Three Squamish bands could be on the verge of a breakout moment at the inaugural Be the Best, Play the Fest event in Pemberton on Saturday (June 27).
Local bands Lovecoast, Dentville and The Will Ross Band are all set to take the stage along with five other Sea to Sky Corridor bands to battle it out, with the winner receiving $5,000 and the opportunity to play at the Pemberton Music Festival in July.
A similar event occurred last year, with Whistler鈥檚 Dakota Pearl qualifying to play at Pemberton, but Mountain FM helped build the contest even bigger for 2015.
鈥淲e thought this would be a great opportunity for us to recognize some local talent,鈥� said Mountain FM promotions manager and morning show co-host Carl Brown.
According to Brown, the response to the contest was overwhelming. Bands submitted music and the Mountain FM team was tasked with the tough job of narrowing the field down to only eight.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been huge,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淥ver a four-week period we ended up with over 40 submissions and it was a difficult process to cut it down to eight. We wanted to make sure all the communities in the corridor were represented, but we also wanted the best because the winner is getting significant money and exposure. Narrowing it down was much more difficult than I anticipated.鈥�
Music lovers from all across the corridor are encouraged to check out the event at the Meadows at Pemberton on Saturday. It all kicks off at 4 p.m. and the eight bands, drawn in random order, play three songs apiece. DJ Callie will be spinning tracks in between.
The winning band is then selected from a three-judge panel following all the performances. Tickets for the event are available at Random in downtown Squamish or at the door on the day of the event.
For more details, visit www.mountainfm.com/2015/06/22/be-the-best-play-the-fest-lineup-announced.
