La Roche – Band Competition 2019

The Roche Festival is Europe’s largest festival with bands and artists from all over Europe and the USA.  A big part of the festival is the band competition for European Bluegrass Band of the Year.

EBMA was proud to partner La Roche in the competition and supported European bluegrass bands by adding to the prize money for first, second and third places. EBMA looks forward to continuing to make this contribution in 2020 and beyond.

Between thirty and forty bands apply in the springtime for just eight showcase spots on the festival main-stage. Competition is tough with many great bands so the final eight are selected “blind” by the jury, from their recordings, to ensure complete impartiality, no favourites… after all, it is not the Eurovision Song Contest!!

This year the qualifying bands came from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Two bands played each day and had to present a one-hour show with marks awarded for their individual and combined musical ability, originality, arrangements, vocal qualities and overall performance.

The winner for 2019 was Professional Deformation, a high-energy hard driving band from the Czech Republic. All the band members are experienced musicians that have been in the “business” for quite a while. As individual players they had earned respect among musicians and audiences in their own country and around Europe. Their repertoire includes “high- tech” instrumentals, up tempo songs, as well as mellow ballads, delivering a new spark and energy to the bluegrass scene.

As winners they received €2000 from the festival and €500 form EBMA. They are also invited to play at the 2020 Rapidgrass Festival in Colorado.

Second place was the excellent New Aliquot, also from the Czech Republic who received €1000 from the festival and €250 from EBMA. 

In third place was the equally superb Blueland from Slovakia who received €500 from the festival and also €250 from EBMA.

By having this partnership with La Roche, EBMA is able to support and encourage our European bands to play to the highest level and quality. We look forward to increasing the amounts over the coming years as well as working in other areas to support all our bands, festivals and young musicians in the years to come.