Take your jam sessions outside

Upload a video of your band jamming for an online contest in the city and win freebies for a year.

Most musicians will agree that impromptu jam sessions can turn out to be a lot more fun than actual staged performances. It’s the energies that come together at these brainstorming sessions of sorts that make the process exciting.

HT Image

Now, amateur city bands have a chance to actually take their casual jam sessions outside their practice pads. Friendship Jam Video Contest 2012, organised by Barista Lavazza, is inviting artistes to submit videos of their informal performances.

The entries will then be put on the event’s website and Facebook page and two winners will be selected. One will be selected after a voting process and the second will be picked by a panel of judges.

The initiative is being organised on the occasion of Friendship Day. “It gives our guests the opportunity to come together with their friends and enjoy music and coffee,” says Nilanjan Bhattacharya, COO, India and SAARC, Barista Lavazza.

The two winners will get to drink free coffee for the entire year at Barista Lavazza outlets across the country. They will also receive a gift bag from indie bands Cactus and Half Step Down.

The Facebook page of the contest has already received numerous entries from bands across the country. From solo singer-songwriters armed with their acoustic guitars, even seven-piece gospel bands are participating in the competition.

While many of these videos are shot casually and are home-video like, others look more professional. Music enthusiasts can also witness the battle of the bands at the contest’s on-ground event.

The qualifying rounds will be held on Friday, at the Barista Lavazza outlet at Sterling and on August 4 at Santacruz, from, 4 pm onwards. The finals will be held at their Chembur café and will begin at 5 pm.