For the past two weekends, Rhythm & Brews has housed the four semi-final rounds of McKay’s Road to Nightfall series, drawing record crowds for this event. Four bands were chosen by popular vote to move on the final round, taking place Friday at Rhythm & Brews. The finalists are Function, Smooth Dialects, Amber Fults & The Ambivalent Lovers, and Jordan Hallquist & The Outfit. The Road to Nightfall winner will earn the position as a headline act at Nightfall during the 2013 season.
For the final competition, a panel of judges will be established to determine the final winner for the headlining act. In addition, all the bands that compete in the final round will be guaranteed a spot in the Nightfall series, either as the headliner or as an opening band on one of the other evenings.
A few notable facts about this year’s final round are that three of the four bands are female-fronted. In addition, drummer Hunter White will be performing with two of the acts during the round, and is also the only Chattanooga musician to make it to the final round every year of the event.
The McKay’s Road to Nightfall provides the opportunity for people in the Chattanooga market to be exposed to new, local bands they may never have heard before, and offers a chance for the artists themselves to meet, network and help grow Chattanooga’s already burgeoning music scene.
Rhythm & Brews’ operator, Mike Dougher, was thoroughly impressed with all the bands performing, stating that this is “a great opportunity for me to discover new, local talent I may not have heard of before.”
Celeste Williams, a manager with McKay Used Books, CDs, Movies & More is excited about the final round, stating, “Congratulations to the bands going to the final round and to all of those who participated and came out to lend their support. We look forward to seeing the winner onstage at Nightfall 2013.”
Nightfall will continue to feature local bands as openers for each show during the season. Special thanks to ArtsBuild Chattanooga for their sponsorship of all the opening acts at Nightfall for 2013. Nightfall is a free, outdoor concert series held at Miller Plaza each Friday night from May 3–Aug. 30.