Bayside will be touring the states this fall in support of their forthcoming album, Interrobang, out October 4th via Hopeless Records. You can pre-order the album here. Presale and VIP tickets are available now at bayside.shofetti.com. General on-sale begins this Friday, September 27th.
Additionally, Bayside are giving fans the opportunity to decide what un-signed, non-touring bands will get the opportunity to open up for the tour by holding a contest! Fans will be able to vote for who they want to see perform, with one band being selected per show. On the decision to put together this contest, frontman Anthony Raneri shares:
“When we were starting out as a band, there were a lot of times that it felt like our wheels were spinning. We felt like we were trying so hard and often felt like we weren’t gaining any ground. What helped us to keep moving forward were the glimmers of excitement and validation that would come every once in a while. Someone on the street telling you they liked your band or a band you played with telling you that you sounded good. Nothing ever made us feel like we were on the right track than getting a chance to play a well-attended show to a room full of people. A real opportunity to play your songs and be your best because if you can make that room full of people smile, it could be the validation or the spark that a band needs to know that they’re on the right track.
We put this contest together to try and give 29 different bands that jolt of energy that we felt like we needed at times. A chance to play your songs and be your best in front of a room full of peopleThe rules are pretty simple, we are only accepting submissions from bands that are not signed and aren’t touring. The definition of those things are at our discretion. That’s pretty much it. We won’t disqualify any bands based on genre or even our opinions of them. If you are a local, unsigned band, you are welcome to be a part of the contest.The contest is fan voting. This means that your fans or friends will come and vote and whoever gets the most votes will open the show in their city. The contest will live on the Bayside website for everyone to see with links to all of the band’s music. We encourage our fans to listen to these bands that are working hard and give them a shot. If you’re a Bayside fan just heading to our site to pick up tickets or the new record, we would love for you to listen to at least the bands that are submitted for your city and vote. You may find your new favorite band right in your backyard.“Pay to play” has become a popular term to describe the practice of local bands having to either buy on to bigger shows or sell advance tickets to earn their spot. This isn’t a that. We have always tried to treat every band that opens for us as a valued member of the show or tour. Everyone deserves to be there and we are thankful for everyone there whether they are in the crowd, on the stage or working the box office. You will be paid to play. You can set up merch. You can soundcheck.“
