Throughout Columbus Day weekend (Oct. 10 to 12), the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area will host the Electric City Music Conference. This event offers local musicians of Northeastern PA, the opportunity to gain local and national recognition.

The weekend kicks off with the Steamtown Music Awards on Friday Oct. 10 at the V Spot, on Providence from 5:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.. This eventful night will mimic the Grammy award show, complete with a red carpet. A committee of local music experts along with public listeners will vote to determine the winners. Artists from various genres will be represented throughout the weekend to please any listeners taste.

On Sunday, Oct. 12, 120 bands will be playing at 20 different venues from 5:00 p.m. until midnight. The complete list of line-ups can be found at www.electriccitymusicconference.com.

In addition to the countless performances, music industry professionals from New York City,

Los Angeles, and Philadelphia

will give

presentations, and meet and greets during the weekend. Workshops and master classes will also be offered to those interested. To add to the networking opportunities available, independent music labels, booking agencies, major record labels, management agencies, and more will be represented at various times.

Joseph Caviston, Carbondale, is one of the organizers of the conference. He formerly owned the music venue Eleanor Rigby’s and has worked since 2005 booking many other popular music venues like, ‘The Vans Warped Tour’, The Sherman Theatre and Dobbs.

Caviston teamed up with Kenny Norton, of the local music success Graces Downfall, to put together this event. Norton and Caviston worked together for seven years on a pervious event called the “Steamtown Original Music Showcase.” After this showcase ended they decided they wanted to continue the tradition through a different format.

One of the main sponsors for the events is the Electric City Tattoo Galley. Woody Woodock, one of the owners of the Tattoo Galley, says he was asked by Norton and Caviston to help support this event because of a former connection with the “Steamtown Original Music Showcase.” Woodock says, he wanted to help out with the program and remarks about his excitement to support the local community.

“We know a good bit of the bands either from tattooing or just from being downtown–I think it will have a good turn out because of the guys who are running it,” Woodock adds.

This lively weekend is, according to Caviston, “a great networking event for local bands to meet other musicians, set up other shows, and work together to span the music scene.”