On the Beat: Battle of the Bands and the Return of the Do Good Fest

Get your audition tapes ready, bands. There are battles to be had! First up is the Jam 4 SlamT1D battle of the bands, a fundraiser to support the fight against type 1 diabetes. The three-day contest takes place on June 12, 19 and 26 at the Old Post in South Burlington. But the deadline for artists to enter is midnight on April 12, so don't sleep on this one. The winning band or artist gets two days of recording at Egan Media Productions in Colchester, as well having one song added to the rotation at the Great Eastern Radio family of stations, which includes Frank 107.1 FM, Froggy 100.9 and 104.3 FM, and the Penguin 97.9 and 105.7 FM. "Through Jam 4 SlamT1D, we aim to not only showcase our area's vibrant music scene, but also help make a positive impact on the lives of people living with this condition," wrote Matt Houseman, Great Eastern Radio vice president of programming. To enter, visit froggyvermont.com. High school bands will get their chance at glory at National Life Group's annual Do Good Fest in Montpelier on July 13. The fest has big headliners in Fitz and the Tantrums and Dishwalla, but, as always, Vermont high school bands can compete to fill an open slot on the bill. Besides getting to perform at the Do Good Fest, the winning band or artist wins a $5,000 prize for their school's music department and a cool $1,000 for themselves — probably to buy decent gear, if I recall being a high school musician clearly. The application deadline is April 28. Pop over to dogoodfest.com/beatsforgood. Eye on the Scene Last week's live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry Kevin Lynam and Matthew Kloss, Paradiso Hi-Fi, Burlington, Saturday, March 23: I much prefer actual springtime, but I do relish an excuse to wear my insulated Carhartt overalls in public. So it was with a rare burst of second-winter glee that I found myself skipping across the unplowed parking lots behind Speeder & Earl's Coffee on Pine Street late Saturday night, headed to local vinyl lounge Paradiso Hi-Fi. I welcomed not just a nightcap after a productive studio day but also the opportunity to catch an experienced guest selector on the decks — better yet, two. The evening featured a four-hour buddy set of unplanned back-and-forth selections by High Breaks bassist Kevin Lynam — pulling from…