We came, we listened, we picked six regional bands to play a series of free concerts leading up to the Hangout Music Fest. Now it's up to you to pick which of them will win the opportunity to play at the Festival.

WZEW-FM 92.1 recently invited local and regional acts to enter its "Reach for the Beach" contest, and on Saturday a panel of judges waded through submission from more than 40 qualifying groups. To be eligible, bands had to be based in Alabama, or within 100 miles of Gulf Shores. Judges included members of the WZEW programming staff plus representatives of Alabama Media Group, Meyer Vacation Rentals and The Southern Rambler.

The winners: The Volks, The Underhill Family Orchestra and The Mulligan Brothers of Mobile; Joel Madison Blount and Festival Expressions of Birmingham; and Kaboom of D'Iberville, Miss.

Each of the six groups will perform an opening set during the upcoming “Countdown to Hangout Fest” concerts, a series of free shows presented at The Hangout in coming weeks. The schedule:

April 4 – The series begins with The Mowglis and The Misterwives.

April 5 – Kaboom opens for Majestico.

April 12 – The Volks open for Scars on 45 and GiGi Rowe.

April 19 – Underhill Family Orchestra opens for Sons of Fathers.

April 26 – Joel Madison Blount opens for 28 North and No Sinner.

May 3 – Festival Expressions opens for The Unlikely Candidates and The Vagabonds.

May 10 – The Mulligan Brothers will open for The Wild Feathers and Shannon LeBre.

Each group’s performance will be given a score based on audience response and judges’ reactions. The top-scoring band will be given a performance slot at the festival, which takes place May 16-18 in Gulf Shores.

For more information, visit www.92zew.net or www.thehangout.com.