KNMC invites musicians to annual Rock Lotto event

Staff and wire report

Editor’s note: This version corrects the deadline to enter

A novel music competition is coming back to Festival Days this fall, and the sponsors are inviting people to participate.

KNMC is inviting musicians of all skill levels to participate in its annual Rock Lotto.  

Rock Lotto is an event in which musicians put their name in a drawing to be randomly placed into bands for a one-time only performance.

The event is set this year for Saturday, Sept. 17, as part of the Havre Festival Days celebration. Musicians sign up to play an instrument - guitar, bass, drums, keys, horns - or as a lead/backup vocalist. If a participant can play more than one instrument, they are encouraged to list their backup instrument in case too many are signed up to play a particular instrument. 

Rock Lotto serves as a vehicle for musicians to meet other musicians and foster a sense of camaraderie and community amongst the musicians in the area, organizer Dave Martens said.

"For musicians who have never played in a band or performed live, Rock Lotto is the perfect opportunity to test the waters because it is a short-term commitment, around six weeks for bands to assemble, practice, and perform live," he added.

Prior to Havre's annual Festival Days celebration, a music festival was held every May from the 1930s through the 1960s which brought regional bands to Havre to perform. KNMC seeks to honor that tradition by inviting musicians around the Hi-Line to join the fun by creating bands to perform at the Rock Lotto, Martens said.

Deadline to sign up is noon Friday, Aug. 5, with the band drawing and song draft that night at at 6 p.m. at the Tip-It Bar.

For more information or to get involved, people can contact Martens at 406-390-1238. 

The signup form is available online at KNMC Rock Lotto 2022 sign-up at google.com, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc21CVXLSKeumooNI7gxOxqEyKivFwnZyVB_u-QARuXQCwzvg/viewform .