A local non-profit organization’s Facebook poll stuck controversy amongst Shreveport music lovers. GoSBC (Go Shreveport-Bossier City), a non-profit organization the mission of which is to fundraise for local start-up restaurants and bars, is hosting their third annual Red River Margarita Pour-Off. The Pour-Off is a four-hour margarita competition where over 1800 attendees can taste and vote for their favorite margarita and the winner wins $1000.
This year, GoSBC looked to book a live band as opposed to having a DJ like they have in the past. However, upon posting a Facebook poll on their event page asking for suggestions on local musicians things became a little messy. Upon the end of the poll, the top three bands went as such: Ole Whiskey Revival in first, Rella was second, and Southern Roots third. However, GoSBC chose to book Southern Roots, a local country band.
Poll participants, as well as the bands, were outraged at the blatant disregard for the “rules” of polling. What voters failed to realize was that the poll was never a contest. Executive Director of the event, Nico Ponce said, “No one with GoSBC [who is] planning the event is from Shreveport, so we didn’t know who was popular in the area. We put out the poll hoping to gain some insight into who to book.”
Ponce explained there were many factors that went into booking Southern Roots as opposed to the other two bands. Firstly, Southern Roots took it upon themselves to reach out to GoSBC for the potential booking. As well as reaching out, they could also provide their own live sound engineering. “We are a non-profit organization so we are working with practically no budget. Southern Roots provided their own sound…This cut down the overall cost of the event,” Ponce said, “We really wanted Ole Whiskey Revival to play, but price-wise Southern Roots was the best choice.”
GoSBC wanted to extend an apology to everyone who was upset with the booking. “We are just two guys from Shreveport that started a margarita competition to unite local restaurants and bars. We are not in the music business or involved with the local music scene. We are not professional pollers. We put out the poll to gain insight on which bands were around. Maybe we should’ve read- Polling for Dummies before hand.”
Ole Whiskey Revival also had a message for their fans: “Ole whiskey would like to apologize for any confusion we may have added to regarding the voting poll. Our goal was to simply notify our loyal fan base that the lineup would not include us. We would also like to thank our fan base for their support during this whole situation. We look forward to seeing each and every one of you out at the next show where you are sure to have a great time!”
For more information about the Red River Margarita Pour Off visit: www.redriverpouroff.com