HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- You can audition, but you won't really know if the people you're auditioning for are actually there at any given moment. This is the clever twist in the open call for local bands to vie for the coveted, last remaining slot in Lowe Mill's Concerts on the Dock outdoor live music series, which draw crowds as big as 3,000 or so.

Another wrinkle: Musicians won't audition for Concerts on the Dock on the Flying Monkey Arts stage or anywhere else at Lowe Mill, but by busking on the downtown square July 18 and 25 beginning at 5 p.m. "Talent scouts" will evaluate each audition incognito. The winner, to be announced in August, tops the bill at the Sept. 12 Concerts on the Dock. (Read about the rest of the fall lineup below.)

Lowe Mill collaborated with non-profit development organization Downtown Huntsville Inc. on the busking audition concept.

"We really wanted one more local talent on the fall line-up," Lowe Mill event coordinator Alicia Staffhorst says. "This idea arose and this date was still available." She adds, "This was an idea that brought us all closer to downtown."

The principles hatched the idea during a meeting at Lowe Mill sandwich and wrap spot Happy Tummy, Downtown Huntsville Inc. CEO Chad Emerson says. "We met and talked about everything from band polls to voting. And what we came up with was, 'What if we had a one or two different people that watched all the auditions and selected the winner?'"

Huntsville-area artists interested in auditioning for the Sept. 12 Concerts on the Dock should have at least two hours of family friendly original material. Email DHI Director of Communications Macy Chapman at macy@downtownhuntsville.org for more information to secure a 20-minute audition slot July 18 or 25, and include artist name, description and relevant links in the email. "The more (auditioning artists) we get, the more free music we'll get to hear on the square," Emerson says. "If we get 50 people sincerely expressing interest that fit the bill, we'll hear 50. If we get five, we'll hear five. Our super-secret talent scout is in it for the duration."

So just who are these "super-secret talent scouts"? Not Staffhorst, who curated the rest of the fall Concerts on the Dock lineup. "If you see me out there, be aware I am not the judge. I am just there to enjoy all the talented people we have in this great city," she says. Emerson hesitates to elaborate much on the scouts' background, but says, "There will be at least one very qualified secret talent scout that knows when they hear great music."

Founded in 2007, Concerts on the Dock is held Fridays during spring and fall on a former loading dock at Lowe Mill, the sprawling arts center located at 2211 Seminole Drive. The shows run 6 – 9 p.m. with free admission. A $2 donation for parking is suggested.

Here's an at-glance look at the fall 2014 lineup, among Concerts on the Dock's strongest and most diverse yet.

Sept. 5 Banditos

Yearning male and female vocals intertwine like vines in this Birmingham-founded and Nashville-based band that plays backwoods-y, rough-hewn rock.

Key tracks include: "No Good," "Blue Mosey #2"

Sept. 7 To be determined by downtown square auditions (see above)

Sept. 19 Soul Radics

Nashville ska/reggae octet has toured Europe and digs into influences that range from Desmond Dekker to Sam Cooke.

Key tracks include: "No Fool," "Pressin' On"

Sept. 25 DeQn Sue

Huntsville-via-Los-Angeles pop/R&B vocalist DeQn Sue's new LP "Zeitgeist" splices together art-student eccentricity, R&B-diva pipes, stream-of-consciousness lyrics and Top 40 hooks.

Key tracks include: "Magenta," "Union Station"

Oct. 3 Dawn Osborne Band

The 10 tracks on Huntsville group Dawn Osborne Band's 2013 self-titled debut album find the group pulling from jazz , country, art-pop, R&B and indie-rock.

Key tracks include: "Rope To Hang," "There Is Love"

Oct. 10 Underhill Family Orchestra

Loud garage-rock and lyrical abstractions co-exist in this promising Mobile combo's tunes, which are familiar yet mysterious and have frequently ridiculous song titles.

Key tracks include: "The Northern Lights at Camp Tranton," "Lt. Stone's Double - Crossing at Skull Hill"

Oct. 17 Eli Cook

A return performer from Concerts on the Dock's spring lineup, Charlottesville, Va. guitar-slinger Eli Cook's fifth LP "Primitive Son" finds him unfurling blues-metal riffs and baying vocals.

Key tracks: "War Horse," "Motor Queen"

Oct. 24 Megan Jean & The KFB

North Charleston. S.C. gypsy-folk duo can make a washboard and banjo sound like a voodoo ritual or a Tom Waits tune and have been winning Huntsville fans for years by playing sweaty club shows here.

Key tracks include: "Mr. Boneman," "Last Days"

Oct. 31 Festival Expressions

Festival Expressions may sound like the name of a tie-dye-selling mall-kiosk, but this Birmingham quintet's material is sunny enough it just may convince you to purchase a tie-dye at a mall kiosk.

Key tracks: "Luckiest Man Alive," "Let It Grow"