Local bands compete for spot on Warped Tour

By Garret Schuelke
Western Herald

The 14th Annual Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands, where musicians and bands from all around the United States and Canada will be competing for a chance to be one of the four acts to perform on the Ernie Ball stage at the 2010 Vans Warped Tour, has officially commenced.

Free to enter, musicians and bands can join the battle by signing up on its official Web site and creating a profile, where they can post information about themselves, along with MP3s of their songs. The top 100 bands will be chosen by fan voters – who can also sign up for free online – and will then be reviewed by a panel of industry professionals connected to the Vans Warped Tour organizers and Ernie Ball Inc., who will then choose the top four, according to the Battle of the Bands official Web site.

The winners will compete for, among other prizes, a $15,000 Guitar Center shopping spree, an opportunity to record a three-song EP with multi-platinum music producer and writer Matt Squire, and a full Ernie Ball Music Man endorsement.

Previous bands that have performed on the Ernie Ball stage include Gym Class Heroes, Bowling for Soup, Story of the Year, and Avenged Sevenfold.

“The Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands has proved to be a valuable springboard to thousands of bands over the past decade and beyond,” said Brian Ball, marketer at Ernie Ball Inc. in a statement to the press, “Playing live on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour is a tremendous opportunity for unsigned bands that gain exposure, and we could not be more excited to prove the opportunity.”

One of the Michigan bands taking part in the competition is local indie group Hello Victor.

This is the first time the band has entered the competition.

“I think we will do pretty well,” said Devon Bynon, Hello Victor guitarist. “Most of our music comes from the Warped Tour scene, so we will fit right in.”

Another Kalamazoo group that is competing is Trixy Disco. Formally known as Glueeater, Trixy Disco attempted to compete in the 13th Annual Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands in 2009, but was unable to due to not being properly prepared, according to bassist Miles Hardcastle.

“I would like to think we will find an audience for our kind of music,” Hardcastle said. “We are hoping we will be one of the bands that are selected to play. If not, there are always other opportunities.”

The 2010 Van’s Warped Tour will begin on June 25 and end Aug. 15. The tour’s official Web site is www.vanswarpedtour.com.

More information about the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands and its participants can be found at Ball’s official Web site at www.battleofthebands.com.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Mar 28 2010. Filed under A & E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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