Casino news source: Sun Herald: http://www.sunherald.com
In search of Grand bands
By and large, the concept of a steady paycheck and playing in a rock 'n' roll band doesn't go hand in hand. That's a notion The Grand Biloxi hopes to change, at least for a select few.
"We're inviting bands to come out and audition for us, basically. We have bands that play regularly, and what we're doing is we're inviting bands to come audition for the opportunity to be in our regular rotation," said Sherry D. Ellerbe, Grand Biloxi director of marketing. "We have the pleasure of having a casino bar right in the middle of the casino floor, so one of the things that we think, that our customers tell us, that creates a really fun gaming experience is our nightly entertainment on the casino floor."
Originally scheduled to take place Jan. 22-23, the auditions sparked enough interest that a third day, Jan. 24, was added to the schedule.
"We have bands coming to us from as far away as Missouri. We also have local bands - some bands from Gautier and Gulfport, from Biloxi of course, Vancleave. Also a band coming from Atlanta, and Destin. So the word got out. That's why we had to add the third day, to be able to accommodate as many bands as possible," said Ellerbe.
The auditions, to be performed before several judges, including a celebrity judge, on the casino floor, are not for house bands per se, but rather for regular appearances.
"Maybe it's once a month, or a couple of days a month for the rest of the year. Our goal is, within a week of the showcase, after all of our judges get together to discuss it, to actually start calling back the bands we like and book them right then and there for future dates," said Ellerbe.
So what type of bands will the judges be looking for?
"We need bands that play a variety of music. So they have to be very diverse in their repertoire. We don't want just a reggae band, or just a blues band," said Ellerbe. "We want people that will be able to play all genres, because our customer base is so varied. So we want them to be able to play off of our crowd, and be able to play to our crowd."
Ellerbe also encouraged supporters of the various bands to turn out and provide their own feedback.
"Absolutely. Come out and hang out on the casino floor, sit at your favorite slot machine, and you can hear the action. They'll be auditioning in the middle of the casino," she said. "We're going to have an MC. And while customers won't necessarily have the same voting sheet as our judges, I would venture to say that if you're sitting at a slot machine, and you just listened to a band play 15 minutes, and you really, really loved them, you're probably going to clap and jump up and be excited. And perhaps if you really didn't love them, you might let us know that too. So we look and see how bands play to the crowd."
The auditions take place noon-8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, and Wednesday, Jan. 24.
"We will take people as long as we have space. Our goal is to give bands an opportunity to really showcase their talent, and get on our schedule. Because we'd love to have them on our schedule long-term, instead of kind of one-off," said Ellerbe. "We want to give that steady paycheck. It'll make it easy for us, and hopefully make it easy for them."
Interested parties should contact Angela Blahut-Neville at (228) 436-2722 by Tuesday (Jan. 16).
Pete Tattersall can be reached at ptattersall@sunherald.com.
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