Do you hear that? It’s the sound of local singer-songwriters, cover groups, garage bands, and professional rockers prepping their albums, EPs, and demos for the seventh annual New Times Music Awards.
Musical artists from across Santa Barbara and SLO counties will begin filling out entry forms when they come out in the Sun and New Times next week. Will your music be among the considered? Well, you have until July 6 at 5 p.m. to get your entry in, and there are plenty of categories in which to be considered.
Each applicant can enter up to three original songs in several stylistic categories. Country crooners and fiery bluegrass pickers should focus on the country/Americana/folk category, while bluesmen (and women) or soul singers are better suited for the R&B/blues category. Nimble-fingered rockers and head bangers should enter the rock/alternative category, patchouli-scented groups are reserved for the reggae/worldbeat category, dub steppers and rappers should enter the hip-hop category, and anyone can enter the nebulous open category. Three original songs can also be considered for the songwriting competition.
The album of the year competition is open to artists with a complete album released between July 8, 2014, and July 6, 2015. Each song or album entry costs $10.
There will also be a readers’ choice award, voted on by locals through the New Times Media Group’s websites July 30 through Aug. 10. This is a chance for groups with a strong local following to get some sweet recognition.
The first place winners will be invited to perform live at the New Times Music Awards on Sept. 25 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Fremont Theatre in San Luis Obispo. While there, bands and performers will be judged live by several esteemed local music community members, who will decide the winner of the best live performance.
The New Times Media Group will release a CD featuring all the winners’ songs. Each winner also receives, besides the coveted Newtie Award, plenty of cool swag, including the CD, a T-shirt, and more goodies.
So that’s the long and short of it. Think you have what it takes to beat out the rest of the area’s talent? Do you have the next 5th Symphony or Abbey Road on your hands? The New Times Music Awards wants to hear the best that locals have to offer, and we know there is plenty out there who should enter their work.
And if you aren’t the Central Coast’s next best musician or band, but just a devoted listener, make sure to cast your vote for the readers’ choice award, and make it out to the event on Sept. 25 for a chance to win an Ernie Ball guitar.
Contact Arts Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 4-11, 2015.
