Every year for the last five, WAMU’s Bluegrass Country Radio Show has broadcast numerous hours and countless bands live from the the annual bluegrass convention and trade show.
This year will be no different and the program is accepting submissions from musicians who would like to perform during the live broadcasts. The IBMA World of Bluegrass convention will be in Raleigh, NC from September 24-27.
Bands will perform and be interviewed in front a live studio audience each day between 3-6 pm ET. These in-studio performances will last 20-25 minutes and will be broadcast live on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country at 105.5 FM in Washington, DC, 93.5FM in Frederick and Hagerstown, MD, and stream live on the Internet at www.bluegrasscountry.org
According to WAMU’s Katy Daly, they liken the whole affair to something like “speed dating”. She said, “As soon as one band is off they change bands and 
interviewers and run with the next one.” There’s no time for chit-chat, we have to hit radio time.”
We asked Katy how bands can best benefit from appearing on one of these broadcasts and she replied that often it’s the radio station and the listeners who get a benefit as well.
A lot of bands may not be able to travel to or play in the Washington D.C. area and this remote broadcast from the IBMA Convention (in Nashville in the past, but in Raleigh, NC this year) gives the bands a chance to be heard by a totally new audience and gives the listeners an introduction to bands they otherwise may never see at a festival or hear on radio. She also said a lot of bands have reported bookings that came from promoters tuning in to the broadcasts.
Originally, the broadcasts were held in an undisclosed location and there was no studio audience present. Katy said that all changed the first time they had Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver on the program. She said, “The band was warming up in the elevator lobby while we were doing the broadcast just prior to theirs. Whenever the elevator doors opened and the crowd heard the band, the excitement and speculation about what might be happening would swell and even if the elevator passengers hadn’t intended to exit on that floor, they music drew them in.” When it came time for the band to be on the air, the staff member who went to escort them in came back and said he couldn’t even get near the band. Katy said, “I went down there and just reached in and grabbed the first wrist I could find and said ‘come on boys – you’re on the air’ and the crowd followed.” The energy in the room at that point was so high, they’ve had a live audience for the broadcast ever since.
To be considered for one of the 24 broadcast showcase slots, any band interested will need to submit the following no later than June 30, 2013:
1. Link to band website and Facebook page.
2. No more than three MP3s or Youtube video links of your performances, or a physical copy of your latest CD and press kit.
3. Your contact information: Name, phone number and email address
Submissions may be made online to Chris Teskey at teskey@wamu.org, or by mail to:
Broadcast Showcase Submissions
WAMU’s Bluegrass Country
4000 Brandywine Street, NW
Washington, DC 20016
The station requests no phone calls, please.
Katy said they welcome all applications, headliners and newcomers alike. And she said it doesn’t necessarily have to be a band either, they’ve booked solo acts like guitarist Jim Hurst. “We meet a lot of really nice folks through these broadcasts,” she said, “and we treat them all like their ‘Hall-of-Famers’ or will be. We truly look forward to this each year.”
Final schedule will be announced no later than August 1, 2013.
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