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Back to Battle
Posted in Battle of the Bands, Summer Reading, Teens | No Comments »Now for vignettes of a few more performers from the 4th Annual Battle of the Bands. Today we’ll be featuring three bands: Shockwave, Render and Sleeping on Sidewalks. First up is Shockwave…
Shockwave was the first band to arrive on Battle day and they had a whole crew of cool supporters on hand to help them out. These guys were so ready to rock and did such a great job! They played some killer covers by the Raconteurs, Ted Nugent, and 38 Special. Considering how young most of the band members are, it makes me wonder what sort of musicians they’ll be in the future…even more AWESOME I’m sure! We certainly hope they come out to next year’s Battle. Check ‘em out on MySpace. Next up is the band Render…
Render is normally a three person band but, unfortunately, on Battle night their drummer couldn’t make it. However, that didn’t stop the remaining two members, who also happen to be brother and sister, from rockin’ out and opening the competition for us. The group has been playing off and on for two years and the siblings make up the core of the band. When asked how their parents feel about them being in a band they informed us that their parents are really supportive and don’t mind them practicing in their basement. Pretty sweet if you ask me. Although we would’ve loved to see the entire band perform the pair did a fantastic job! It was cool that they stuck it out. Finally, we have the band Sleeping On Sidewalks…
Sleeping on Sidewalks is a super cool group that has a really interesting dynamic going. The trio ended up with the second place prize of $75 and the chance to play at the Youth Fest in July, as well as the Back to School Bash in August. If you can’t make it to one of those gigs to hear them you might check out their MySpace page or their performance at the upcoming River Roots Live event. How cool is that gig going to be!?! The members have known each other since elementary school and played three original songs for us. It’s pretty impressive that even though they broke a guitar string and had to switch up the set list mid-performance they managed a second place win. Neato. I might just have to check out that River Roots Live performance…
-Christie
As promised we’ll be highlighting all the teen performers that took the Battle stage in front of the Fairmount St. Library last Wednesday. First up we’ll be showcasing the solo artists. The past 3 years solo artists were not invited to enter the Battle of the Bands, so we thought we’d try something different this year. Such a decision certainly made for a more interesting line up and added great artistic value to the evening. As it turns out, solo artist Emily Majetic even ended up winning this year’s competition! Pretty impressive! Three teen judges and two adult judges, who also happened to be members of the U.S. Navy Rock Band, scored this year’s winners and Emily’s performance came out on top. 
Our second featured solo artist, Jerra Williams, is from Rock Island. Jerra was definitely our most unique performer and there’s a lot to be said for that. I knew right away, before the Battle had even begun, when I asked Jerra what sort of music he liked and his response was contemporary jazz, R&B, and some pop that we would be in for a treat performance-wise. Jerra’s instrumental set consisted of him on the keyboards tapping out a couple original tunes and even a version of Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix. Cool. When asked to describe his sound he said that it’s kinda serious and though it may sound serious he’s really just a jokester. We’d love to see where Jerra’s musical path takes him and we couldn’t be happier to have had him play as a solo artist at the 4th Annual Battle of the Bands! It was also a true pleasure to see how proud all of Jerra’s family was of him and his performance. Nice work, Jerra!
Tuesday evening from 3-5 at Fairmount we’ll be making gocks and pocks. Gocks and bwhaaa? Gocks and pocks…gothic and punk rock sock monsters. Duh. It’s gonna be crazy zany cool, not to mention air conditioned. Stop by, see what’s happening, and chill for a bit.
This little “gocks and pocks” program is part of the Teen Summer Reading Craft Program series called Express This. Every Tuesday through August we’ll be offering up some free fun for you and your friends. We provide the initial ideas and supplies, then we pretty much can’t wait to see what you come up with. One more thing…if you like, you can bring in your own socks to use. Just make sure they don’t stink.
Looking for something cool to do? You’re in luck. The Davenport Public Library and the Davenport Parks & Rec Dept. have teamed up once again to bring you the 4th Annual Teen Battle of the Bands. The rawkin’ action starts at 5:00 p. m. on the stage outside the Fairmount St. Library. Come on over, it’s show time!
This year we have 8 teen bands lined up to perform! Once they’re done, the U.S. Navy Rock Band will entertain the audience with some great tunes as we tabulate the results of the Battle. Finally, we’ll hand out the awards and announce the winners. With so many performers lined up this year it’s sure to be our best Battle ever. Don’t miss it!
