Thank you to all the bands and fans for participating in this year's Last Banjo Standing contest. As per the contest rules, we conferred with some of the artists on the bill and chose the Last Banjo Standing winner from amongst the TOP FIVE VOTE-GETTERS. The decision was a tough one and disappointing people was no fun at all. But take a second to congratulate Donnie Biggins, and welcome him to the Main Stage this November.

Unexpected to festival organizers, the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival's "Last Banjo Standing" play-in contest has been a hit. With over 75 bands entered and over 25,000 votes cast, it’s clear that the indie roots music scene is far from dormant. Midwest musicians, don’t fret, as there’s clearly no need to include a DJ Set in your repertoire to move the masses.

After 15 grueling days of viral voting and myspace pleas, the votes have been tallied and the festival organizers and artists have spoken. Donnie Biggins, an unpolished and unapologetic singer/songwriter that swears by the inspiration provided by solitude and a Dylan poster, will be opening up the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival on the Main Stage this November.

Alongside an array of acts far more established and polished, Donnie sang like no one was listening and provided an artist bio that read like a journal entry you’d be embarrassed for your friends to read. While he’s surely not the first songwriter to pen a song about Barak Obama, he might be the first to avoid sounding contrived or trite in doing so.

So with a MySpace page void of videos showcasing his talents and a mere handful of public appearances under his belt, it’s hard to say what we can expect come November 22nd. But whatever Donnie has to say that day, you can count on the fact that he’ll mean it.

And for fans of Squeeze-Bot, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, and Off the Wagon Bluegrass Band, there’s good news around the horizon. Too good to turn down, and a bill too full to add to this year, each of the four fellow top-five finishers have been offered a spot on the 2009 Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival lineup. And thus far, Squeeze-Bot has already accepted our offer and joined on for next year. So if you know the rest of these great artists, make sure they don’t turn it down!