By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
In August, local band The Heathens opened for the Garth Brooks Tribute Band and Homebrew at Great Bend's Party in the Park. Now, the band is aiming its ambition a little higher. The Heathens have advanced to the quarterfinals in a national contest that will benefit the winning band as well as raise suicide awareness.
"It's a competition put on in conjunction with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention," said Lyle Jones, singer and guitar player for The Heathens. "The winners of this contest will be performing Saturday, Oct. 14, at the We Can Survive Concert. They will be opening for Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5, and OneRepublic."
More than 50,000 acts entered the first round of the contest, with the winner traveling to New York City for the big concert. The Heathens are one of 520 acts to make the quarterfinals. The band will need to win their quarterfinal to continue advancing to the next round.
"We are currently third in our group in the quarterfinals," Jones said. "The quarterfinals last through Thursday. If we end up in first our group, semifinals last until Sept. 14, and the finals last until Sept. 21."
Free votes for the band can be cast online once every 24 hours. There is also a pay option that allows for more voting, with every dollar spent benefitting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. CLICK HERE TO VOTE.
In an effort to fundraise and collect votes, The Heathens are offering a tiered sponsorship starting at $200. Five hundred dollars will get a sponsor a private acoustic show or, if a business, five advertisements. For $1,000, the band will record a custom song of any genre for the sponsor. At $5,000, the band will perform a full concert for the sponsor. If The Heathens do win the trip to New York, the highest donor will receive two VIP tickets to the concert plus accommodations.
If The Heathens make it to the final stage of the contest, Jones said the band plans to play a three-hour show at the Crest Theater. The Heathens, made up of Jones, Byron Austin, and Brett Staub, recorded their first album, "For Love of Money," in August.