Christmas has arrived early for me this year! And no, I am not talking about my new car (although that is a great Christmas gift. Thanks Mom and Dad!). Next week is the week that I will be listening to KTCL 93.3 as many hours of the day as possible. Why? Because it is Hometown for the Holidays!!

You’ve never heard of Hometown for the Holidays (HTFTH)? Well, if you live in Denver and care about local music as much as me (or even just a little bit), then you have to join me and support 93.3 this week. Each year they hold this contest for local bands in Colorado. Bands each submit one song, the DJ’s select 10 bands, all of whom are played on the radio for the next week or so, while YOU vote for the best. The top 3 will then play a show at Casslemans on December 17th, where, again, YOU will select the winner!

This year there were so many great bands, that there was a 4 way tie for 9th, so there will be 12 bands to select from!

Hometown for the Holidays Music Survey

I was lucky enough to attend the first ever HTFTH in 2006, where Tickle Me Pink came in 2nd place!! There were only a handful of people that made it to the concert that year at the Gothic though because of the HORRIBLE snow storm that year. Remember that? When everything shut down? Yea, I do too. Either way, Tickle Me Pink put on a fantastic show:

It’s no secret that I have become friends with many of the local bands over the past few years, and I have been lucky enough to have heard many of the HTFTH submissions already. I do not envy the DJ’s at KTCL! There are SO many good songs, and I have only heard a handful of the 200+ that were entered.

One of my favorites so far is Churchill’s song Change. The song is a slight departure from their usual songs, and while it sounds a bit like something Adele might sing, they keep their style with the mandolin and harmonies. The video they made for the song is fantastic as well:

Churchill // Change from Tim Twinem on Vimeo.

Eldren submitted their song Sleepy Walker, which starts off with a little bit of a MGMT feel and slowly progresses into their style. The video is fun, but the recording just doesn’t do Eldren justice, as they are a fantastic live band, and I encourage you to go see them whenever possible.

Another one of my picks is slightly biased, but I am posting it anyways. Inca submitted their song as well! Why is that biased? Well, it is a collaboration between my brother, Stefan of Tickle Me Pink, Joey of Tickle Me Pink and Randy of the Heyday.

A few others that I can’t link to are Doctor by My Body Sings Electric (which was stuck in my head from the first time I heard it), Still Time by Bop Skizzum (the first with their new singer Julie), Somebody to Someone by The Heyday and Animal by Homemade Explosives. Other bands that I believe submitted are Take To The Oars, Petals of Spain, Sam Lee, Vices I Admire, and I am sure MANY more that I am forgetting!

So, seriously, go sign up for the surveys now. Regardless of who makes it in the top 3, I can guarantee you will see me at Hometown for the Holidays this year!