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By Brooke Saunders
The Rockitz Battle of the Bands Fall 2009 semi-finals have wrapped up, with the finale set for Saturday, January
23rd, at the Playing Field (7801 West Broad Street). The votes have been tallied, and the top five bands are:
59H2O, A Good Natured Riot, Caught In The Rift, Jim O’Ferrell Band, and the Velvet Nines.
During the ten-show battle (from September to November), judges at each show considered stage presence,
musicianship, vocals, songwriting, and other aspects. All attendees received a ballot allowing them to cast a vote
for their favorite artist. This was factored into the final scores. The fifteen bands that participated, some of which
are listed below, represent the best on the local music scene.
Two songs from each band were taped at the performances and uploaded to the RockitzUSA YouTube
site, and the total number of viewings, the comments, and ratings for those two videos count towards the score.
Videos of the top five bands can be watched by fans until midnight Jan 22, and then those totals will be added
to the judge’s scores the following evening to determine the winner.
Each of the five finalists will perform a set, and at the end of the night, the winner of a $1,000 gift certificate
from Metro Sound will be announced. Other prizes from Rocket Pop Media, Plan 9 Records, Red Amp Studio,
Snake Oil Recording, James Fortune Photography, Wolfgang Jasper Photography, Magazine 33, and Amanda
Sound will be given to runners-up. Judges include: Melissa Chase, Paul Madison, Normal Norman, Freddy
Williams, and Susan Wagner.
The Rockitz spring 2010 Battle of the Bands will start Thursday, January 28th at The Triple and continue every
Thursday for ten weeks, with a finale in June at the Playing Field. For more information, contact Brooke Saunders
at 804-687-7062 or visit www.rockitz.net.
Local Bands To Keep An Eye And An Ear On:
Crossroad Voodoo
really hot southern and classic rock trio
The Delvers
bluegrass with a twist, and wonderful harmonies
Wendy Pace Project
one of the most expressive singers in Richmond
Deidre Nivala
classic country sound, wonderful voice
Acoustic Creek
great originals with a country-meets Jefferson Airplane sound
East Coast Secondaries
progressive rock with great guitars
The Velvet Nines
a hard rock trio with a very powerful drummer
Westhampton Citybillys
pop rock with a southern twang
59H2O
beautiful voice and haunting music
Jim O’Ferrell Band
original music, slightly reminiscent of old R.E.M.
Caught In the Rift
really hot jam sound with a Dave Matthews touch
A Good Natured Riot
powerful bluegrass acoustic rock tunes |
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