7 bands rocking, raging 'Battle of the Bands' in Bloomington
BLOOMINGTON — A sevenfold storm of sounds is brewing for a "Battle of the Bands" show at The Castle Theatre.
Seven bands are set to go head to head, starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, in 20-minute performances at the downtown Bloomington venue. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Performing artists include From Within, Cats and Dragons, The Occasion, Loose 9000, Short Notice, Peng and Blind Baby.
Organizers said the event is suited for the next generation of young local musicians in the Twin Cities. Nicole Selzer, who does ticketing and marketing for The Castle, said they sought contestants who are 18 to 25 years old.
Selzer said each band will play three songs in total, for a max set of 20 minutes. She said they asked for two original songs and one cover. She also said they partnered with Illinois State University's Music Business Organization a for workshop day on stagehand work, organization and sound check.
The bands will be judged by a panel, and the grand prize winner will get an opening spot for a spring 2025 show at The Castle. Selzer added they'll also issue a crowd favorite award based on attendee votes, with a $500 cash prize.
When buying tickets, concertgoers have the option of selecting a specific band. Selzer said bands are required to sell 25 tickets, and attendees also will be given a vote token on entry.
To get extra votes, attendees can show up with a item to donate to the School Street Food Pantry. Selzer said votes are limited to five item donations per person.
The event will be emceed by student radio station WZND (103.3), which partnered with The Castle on producing the event and interviewing bands on site.
The lineup includes mostly indie rock, as well as Midwest emo and hardcore music.
From 2021-23, Indie rock Cats and Dragons published three albums, plus a music video for their track "Corrugated Heart." Their most recent release in early September was their "Rare Blue Super Moon" EP, which presents a Highland cow as the cover art.
Another indie rock group is Loose 9000 . Their 2023 single track "Caveat" melds moments of smooth jazz licks with highly groovy jam sequences that morph into a psychedelic whirlwind.
From Within is an alternative rock group dropping the hammer down with hard rock riffs and vocals. Their single track " Grounded" was released in early April and recorded at Oxide Lounge Recording in Bloomington .
The Bloomington-based band Peng pings in strong indie rock vibes while offering uplifting layers of spacy synthesizer-keyboard. They're also due for extra credit with the bonus track "Space Ska" on their self-titled album that dropped in January.
The Occasion is another Bloomington rock band with a heavy, punk sound. On Oct. 15, the four-piece group put out four tracks for their self-titled EP. The track "Spineline" kicks up a strong grunge jam and "Sick Kids" rages with punk power chords over hip-hop vocals.
Short Notice chimes in with sharp pop-punk vocals and the occasional hardcore growl. They also push the mold by writing an excessively long title for their single track: "The Day I Take Accountability for My Actions Is the Day Something Equally as Unlikely Will Happen."
Blind Baby is another band going to the battle hardcore and punk style. While their sound is hard for me to pinpoint from reviewing Instagram reels, I saw their audiences moshing and their guitarist crowd surfing. So, Blind Baby seemingly knows how to throw down.
Logan Moeller, a junior studying mass media at Illinois State University, is WZND's music director. He said The Castle has sponsored his radio show "News Music Monday" for about a year; in this program, he reviews local concerts and album releases and interviews musical artists.
Organizers received at least 40 applicants for the Battle of the Bands. Moeller, who is from Dixon, said competing bands were picked at random.
While they didn't expect such a high number of applications, Moeller said it's great that they did get so many. He added they hope to hold another Battle of the Bands in the future.
Moeller said it's been cool to see the level of talent on display by a young age group. He said he's gone to past shows for most of the bands on the lineup.
"All of these students are passionately creating stuff I've never seen before," said Moeller. "I'm excited to have them showcased all on one night... It's gonna be insane."
For band selections, he said they were definitely aiming for the college crowd, or the age range of typical students and other youths who are from around here.
The band musicians are either from Bloomington-Normal or actively playing in the area music scene, he said, noting that scene extends to Peoria.
Moeller said they've got ISU and Illinois Wesleyan University students performing.
"I'm very excited to see them all come out," he said.
Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter:
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