American Idol at Calvin? Sort Of.

February 15, 2007 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Summary: The Festival of Faith & Music at Calvin College is introducing a new
twist for 2007: a chance for bands to be discovered.

For the full story see http://www.calvin.edu/admin/sao/festival/bandspotting

The Festival of Faith & Music at Calvin College is introducing a new twist for
2007: bandspotting.

Via bandspotting 10 bands will receive the opportunity to be heard by Michael
Kauffman (Asthmatic Kitty Records) and critic Andy Whitman (Paste Magazine,
Allmusic.com). Five bands will have music on a CD distributed to up to 1,000
Festival registrants. And one band will be featured live on the Fish House
stage at Calvin on Friday, March 30 with singer-songwriters Sarah Masen and Liz
Janes.

The entry fee is $50 and bands must submit a packet of music and information
by February 28 to be considered.

Rob Vander Giessen-Reitsma, a member of the ffm 2007 committee, is excited
about the opportunity to introduce Festival registrants to excellent new music
and give new bands the chance to participate in the event.

"We were receiving a lot of inquiries from newer bands who wanted to know how
to get involved with the Festival," he says. "And we didn't want this to be an
event that only featured established artists. We also wanted to create a space
that fosters the work of new bands in various genres."

Musicians and groups who wish to be considered for bandspotting will have to
submit a packet of materials by February 28, including two songs, a bio and a
photo. The details of entry are on the Festival web site at
http://www.calvin.edu/admin/sao/festival/bandspotting

The third biennial Festival of Faith and Music will take place at Calvin
College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from March 30-31. Dedicated to exploring
the conversation between faith and the art of music, the festival seeks to
create community among musicians, critics, theologians and listeners from a
variety of backgrounds. The 2007 festival will feature nationally recognized
presenters and performers, including Emmylou Harris, Sufjan Stevens, Lauren
Winner and Neko Case.

Contact Rob Vander Giessen-Reitsma at 616-526-6065 or robvgr@calvin.edu

For more on the Festival see http://www.calvin.edu/go/ffm

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Received on Thu Feb 15 15:50:18 2007