Battle of the Bands moves on to quarterfinals at Side Street Studio Arts
Side Street Studio Arts, in conjunction with Fat Cat Custom Guitars and Repair, Rediscover Records, and Nightmare on Chicago Street, announced the quarterfinal qualifiers for the 2015 Battle of the Bands.
Area bands Amber Flight, Beer Murray, Big In Japan, Dirty Water, Jade Daniel, Little Yellow Dog, Oceans and Oceans, and Wayfarer have all battled their way into the second round of the second annual competition.
This summerlong event is a celebration of local and regional musicians.
The second round begins at 8 p.m. Friday, July 17, pitting Beer Murray against Dirty Water, at the studio, 15 Ziegler Court in downtown Elgin.
The winner will receive prizes from Fat Cat, Rediscover Records, and Side Street Studio Arts as well as a cash prize and a performance slot during Elgin's Nightmare on Chicago Street in October.
Each band performs a 60 minutes or less set of original music. Each battle night, audience members in attendance have the opportunity to vote for the one band they prefer, the band with the most votes will move on to the semi finals.
"I am personally participating in this BOB because I recently came out of a long hiatus from making music and playing it live," said Oceans and Oceans and Wayfarer band member Elgin resident Adrian Medriano. "It's given me an opportunity to put myself out there and get excited about performing again."
Medriano continued, "I think the roster this year is great, and the turnout has been good. I noticed that quite a few people come back for multiple rounds so there's a good sense of camaraderie and community at these shows, and who doesn't love that?
"I'm not sure who will win this summer, but I'm more than a little curious to see if we can make it to the final round."
All performances begin at 8 p.m., with doors open at 7:30 p.m.
The second round schedule will begin July 17 with Beer Murray and Dirty Water, followed on July 24 by Big In Japan and Jade Daniel. On July 31, it will be Amber Flight and Oceans and Oceans, followed on Aug. 7 by Little Yellow Dog and Wayfarer.
The semifinals will be Aug. 14 and 21, and the finals will be held Aug. 29.
Side Street Studio Arts was founded in 2013 by Melvin and Erin Rehberg as an outlet for the Elgin arts scene. Currently under the direction of Amanda Harris, Melvin, and Rehberg, it provides educational and creative resources and an accessible space, run by artists. Its mission is to support the artist and artistic journey through collaboration.
For information, visit www.SideStreetStudioArts.org, call (847) 429-2276 or email SideStreetStudioArts@gmail.com.