The Gig

WHAT IS ‘THE GIG?’
The Gig is a musical talent competition promoted and sponsored by The Highway Community in support of local high school independent music. The Gig 2008 is scheduled for Friday, May 23, at 7:30pm in the Haymarket Theatre at Palo Alto High School.

WHO IS THE HIGHWAY COMMUNITY AND WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS?
The Highway Community is an independent, non-denominational Christian church that meets Sundays at 9:30am both in the Haymarket Theater at Palo Alto High School and in Mountain View on Miramonte Ave.(near St. Francis High). Music and the arts are foundational pieces of our church life. Part of our mission as it pertains to the arts is to try and support and interact with artists not only within our church also outside it. It’s a healthy (and fun) way to serve the community that serves us. We don’t have any distinct, religious agenda or motivation to put on The Gig. We hope it’s a fun, safe, encouraging place for students to check out music, for student musicians to meet other student musicians, and for student artists to get to the next level in their performance craft. Our relationship with the Red Rock in downtown Mountain View also provides Gig participants the opportunity to keep playing live beyond the night of the event.

WHO DECIDES WHO GETS INTO ‘THE GIG?’
Kevin Marks and Ryan Kingsmith, the Creative Arts Directors for The Highway Community.

WHAT ARE THE RULES FOR DEMOS?
You or your band / group lineup must reflect that at least half of your members attend high school. We accept CDs (3 songs max), and will listen to streaming audio on a website of your choice (MySpace, PureVolume, GarageBand, MusicHawk, your band’s site, etc.). Give your demo to your school’s contact person. You can also drop off demos at Red Rock, 201 Castro Street, Mountain View (IMPORTANT: they must be marked ‘ATTN: Emily’ and say ‘THE GIG’ ). The deadline for demos is May 7. If your band is invited to play, we will contact you regarding details on soundcheck, performance, etc.

WHO JUDGES THE GIG?
The judges for The Gig change each year. 2008 judges will be announced soon!

WHAT ARE THE RULES IF MY BAND GETS IN?
Rules are basic common sense. Keep it clean. Don’t break anything or encourage the audience to break anything (or each other). No negativity. This is our third year for The Gig and we hope it will be an ongoing outlet for student music in the future. To ensure it continues, be smart. Besides, the prizes are good. We have professional sound engineers for The Gig, so do what they say. They are there to make you or your band sound good, not to mess with you. Oh, and your set must be 15 minutes or less. Last rule: play your best and enjoy yourselves.

WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?
1st Prize - record a 3-song demo at a professional studio
2nd Prize - $200 Guitar Center gift certificate
3rd Prize - $25 iTunes gift certificates for everyone in your band
ALSO: all prizes afford you or your band a weekend show at Red Rock in downtown Mountain View.

WHAT IS THE ADMISSION PRICE?
The gig is a free event!

I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS. WHO DO I CONTACT?
Ryan Kingsmith. Or call us at 650-968-4200.

Good luck!