You can't throw a stone without hitting a talented musician here in the Utica area. Many of them may never see the big time, but they're plenty big to us. Last year you voted 4 of them to join me in our All Star Band and this year we're returning to the deck at Cavallo's on October 23rd for the 2nd Annual Keith James All Star Band jam.

What's New This Year?

We're adding a new category to go along with the drummer, bass, guitarist and vocalist chairs. This year you can also vote for your favorite keyboard/piano player too! I will still be onstage as well, so that means TWO keyboard players rounding out the six person super band.

Also, while voting will remain unlimited, we'll be employing security features and rules (see below) to the voting process in order to protect the integrity of the contest. Although this will slow repeat voting somewhat, it will ensure that no malicious software can manipulate or inflate the voting tally.

Fans:

You are in control, from whomever gets on the nominations list all the way up to who wins. You can nominate as many musicians as you want and vote as often as you'd like although be careful, the Polldaddy platform that we use has been known to temporarily lock out excessive voters!

Each instrument will compete for two full weeks beginning and ending every Monday morning, the first of which will be spent on nominating whom you'd like considered. The instant that nominations close, the voting week will begin where all of CNY continually casts their votes, eventually crowning a single local idol to occupy each empty band chair!

Musicians:

This is your chance to shine and get your social media machine in gear so you can watch your fanbase applaud you even when you're nowhere near a stage. Blow up Facebook and Twitter and of course use your God-given media (your mouth) to get the word out and then sit back and watch your fans appreciate all of your hard (and sometimes thankless) work with their votes!

Your fans are the judges in this competition and while having a large fanbase helps, the only thing that really matters in this contest is how tenacious and dedicated your fans can be with a keyboard, mouse or their thumbs.

 

Keith James
Keith James
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What's In It For Everyone?

Fans - For you to see your idol onstage in the end and to know that you put them there is a huge reward. Even if your pick doesn't make it, you'll still be treated to a memorable spectacle of 6 musicians collaborating, who potentially have never played together and may never do so again.

Musicians - Along with your title and bragging rights for the coming year, all five winners will get showered with prizes on the Cavallo's 'All-Star Band' deck. Each winner will be invited to play a small set with their own band before taking the stage.

It isn't easy to sit in with musicians that you're not used to or to learn new material quickly for a one time gig, but to say that you pulled it off anyway and to feel your fans believing in you is it's own reward on top of it all.

The Rules:

This contest is only open to local cover musicians who currently play in a club-circuit or party band or have noted past experience playing in a collaborative live setting. If suspicious or irregular voting activity is detected (i/e: the use of an exploitation bot or other malicious software) TSM Utica reserves the right to remove specific IP's (computers, tablets or phones) from the competition, along with all votes from each suspected IP.

Material for the jam will be chosen based on the strengths of all category winners combined at the close of voting and each winner must learn an entire set (appx. a dozen songs) of potentially new material in less than a week without official charts or the promise of rehearsal. If it becomes apparent that a nominee does not possess the skills to take on such demands, they risk removal from the ballot. All nominees will be researched for veracity before inclusion on the ballot. Nominees who have won their category in previous years are eligible for nomination again this year in the same category or any other.

All other TSM official contest rules apply and if unforeseen needs arise, TSM reserves the right to adjust these rules or any other contest condition during the entire duration of the Keith James All Star Band contest.

Watch last year's Inaugural All Star Band closing number...

 

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