Local Spanish Fork music store Boothe Bros. Music will host its annual Battle of the Bands Saturday July 26 from 2 to 10 pm. The contest will be at the Boothe Bros. Performing Arts Center, located at 165 N Main Street in Spanish Fork. Admission is $3 at the door and gets spectators in all day.
"It's an all day event," Boothe Bros. employee Curt Gordon said. "People come and go all day long. Everyone comes back at 10 [p.m.]; that's when we announce the winners."
This year will mark the contest's eighth year, allowing any local band of any genre to enter for a $50 fee. The bands will battle it out all day and at 10 p.m., the winners will be announced.
"100 percent of entry fees go to the prize pool," Gordon said. "In addition ... there will be cash prizes given to the top three scoring bands."
Bands are allowed to play four songs each and will be judged by a panel of four judges based on performance, stage presence, song composition and originality. The judges themselves all have a musical background. Many play of have played in local bands over the years.
Bands can listen to the judges' criticism and learn where their strengths and weaknesses are, allowing for improvement. Battle of the Bands is a competition, but every band that enters can benefit from the experience.
"The battle is a great opportunity to go out and meet other bands and to create a network with the local music scene," Gordon said. "It's an opportunity to gain a new crowd. Different bands bring diverse crowds, so it's good exposure."
To enter into the competition, a band must sign up at Boothe Bros. Music located at 135 N Main Street in Spanish Fork or call 798-7650. Friday is the last day to enter a band for Saturday's show.
"The Battle of the Bands has been a success for the past seven years, entertaining hundreds with each showing," Gordon said. "You can expect to experience lots of local, original rock and roll with bits of world music and other yet un-named genres."
Copyright Brigham Young University 25 Jul 2008
