DPL Teens

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…

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. 

Emily lives in Moline and has loved music all of her life.  Although she has only been playing shows for a couple of years, she started singing when she was just 4 1/2 years old.  Emily has great stage presence and engages well with her audience.  Some of her lyrics are a bit dark, yet they mesh nicely with her lovely singing voice and sweet acoustic guitar tones.  When asked what she likes most about making music she said she loves everything about music, especially being in front of a crowd.  It was also cool to hear that, besides music, Emily is a huge fan of art–especially painting and sculpture.  We’re so glad she signed up this year and certainly wish her well in all of her artistic endeavors.  Another huge congrats to our 1st place winner who received $100 and the chance to play two more paid gigs over the summer.  Way to go, Emily!  Be sure to check out her Myspace page, too.

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!

-Christie

The winners of the 4th Annual Battle of the Bands are…

1st place:  Emily Majetic

2nd place:  Sleeping On Sidewalks

3rd place:  FireSale

First, second, and third place winners received $100, $75, and $50 respectively.  They will also each have the chance to play two paid gigs over the summer.  Thanks to the City of Davenport Parks and Rec. Department for helping sponsor the 4th Annual Battle and for setting up the paid gigs!  The first gig will be at Youth Fest on July 7th, and the second gig is at the Back to School Bash on August 14th.  Check ‘em out.  The other Battle performers were Render, Demon Ducks, Shockwave, Vanishing Point, and solo artist Jerra Williams. 

Congrats to all the performers!   And an extra special thanks to all the fans that came out to support them!  It was such a great Battle and everyone played really well.  It was also super cool to see all the bands working together helping each other with set up and tear down between bands.  We hope they all had a good time and will be ready to rock out again on the Battle stage next year.  For funzies we’ll be posting tidbits of all the bands on the blog over the next few days.  So, keep an eye out.

Lastly, we’d like to extend a gigantic thank you to the U. S. Navy Rock Band who closed the evening with a great set!  They covered everyone from Justin Timberlake to the Allman Brothers and had many of the audience members dancing around to the good tunes.  Who knew rockin’ out at the library could be so much fun?!?

-Christie

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!

-Christie

Teens – get your guitars and lyrics ready because it’s time for the 4th Annual Teen “Battle of the Bands” at the Davenport Public Library.

Numerous local teen bands will be chosen to compete for cash prizes and upcoming gigs at a public concert on Wednesday, June 17, at 5 p.m. at the Fairmount Street Library.

To be one of the chosen bands, pick up an entry form at the Main or Fairmount Street Libraries, or at the City of Davenport Parks & Recreation Office. Entry forms must be returned to the Library by June 10. There is a $20 entry fee, but all bands will receive a participation prize. New this year – solo acts and songwriters are encouraged to perform.

If you have any questions about eligibility requirements or the entry form, please contact the Youth Services Department at 563-326-7893.  This program is sponsored by the Davenport Public Library and the City of Davenport Parks & Recreation Department.

Teens who have participated in one of our past Battle of the Bands, held annually each summer and hosted by the Davenport Public Library and Parks & Rec. Dept., might be interested in the following great opportunity to rock out!  You’ll need to sign up soon, so don’t wait!

United Way of the Quad City Area’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is accepting applications for bands wishing to compete in their Battle of the Bands on February 28, noon-5:00 at Mojo’s at the RME. The event is focused on spotlighting talented teens in the Quad Cities area while building awareness among high school students of 10,000 Hours Show Quad Cities (10KQC). The winner of the Battle will open the 10KQC concert at the Capitol Theatre on April 18th.

10KQC is a new program in the Quad Cities geared towards generating over 10,000 hours of volunteer service by local high school and college students. Students verifying 10 hours of volunteer service in the Quad Cities will be rewarded with a free ticket to a concert. Volunteer service is the only way to get a ticket to the event.

 While the 10,000 Hours Show is already established in Iowa City and Des Moines, this will be the first year for the program in the Quad Cities. The 10KQC concert will feature Trippin Billies and Minus Six, as well as the Battle of the Bands winner.

Applicants may download an application at http://www.unitedwayqc.org/ or pick one up in Mojos Cafe.  All applications must be received no later than February 15, 2009.

-Christie