4-17-2024 9:51am

ArtsWave Looking For Bands To Compete In The Third Annual ArtsWave CincyJams

Beth Callahan Editor

Story submitted by Game Day Communications

CINCINNATI, OH — Following two successful years of standing-room-only at the Hard Rock Cafe, ArtsWave, the engine for the region’s arts and primary source for funding them, is looking for bands from local companies to compete in the third annual CincyJams, Cincy’s workplace Battle of the Bands.

Bands will perform for incredible prizes, including performance slots at Cincinnati Music Festival, presented by P&G, and BLINK®, a recording session with local Grammy-winner Ken Lewis, Beer for a Year, Gold Star for a Year courtesy of Gold Star and more.

The event is May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Hard Rock Cafe inside Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati (all band participants and attendees must be 21 or older) and will be hosted by The People’s Champ, 100.3’s DJ Don Juan Fasho, and judged by Bridget England, host and program director of 96Rock, Dean Kuroff, representing the presenting sponsor, Accenture, and lead vocalist/guitarist in the local rock band BLUE OTIS, and Kick Lee, founder of Cincinnati Music Accelerator and Vice President of the Cincinnati Parks Board of Commissioners.

Several companies have already formed bands for the competition including SHP, Jake Sweeney Automotive, GE Aerospace, P&G, The Christ Hospital Health Network, Great American Insurance, altafiber and more.

Registration is quick: interested musicians should visit artswave.org/cincyjams and fill out the short form. Bands must consist of at least two employees or retirees from any given company and the sign-up window is open until April 19, 2024.

Bands have three ways to win, two of which depend on audience participation. The “Fan-Funded” prize is awarded to the band that raises the most money before the end of the night. Bands will be raising money prior to the show and fans are encouraged to ‘give to vote’ for their favorite band, with all the proceeds supporting the 2024 ArtsWave Campaign. The “People’s Choice” award will be given to the band with the loudest audience response, which in prior years, has rivaled the noise from a jet engine. Finally, the judges will award the “Judges Pick” to the band they see as having the best performance of the evening.

The free-admission event is designed to engage the community by bringing various companies together for an evening of great music while raising essential funds for the arts. The ArtsWave Campaign is at $9 million of its goal to make 2024 the largest local campaign for the arts in history and surpass $12.5 million. ArtsWave is the primary funder for local arts organizations throughout the 16 counties that make up the Cincinnati region, and the annual ArtsWave Campaign is the largest campaign of its kind in the nation. The campaign concludes on May 23.

CincyJams is brought to you by Accenture, with sponsors, Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, Cincinnati Music Festival presented by P&G, Gold Star, Cincinnati Enquirer and Radio One.

For more information on how to enter, go to artswave.org/cincyjams