HOLY COW. All 10 bands who are chosen for the competition portion of Rockonsin will perform their competition showcase on the Johnson Control's World Stage at Summerfest in Milwaukee. (Photo by Emily Sisson)

A time-tested opportunity for young musicians to showcase their talent outside of the classroom is back in full force.

Rockonsin, a youth garage band competition showcasing Wisconsin musicians, just opened their application period for their 2022 event. For its 18th year, the competition puts 7th-12th grade bands of all musical genres up against each other in a battle of the bands to determine who will compete in the state-level portion of the competition in Milwaukee. The application period is open until April 30. The two-day competition (dates to be announced) will be conducted at Summerfest during its festival run held over three weeks (June 23-25, June 30-July 7, and July 7-9). 

Eau Claire-based drummer Trevor Long competed in the competition while he attended North High School with his bands Orion and Fictional Forever, advancing to the state competition and playing Summerfest in Milwaukee in 2014 on the Johnson Control’s World Stage.

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I was forced to take a close look at my drumming and focus on certain things like maintaining tempo and playing with a good feel.

Trevor long

rockonsin alumnus

“Rockonsin is a valuable experience,” Long said. “It gives young rock bands an opportunity to showcase their skills with other instruments other than their concert band instruments. I also think the experience is a great opportunity to grow as a musician. When I competed in it, I was forced to take a close look at my drumming and focus on certain things like maintaining tempo and playing with a good feel. I would tell any young musician in a band to give the competition a shot.”

Interested bands are invited to send in one song (cover original) video of their band’s performance with no entry fee attached. Three music industry professionals will review and score out all band application videos to determine the Top 10 State Finalist bands invited to Summerfest for the finals competition. Each of the Top 10 State Finalist bands selected will receive two Shure microphones, with the winning band also receiving a wireless vocal microphone system.

At the Summerfest competition, the winning and runner-up bands will each receive a 40-minute showcase gig at Summerfest 2022 in addition to receiving a professional recording session at Madison’s Blast House Studios (12 hours for the winner and eight hours for the runner-up). 

Bassist/vocalist Sam Hellman performed at Rockonsin while attending Regis High School with his band Rewind Society, and said the competition does wonders for showing young musicians the potential for their musical careers once they graduate.

“I think a competition like Rockconsin is an overall positive experience for young musicians,” Hellman said. “Not only do you get to connect with other like-minded individuals who have a passion for music, but you also expose yourself to valuable constructive criticism that you may not be receiving from your close friends and family. These things, combined with the opportunity to play live at Summerfest, can go a long way in keeping young musicians engaged and excited about growing as artists.”

For more information on Rockonsin visit rockonsin.org.