25/11/2019
Rock The Trop is a showcase/friendly competition event for Calgary and area bands, particularly original, unique and under-appreciated acts.
We feature approximately 3 local groups every Thursday night at The Trop Bar & Grill, 1502 34th Ave. S.W.
Each band performs a half hour to 40 minute set, with the audience choosing a nightly “winner” who advances to the next round. How the winner is chosen is every member of the audience gets a ballot form and gets to vote for TWO of the 3 acts who perform that night.
Naturally, we’d like all of our participating acts to invite as many friends and fans as possible; if 20 people come to see each band, that’s an audience of 60 for all our performers to play for! As one of our main goals in organizing this event is to help bands build their fan base, a healthy sized audience is a good thing, and as the line in the old song goes, “If there’s no audience, there just ain’t no show”.
Voting for 2 of the 3 acts that night rewards bands for promoting the event, but also ensures that a group’s performance is a major factor in advancing to the next round. Plus it definitely encourages audience members to listen to all the bands more carefully, which is good for all of our performers:)
PLAYOFFS/JUDGING:
Every 4th week, we hold a playoff round (this happens 4 times, then we have the finals night).
Bands who have won their preliminary night qualify, along with at least one “wildcard” band that is added base on merit (eg. had a higher score than most qualifying acts, but still finished 2nd on their particular night).
The audience voting is the same for playoffs and the finals, but their ballots are averaged 50/50 with the overall scores awarded by a panel of 3 judges.
All of our judges are full time music industry professionals, provided by our sponsors, and from the music community at large. They are encouraged to comment on each band’s performance and offer constructive feedback and suggestions.
TO QUALIFY:
- All participants must be of legal drinking age
- You must have at least a half hour to 40 minutes of stage ready material
- Were looking for independent bands - not signed to a record label or management company
- Please have some form of recording of your band, even if you’re newly formed and it’s a smartphone audio/video recording of a song during rehearsal. This not only helps us slot bands for a better overall show, but will also help us know what to expect to make setup and soundcheck go smoothly:)
- * Register your band by calling/texting 403-650-0997 or emailing us [email protected] *
GEAR:
Provided: full professional sound and lighting rig including microphones and monitors complete with qualified on site tech
Bring: your own instruments, amps and drums
Optional: your own vocal microphones (if you’re very particular), special lighting, etc. that is not part of a normal setup but is important to your show
IN SUMMARY:
Our objective is to provide a decent professional quality stage for bands who are under appreciated by other venues, whether it’s because they are new, or even if established, considered “unusual “ or not mainstream.
All of the prizes awarded are goods and services that will help our participants advance to the next level....
And although we won’t be pushy about it, our judges/organization team/sound tech/sponsors are always available for friendly advice and to answer any appropriate questions they can help you with.
In short, our underlying purpose is to promote the wealth of musical talent in Calgary and area to a wider audience and foster a sense of community among local musicians....we’re all in the same boat together, so let’s help each other out!
