News

Hey Ladies! Wanna Be in Beyonce's Band?

With the release of her highly-anticipated new album B-Day drawing nigh, the world's most "Bootylicious" R&B diva, Beyonce, is looking for a new band to join her on tour. And she's giving fans a chance to audition for it. There's just one catch: You have to be female.

Whether it's a clever publicity stunt or a testament to the lack of female musicians working in hip-hop and R&B, Beyonce and her creative team have decided to hold nationwide auditions to find her an all-female backing band. According to a press release from the singer's label, auditioners must be at least 18 years of age and come prepared to play Beyonce's hit song, "Work It Out" -- specifically, the version heard on the Beyonce: Live at Wembley DVD. They must also be able to solo for at least one minute.

Instruments up for grabs are drums, keys, bass, guitar, horns (alto, tenor, sax, trumpet) and percussion. In addition to having the chops, auditioners must also be able to play by ear and have a "look" -- the label doesn't specify what kind of look, but we're guessing they don't mean scruffy indie rocker.

All auditions take place on Monday, June 12. Finalists will be flown to New York later that week to perform a final audition for Beyoncé herself.

Here's a list of audition locations. Good luck, ladies!

New York/New Jersey Area:

SST
1806 Park Ave
Weehawken, NJ. 07086
201-864-5666
www.sstrentals.com

Southeast/Atlanta Area:

Crossover Entertainment Studios
1310 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd
Atlanta, GA. 30318
404-352-3716
www.crossover-studios.com

Southern California/Los Angeles Area:

Center Staging
3407 Winona Ave.
Burbank, CA. 91504
818-559-4333
www.centerstaging.com
www.rehearsals.com

Midwest/Chicago Area:

Pressure Point Recording Studios
2239 South Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL. 60616
312-842-8099
www.pprecs.com

West/Houston Area:

VT2 Studios
2401 West Bellfort
Houston, TX 77054
p 713.877.1877
www.vt2.com

--The ARTISTdirect Staff
06.08.06