City Music, your local music store, hosts a FutureStars Showcase every year. FutureStars gives teen bands (ages 18 and under) an opportunity to perform on stage, with professional sound system support, for family and friends. It is an amazing experience for young musicians and impressive to all that attend! This year’s FutureStars Showcase will be held Sunday March 31, 2019 from 4-8pm at the Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley, MA.


FutureStars is NOT a battle of the bands. It is truly a showcase that welcomes all genres of music. Bands receive cash, prizes and prestige for participating. The band that sells the most tickets earns the coveted ‘headliner’ spot to close the concert, and future opportunities to perform at other public venues.


Since 2004 City Music has been hosting FutureStars Showcases for teen musicians, raising more than $23000 for our local public schools’ music programs. Our Showcase has seen the start of many young musicians through the years:


• Jack Babineau was a FutureStar soloist in 2008 that has developed a robust performance career, opening for great acts like Blues Traveler, Clint Black, Devon Allman’s Honeytribe, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and John Cafferty. www.jackbabineau.com/


• In 2013, The Cranks – then a trio (twins Connor and Haley Gowland and Alex Markoski) that had already recorded three cd’s of their original music performed at FutureStars. They went on to win the RADAR award from New England Music Awards and Pavoh.org for rising artists in New England. In 2015, The Cranks released a 4th CD called “Cute
Hat” www.thecranks.com/


• Bradley James also played at the 2013 Showcase. Just 10 years old at the time, this young jazz pianist wowed the audience with his jazz originals and stage presence. Bradley went on to become the youngest musician to perform at Faneuil Hall Marketplace where he is known as the “Boston Piano Kid”. In 2016 he played at Fenway onstage with Billy Joel, performing “Root Beer Rag”. www.facebook.com/BostonPianoKid/


Who knows what young musicians will step on our stage this year, but we look forward to hearing their music and applauding their efforts. It is an exciting and impressive experience, even for those who choose not to pursue music as a career. If you know a young musician or band 18 years or younger that would like this opportunity, encourage them apply for FutureStars Showcase 2019 at www.citymusiconline.com. Application deadline is February 23.2019.


About City Music
City Music is your local music store since 2003 located in Leominster and Gardner. We are happy to assist our customers in choosing the perfect musical instrument and our prices can’t be beat – we will meet or beat any authorized on-line or big box dealer pricing. City Music’s
Lesson Studios host the area’s most talented music teachers for guitar lessons, piano lessons, voice lessons, drum lessons and more. We are grateful to the ongoing support of our Gardner and Leominster communities, and we have strived to return that support by contributing to the music programs of the local schools. Since 2004, we have been hosting the FutureStars Showcases, giving teen musicians an opportunity to perform for family and friends at a concert venue. The proceeds from these events – more than $23000 – have been donated to the Leominster and Gardner public school music programs. And we are proud to say that some of the young musicians that first played on our FutureStars stage have become professional performers; Jack Babineau, Jordan Racine, and Crashdown among others