Telluride Band Contest is now sold-out. But if your band is attending the Festival, you’re welcome to stop by the contest on Thursday morning to check for last-minute contest openings.
- Registration for the 2020 contest will open in December. Watch our website for more details.
Prizes
- 1st Place Prize:
- $750 and strings
- a main stage slot on the 2020 Telluride Bluegrass lineup
- an EP recording package from The Studio at eTown Hall and Airshow Boulder (see details below).
- 2nd Place: $450 and strings
- 3rd Place: $300 and strings
- 4th Place: $150 and strings
- All band finalists will receive strings courtesy of J. D’Addario and Co.
EP Recording Package Details
Thanks to our recording partners: The Studio at eTown Hall and Airshow Mastering Boulder.
To make sure the winning band has something great-sounding to sell at their 2020 main stage debut, the winning band will receive an EP recording package from two complementary Boulder studios. They’ll track and mix at The Studio at eTown Hall and finish up with mastering at Airshow Boulder.
- The winning band will get to track in The Studio at eTown Hall and mix with eTown Radio engineer James Tuttle in the The Studio at eTown Hall.
- The band’s mixes will be mastered by David Glasser or Anna Frick at Airshow Mastering’s studio in the Boulder foothills.
*An EP is defined as “up to 20 minutes, up to 5 songs.” The prize includes up to 12 hours of tracking time and six hours of mix time, and up to 4 hours of mastering plus master parts. Mastering includes a master for CD manufacturing and a set of 24-bit master files for digital distribution or vinyl pressing. This prize may be applied to a larger work, with the band paying the studios’ customary rates for additional time or parts. The prize must be used by Mar 30, 2020.
Schedule
- Preliminary Round.
Friday, June 21. Elks Park Stage. - Final Round.
Saturday, June 22. Main Festival stage, inside the Festival grounds. Prizes awarded immediately after the contest.
Rules & Guidelines
- Please note: Contestants are required to use just a single stage microphone for the preliminary and final rounds of the band contest.
- No more than 12 bands will be registered for the band contest.
- Since the final round is held on the main stage on Saturday, each bandmember must have festival passes for at least Saturday.
- Bands may consist of 3-6 members. The music should be “Bluegrass,” “Old Time,” “Western Swing,” or “New Acoustic/Newgrass.”
- Recommended time limit: 3 minutes per song. The judges mark you down if a selection significantly exceeds 3 minutes.
- No electric instruments or pickups allowed, with exception of electric bass and steel guitar (or lap steel). Only one mic will be provided for each band.
- Each band plays 3 songs in the preliminaries and 3 songs in the finals. The 3 band selections must be the following types:
- A slow vocal song
- An instrumental song
- A fast vocal song. Tempos are relative.
- Repeats of songs played in the preliminary round is not allowed in the finals.
- No drum sets or standing percussion allowed.
- Bands entering the contest may have no common members.
Scoring
- 30% Material Selection (taste, difficulty, authenticity/originality…)
- 30% Instrumental Performance (includes ability of soloists and overall instrumental blend)
- 30% Vocal Performance (lead and harmony)
- 10% Stage Presence
Tips from the Telluride Band Contest Judges
- Music competitions are a test of nerve as much as skill. Your ability to perform elegantly under pressure goes with the territory.
- Scores are not cumulative from the prelims to the finals. The finals are a new contest; everyone starts on a fresh and equal footing.
- Judges may confer to ensure fairness and consistency in the rating process.
- In the event of ties or virtual ties, the judges as a group will be allowed discretion to confer to reach a consensus regarding the winner. A virtual tie is defined as total scores within 5 points of each other. If a “tie-breaker” is called, you must play one song that is different from your previous songs. It’s a good idea to have a tie-breaker tune ready.
- Band winners in previous years are not eligible to enter the Band competitions.
- The contestant order will be randomly assigned at the contest site prior to the start of the competition.
- Contestants should not talk to the judges or the clerks concerning their scores during or after the contest. The decision of the judges is final. Completed judging forms are not available to the contestants or the public. If you have a formal protest, bring it to the head clerk first. They will forward it to the right person.
- Prizes are awarded directly after the final round! Stay nearby if you want to reap the rewards you richly deserve.
- Straying too far from the boundaries of music that is out of the genre of ”Old Timey,” “Bluegrass,” “Western Swing,” or “New Acoustic” will affect your score negatively. The judges are not listening for Jazz, Classical, Rock and Fusion, For example, eight bars of a Charlie Parker solo in the middle of “Old Dan Tucker” is inappropriate, but a swingy, improvised Texas-style chorus in “Gray Eagle” is fine. Idiom is important. The judges in the end, decide if your interpretation crosses over the sometimes fuzzy boundary into another world of music.
- Failure to adhere to the required 3 song-types will result in a severe point reduction to your total score. Song medleys are NOT allowed to be used as one of the songs.
- Band finalists will receive vouchers from the contest clerk immediately after contests to access the backstage area on Saturday morning. Contestants must have purchased a ticket for Saturday’s show and have a wristband to access the backstage area.
Past Winners
Past winners include the Dixie Chicks, Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband, Greensky Bluegrass, Spring Creek, Blue Canyon Boys, The Hillbenders, Nora Jane Struthers & the Bootleggers, Run Boy Run, Front Country, Trout Steak Revival, The Lil’ Smokies, Fireball Mail, Sugar & the Mint, and 2018 winners Wood Belly.