New musical event set for Havre Festival Days

A new musical event being organized for Havre’s annual Festival Days celebration is looking for singers and musicians.

Organizers will hold a drawing Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Town Square during the weekly Sounds on the Square Concert for a rock lotto. The names drawn will be used to put together groups that will perform during the city’s Festival Days Celebration.

Dave Martens, who is in charge of putting together KNMC Rock Lotto, said he has participated in a few rock lottos when he lived in Missoula.

He said the rock lotto will be at the center of a Sept. 17 party at Town Square to mark the 15th anniversary of Montana State University-Northern’s campus radio station obtaining the call letters KNMC.  

“KNMC is celebrating their 15th anniversary this year, and I just wanted a fun event that can promote local music, and that is what I came up with,” Martens said.

In a rock lotto event, musicians are randomly chosen to jam together for a period before the concert, often never having played together previously.

Martens said interested performers with varying evels of experience can sign up to sing or play a designated instrument: drums, guitar, bass, keyboard or other instruments.

Those who can play more than one instrument can change their roles based on the needs of their group.

“It’s just going to work out based on how many people have signed up, and then just try to find a home for each one of them,” he said.  

Participants will then put on a 20-25 minute performance consisting of covers from 1956, ’66, ’76, ’86 and ’96. Groups will play a song from each decade, which will also be chosen through a drawing Wednesday.

Martens said KNMC disc jockey Rick Linie has put together a list of covers each group of musicians will be playing.

He said 20 musicians have signed up as of Monday, and he is expecting about 25 in all, who would than be divided into four or five groups.

A signup sheet will be at Bear Paw Meats until 6 p.m Wednesday, after which Martens will pick it up and bring it to Town Square, where drawings will take place for both musicians and covers.