Entries Open For Hornbill International Rock Contest 2014
The ninth edition of the annual band competition held in Kohima, Nagaland, will be judged by Brit hard rock band UFO’s guitarist Vinnie Moore and rock band Smokie, who will also perform at the event
Kolkata rap rockers Underground Authority winning the Best Band award at Hornbill 2013. Photo: Danii Lee
While most international bands backed out of the first edition of the Hornbill International Rock Contest last year, the annual band competition, now in its ninth year, is calling out to internationals bands again. The contest’s organizers hope that the grand prize of Rs 10,00,000 will encourage artists from neighboring countries and as far as Japan and Australia to participate. Artists from anywhere in the world are eligible to compete and send in their entries for the upcoming edition of the Hornbill International Rock Contest, slated to take place between December 1st and December 10th, 2014 in Kohima, Nagaland.
The first band to walk away with what has been the largest band competition payoff ”“ Rs 10,00,000 ”“ were Kolakta rap rockers Underground Authority. Last month, Underground Authority used the prize money to produce their debut album, You Authority. They beat out tough competition from Chennai electro rockers The F16s [who placed third at Hornbill 2014] and local indie rock favorites We The Giants. Previous Hornbill winners include Delhi nu-metal band Joint Family, Kolkata funk rockers Gingerfeet and Delhi psychedelic rockers Indigo Children, among others.
This year, two British rock acts, including hard rock band UFO’s guitarist Vinnie Moore and rockers Smokie, best known for their 1973 hit “Living Next Door to Alice,” will judge the competition and perform in Kohima, Nagaland as part of Hornbill in December.
With entries open, both national and international artists can apply to compete at Hornbill by downloading the registration form here and attaching audio and video material ”“ an original song in MP3 or WAV format and a YouTube link to a live performance video. Artists must email the form, material, a band profile, JPEG logo and photograph to hircnagaland@gmail.com. The last date for entries for local Nagaland bands, national and international artists is October 15th. While auditions for Nagaland bands takes place on October 18th at the Regional Centre of Excellence for Music & Performing Arts (RCEMPA) in Jotsoma, Kohima, the full list of shortlisted bands will be announced on October 25th.
