MUMBAI: The stage is set for budding Indian rock artistes to showcase their talent as Harley-Davidson India returns with the Find Your Freedom contest at Harley Rock Riders - Season V. The contest will see India’s best amateur rock music acts battle it out in an online contest where users and a jury will vote to collectively pick the two best original compositions. The two bands will then perform at Harley Rock Riders – Season V in Mumbai next month. The winning band from there will go on to perform at the 18th edition of the European Bike Week, 2015 in Austria - the largest gathering of motorcycles in Europe and the second largest in the world.

A bit about the contest mechanics: Interested bands must submit an original composition by logging on to nh7.in/harleyrockriders/findyourfreedom. Once their entry is live, they must rally for votes. Two best entries will be chosen on the basis number of fan votes and a jury vote. The jury this year comprises of Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy – Scribe frontman and Ad man, Arjun S Ravi – Co-founder of NH7 and Editor of Indiecision, and XBHP - The Global Indian Motorcycling Community.

The two finalists will then be flown into Mumbai where they will battle it out on stage at winners  Harley Rock Riders - Season V on 15-16 November, 2014 at the iconic, Richardson & Cruddas Byculla, Mumbai. The winner will be decided on the basis of an on ground ballot where festival goers will vote for their favourite act. Only English and instrumental sound tracks as entries will be accepted. The call for entries begins on October 21 and close on 4 November, 2014 at 8pm.

Last year, 120 bands participated in the contest and approximately 80,000 votes were cast to select three bands that battled it out at the finale of Harley Rock Riders-Season IV. Chennai based band - Grey Shack were adjudged winners after a stellar onstage performance earning their spot at the European Bike Week 2014 in Austria.

Votes can be cast from 27 October to 5 November, on the Harley Rock Riders – Find Your Freedom website. For more details and contest rules log on to NH7’s website or tweet to them @harleyrockrider or visit their Facebook page at HarleyDavidsonIndia.

Harley Rock Riders is a festival that brings rock music and motorcycle lovers together, both bound by their burning desire for self-expression. The mayhem of music and motorcycles will feature over 20 bands on two live stages. The line-up includes some of the biggest names in Indian rock music like Zero, Scribe, Blackstratblues and Undying Inc, alongside Grammy-nominated American alt-rockers Mutemath. Rock music, Harley-Davidson jumpstart, live custom motorcycle build, custom paint job, tattoo artistes, along with hundreds of roaring Harley-Davidson motorcycles, festival-goers this year have a lot to look forward to.