Well, race fans. After a week of local bands nagging the ever-lovin' bejeezus out of their respective fan bases on social media … er, campaigning, the voting for the 2014 Grand Point North Local Band Contest has closed. All totaled, there were more than 2300 votes cast by some 1600-plus individual voters to decide which Vermont-based band will open this year's Grand Point North Festival at Burlington's Waterfront Park and canoodle with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

And the winner is …

Dwight & Nicole! (Which you probably already figured out based on the big ol' picture of the roots-soul duo at the top of this post. Woulda been kinda weird to have anyone else's pic there, right?)



In a closely contested vote, D&N made a late surge to barely edge out teenaged Brattleboro indie outfit the Snaz, who led for much of the week, by a scant 43 votes. Randolph-based prog-rockers Coquette finished third.

Thanks to everyone who voted and to all the bands who participated. And congrats, Dwight & Nicole. We'll see ya on the Waterfront on September 13. In the meantime, here's Dwight & Nicole crushing a version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" from their latest record, Shine On.