COVINGTON – Area musicians are competing at a local music venue for a chance to win studio time with a Grammy-nominated producer.

On Friday night, a handful of talented singer-songwriters, who have been playing as part of the Acoustic Showcase at the Listening Room at Irish Bred Pub’s on Thursday evenings throughout the fall, will come together for the venue’s inaugural Acoustic Shootout. It is presented by the Listening Room and Periscope Studio in Atlanta.

 “Our acoustic showcase is something special, as it concentrates on those new artists that have never really had the opportunity to get up and play on a stage in front of a live audience,”  Lesley Daunt, talent buyer for the Listening Room, said.

The Listening Room, which is located upstairs at the Irish Bred Pub and Restaurant on the Square in Historic Downtown Covington, features premier live music from local and touring acts most every weekend. It is home to a full stage with professional sound equipment, lighting and seating for a full audience. On Thursdays during the fall, local and area artists signed up to play for a portion of the night.

This week, the event will culminate with a winner of the shootout – a competition between those that have the ‘it’ factor, according to Daunt. The winning artist will get free studio time at Atlanta’s Periscope Studio with engineer Karl Keilbron, who is a sound engineer for the Listening Room.

The event, which starts around 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 with doors opening at 6 p.m., will feature musicians like Shane Bell, Carrie Bowen, Shawn Christian, Justin Huff, Hannah Martin, Parks McIntosh and Brandon Owes, among others.

Admission to the event is free, courtesy of the Irish Bred Pub & Restaurant, which is located at 1115 Church St., Covington, GA 30014. Guests of the event can come early to grab dinner downstairs in the restaurant or the Pub or on the upstairs balcony overlooking the Square before the event; drinks and food also will be available to order during the event at the bar or a table.

Large parties especially are encouraged to call the pub at 678-712-9145 for reservations. More information about this event and future events at the Listening Room is available on the Facebook pages of the Listening Room at Irish Bred Pub and the Irish Bred Pub & Restaurant Covington.