Two weeks down and four winners are now waiting in the wings for their next chance to achieve local music immortality, and at the end of this night, two more will get to join that elite company.

Honest to goodness, this is Indiana music at its finest.

Night 3 of the 2014 Acoustic Live Challenge is here. This time around, 4 acts will compete for bragging rights, spending cash, and a special prize package.

But for those who haven’t been keeping up, here’s a quick rundown of how things work:

Each act – which can have no more than 3 people on stage at a time – gets 25 minutes to perform and impress not only their fans and their peers, but also a panel of judges who will keep track of everything from music and stage presence to appearance and marketability. The catch is you can only perform original music, so no cover songs allowed. At the end of the night, both audience members and judges will vote for who they think should move on (there’s a 60/40 split between both parties respectively). The two acts with the most points at the end of the night will move on to the semi-finals.

Sounds simple enough, right? Let’s move on to the real fun now:

One of our performers had to drop out at the last minute to tend to another issue, so we’re left with four acts. Up first is a man by the name of Josh Hann.

Along with his associate “Tree Man,” he creates an oddly calming atmosphere in a building that usually plays club music on the floor below and in the adjacent room. Almost like the kind of person I’d expect to hear at an open mic at a coffee shop. To accompany this, he has a very chill personality, like someone who just loves music and performing for people. Though there were times where he tended to pull away from the microphone a little too much and several instances where the two performers weren’t on the same page in terms of stage presence (one moved around, one didn’t), there’s no denying his talent. It’s a nice, solid way to kick things off.

By the looks of it, we’ve got a few more people in the house for tonight’s show. Some sit at the tables enjoying their drinks and conversing with others, while some have taken to occupying a kidney bean-shaped chair right in front of the stage to support their friends.

Which leads us to our next performers: a trio that calls themselves Bending Barley.

Utilizing a bass, a guitar, and a singer, Bending Barley brought their blend of indie/folk to 247 Sky Bar for a performance that seemed to hit on every note (literally and figuratively). Like many performers, they seemed a little skittish and rushed at the beginning, which can happen when there are time constraints, but once they settled in, it was like a switch went off. Their sound was full and rich, even for a stripped down acoustic performance, their chemistry was spot-on and they all seemed to play off one another just enough, and with the way they handled themselves on stage, you couldn’t help but be drawn into what they were doing. A dedication to bassist Dustin Gearlds’ mother helped to make them even more likable (and drawing many “d’aawww” reactions from the crowd in the process). Overall, they were fun, and the audience seems like they enjoyed it as much as the band did performing.

This week, we’re fortunate to have not one, but two trios performing (I hope that last statement wasn’t too confusing). For act #3, we’ve got Jerry Allen and what host Rob Snodgrass has dubbed, “The Crew” (not an official name).

Some acts are more light-hearted in nature, and this one takes things down to a darker and slightly grittier place, almost like something you would hear on an Alice in Chains or Godsmack record. With two guitars and a cajón, they have a great balance in what they’re trying to do. One element doesn’t overpower the other, and their on-stage chemistry helped them to sound like a complete unit rather than three people on stage performing at once. In addition to that, they’re very personable, and even though it’s a pretty big room, do a good job and keeping things as intimate as possible. The only issue with their performance (besides teasing me with a metal riff), was they tended to play it a little safe in terms of their song selection. It’s like that traveler who doesn’t want to venture too far off the beaten path and instead sticking to what’s familiar, with the exception of the last song. However, sometimes it’s just about execution, and sometimes that’s just enough to get you through to the next round. Is this one of those cases? We’ll see.

One more for the night. It’s a soloist this time, and she has already admit to being very nervous before going up on stage. I vaguely remember seeing her the last time I did this, so let’s see what happens this time.

That being said, let’s welcome Lacey Chaddock.

Like she told (warned) us before, she looks like she’s about to burst from how much nervous energy she has, and at first, it seemed to be all over the place. On the other side of that, when the music started, she looked right at home and in her element. Strip away some of the rambling and jokes and you’ve got a very honest, soulful performance from someone who really knows her craft. She even performs on a chair that belonged to her grandmother. I chalked some of her antics up to nerves, but as the performance went on, I think that was more just her actual personality shining through. She’s very fun, and there’s a sincerity about her performance that you just can’t duplicate. Sure it might not have felt like a cohesive performance and maybe even let her nerves get the best of her at times, but you can’t help but admire her heart.

And just like that, it’s over. Audience members turn in their ballots, and judges huddle around the table to discuss what we just saw, and award points accordingly. This feels like a much tighter race than the previous week, and we’re all anxious to see how everyone voted. While we all wait, performers chat and network with each other, and the rest enjoy their drinks and converse politely. Okay, so it’s probably not as long of a wait as it feels, but soon enough, we’ll get our answers.

Host Rob Snodgrass makes his way back to the stage to thank everyone before revealing the final results. Your winners for tonight are…

2nd: Lacey Chaddock
1st: Bending Barley

And another night of the Acoustic Live Challenge is in the books. Pleasantries are exchanged as the rest of the room clears out. The stage is struck and the equipment is packed away until next week.

As the dust settles, it’s time to start looking towards next week, where 5 more artists will have the chance to prove themselves. We’re barely scratching the surface of this year’s challenge, and much like the weather, things are just heating up.

So join us, won’t you? After all, every vote counts.

See you all next week.