Band Contest

We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the 2024 Meltdown Band Contest!

First place

Ten Dollar Wedding (from Phoenix, Arizona)

Ten Dollar Wedding includes:

• Chris Doyle – guitar
• Bobby Krech – fiddle
• Brian Mariner – mandolin
• Marc Oxborrow – bass
• Patrick Brady – banjo

Catch Ten Dollar Wedding performing on the main stages for Meltdown 2025!

Second place

Lightweight Travelers (from Durango, Colorado)

The band includes

• Jackson Magyar – mandolin
• Theresa Piela – vocals
• Keith Warshany – guitar
• Dennon Jones – fiddle
• Alex Paul – bass

Third place

Whiskey Business (from Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Bandmembers include:

• Fiona McLaughlin – vocals, guitar
• Isabel Hebenstreit – vocals, guitar
• Nora Ito – mandolin
• Luke Brucker – bass
• Claire Thompson – fiddle

Thank you to all the bands who participated and brought their sounds and energy to Meltdown 2024!

General Band Contest Rules

 

Registration and contest procedure

Registration is first-come, first-served and limited to the first 10 registered bands. The entry fee is $25 per band, paid at the event or online at our ticketing page.

• No drums, percussion, or electric will be allowed to participate.
• Bands must consist of no less than 3 members and no more than 6 and can have no common members, including festival performers.
• Bands will limit their set to a maximum of 10 minutes, consisting of 3 songs – one instrumental, one fast song with vocals, and one slow song with vocals.
• Bands will give a single-mic performance with a DI available for the bass

Three bands will be selected for the final round, and those band members will be comped free Sunday passes to attend the finals. The same rules apply for this round from the preliminary round, with no repeats (three different songs must be chosen for the final round).

Scoring

There will be a panel of three judges that will score using the following scoring structure.

• Stage presence (10%)
• Material selection/originality (30%)
• Instrumentation skills (30%)
• Vocal performance (30%)
• Song time (go over 10 minutes per set, lose points)
• Keep in mind that this is a traditional bluegrass festival
• All scoring will be kept confidential and anonymous

1st place:

• Main stage set for the following Meltdown
• $500 cash prize

2nd place:

• Strings (excluding bass and fiddle strings)
• $250 cash prize

3rd place:

• Strings (excluding bass and fiddle strings)
• $150 cash prize