HAMLET — Jonathan Robinson and his band have a gig Oct. 19 in South Carolina after placing in a Southeastern regional contest.
The singer-songwriter-guitarist was chosen as one of six performers to compete in the “Clash at the Crossroads” during the Rhythm and Q’s BBQ and Live Music Competition in Lake City, South Carolina.
The contest featured 20 acts from four states: 14 from South Carolina; three from Georgia; two from North Carolina (including Robinson); and one from Tennessee.
The six acts were announced Friday, with organizers saying there were more than 61,000 votes in 24 days. People could vote for their favorite artist more than once during the time period, but only once per day.
Robinson led the poll in the early days but started falling behind before voting ended.
“I got a little nervous at the end, but into the home stretch — before they stopped letting us see the numbers — I was ahead of seventh place by a little over 2,000 votes, so I was pretty confident,” Robinson admitted.
He was the only non-South Carolina act to be selected.
Robinson’s music is a blend of blues, rock and country, drawing inspiration from The Allman Brothers Band and Jimi Hendrix. The other acts are from various genres including different styles of rock, soul, rap, hip hop, funk, R&B, country and Americana.
He actually found out that he made the top six a few days ago, but had to keep quiet until the official announcement.
“I was really excited,” he said. “On top of the cash prize, there are a lot of opportunities for future bookings and exposure to a bigger fanbase, as well studio opportunities to record more of my originals.”
Robinson, who works at Casino Guitars in Southern Pines, released a four-song extended play (EP), “As Long As I’m Alive,” late last year.
The live competition will be decided by a panel of judges, he said.
“I really feel like we excel in live situations, so getting to go play is awesome,” Robinson added.
Joining him on stage will be drummer John Martin and bassist Bill Caswell.
“I’ve played some huge festivals in front of thousands of people as a side man,” he said, “but this is a first for me with my solo project.”
