Pittsburgh band wins opportunity to play ideal gig and wins recording contract
East Rutherford, New Jersey –Bon Jovi and Saturn in partnership with AEG Live & Monarch Entertainment Group awarded Saturn’s HAVE A NICE GIG grand prize- winner. Jon Bon Jovi and Ritchie Sambora select Pittsburgh’s The Yards as the winner of the third installment of Saturn’s HAVE A NICE GIG. The Yards opened the July 29 tour finale at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. In addition, the group will receive a demo recording deal, working with Grammy winner producer and writer – John Shanks – an offer that is valued at approximately $100,000.
The Yards was selected from nine regional semifinalists who each beat hundreds of bands in local market competitions to advance in the contest. The group was then selected by Bon Jovi and Sambora to open the tour finale. After reviewing and critiquing over and over each semifinalists’ taped local performance, the Pittsburgh band was selected. The winner was based on songwriting, crowd response and overall performance.
The Yards have been together for more than five years and have built a following not only in the Pittsburgh area, but along the East coast according to band lead singer, Camden Leeds. Band members agree this has been the “gig” of a lifetime and just want to ride this wave out as far as it will take them.
“We have been doing this for so long and going from club to club, city to city trying to build our following,” said Leeds. “We just got a huge shot in the arm with some very heavy power.”
The contest gave local unsigned bands the opportunity to play for the chance to open for Bon Jovi at various stadium dates during the “Have a Nice Day” Stadium Tour this summer. Each winning local band then qualified as a finalist for the ultimate gig – opening for Bon Jovi at the “Have a Nice Day” tour finale at Giants Stadium, July 29 as well as the $100,000 demo recording deal with John Shanks. Regional events were scheduled in nine various markets across the country including; Seattle, Philadelphia and the kick off in Dallas. Additional markets included the Boston area, New Jersey area, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and Ft. Lauderdale.
“Each contest gave local music fans the opportunity to come out and support talented upcoming artists in their area,” said Dave Smidebush, Saturn Director of Marketing. “Saturn supports emerging artists and their originality, Saturn vehicles and marketing is based on individualism and uniqueness.”
Judges selected by the participating radio partners graded each band’s performance based on various areas of performance; creativity and uniqueness, sound and rhythm, and overall performance. The judging was based on a 100-point scale and the band with the most points claimed the honor of opening for Bon Jovi at the local stadium tour date.
About Bon Jovi Over the last two decades, Bon Jovi has earned the respect of the music industry and the loyalty of legions of fans around the globe. They have sold over 100 million albums worldwide and since forming in 1984, Bon Jovi has performed more than 2,500 concerts in 50 countries before more than 32-million people. Bon Jovi released their ninth studio album, September 20, 2005, “Have A Nice Day” (Island Records). The current album is certified Platinum (RIAA). The “Have A Nice Day” World Tour is promoted by AEG Live/Concerts West.
About Saturn Saturn, a division of General Motors Corp., markets vehicles in the U.S. and Canada through a network of about 500 retailers, with a focus on providing innovative products with solid value and excellent customer service. In 2006, the brand begins a major revitalization of its portfolio with four new vehicles: the Sky roadster, the Aura midsize sports sedan, the Vue Green Line Hybrid and the Outlook large crossover utility. These new vehicles join the current lineup that includes the Ion small car, Vue compact SUV and the Relay crossover van.
About John Shanks Writer/producer, John Shanks didn’t surprise colleagues when he took home the hardware for Producer of the Year at the 2005 Grammy Awards. Shanks has laid claim to 40 million records sold, 16 Top 10 singles and 14 Top Ten albums. Among the long list of musicians Shanks has worked along side with include Sheryl Crow, Michelle Branch, Ashlee Simpson and Enrique Iglesias. Shanks also collaborated with Bon Jovi on their latest release, “Have a Nice Day.” His latest work can be seen and heard in this summer’s Disney release Cars in the opening title song.
