The fourth annual Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands goes down TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice in two ways, as 1. the band lineup was only revealed on a staggered basis in recent days on LSSU's Arts Centre's Facebook page after registration closed on the 11th, and 2., the battle was quietly moved up a day from tomorrow to TONIGHT at some point last month (this poster is proof that the date was originally on Thursday, as the past three battles were). Regardless, this year's fourth (not third) annual battle will be the biggest yet, as not only are there a record high eight competing acts, but the prize pool is bigger than ever, with $1,000 going to the first place act, $500 for second place, and $250 for third! For context, first place bands previously only won $150. Kudos to Kevin and Pam Cooper for sponsoring the upgraded prize totals! If the same as past years, LSSU faculty and a student representative will judge on differing categories, with bands getting 15 minute sets, and competitors are allowed to play covers.
Of this year's eight competing acts, three are returnees from last year's battle, namely folk singer/guitarist Kevin Blakeney (the only act to have played at all four LSSU Battles), punk/hard rock duo About:Blank (fresh off of their third place finish at the Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands in Brimley this summer), and local rap duo Tunngtyed. Last year's battle was won by local acoustic rock act The Dynamic Duo, and while they're not technically defending their title (no winning band ever has), Danielle Petingalo and Ben Huyck have formed a proper four piece sister band named Dynamix to compete TONIGHT! Their lineup is rounded out by bassist Bill Spence (ex-Absolute/NoXcape) and drummer Dan Jackson, and they claim to play "rock, pop, and country", similarly to what Danielle and Ben play unplugged. Will electric instruments and a rhythm section ensure another win? Two more bands are playing tomorrow, one being Fusion Core, a jazz/rock sextet of teenagers, who did win a talent show at Sault High.
New and promising local musical talent is always welcomed, and members do play horn instruments, so it will be interesting to see how Fusion Core fare beyond being the largest and youngest band in the field! TONIGHT's other band is Whiskey Red, a new local classic rock/country duo out of Kinross featuring former Small Town Society frontwoman Holly Sibbald and ex-Full Throttle guitarist Jason Lamoreaux. Photos show them playing electric instruments, but come out to see what else they bring to the table! The field is rounded out by two more acoustic solo musicians, namely Hessel alternative rock singer/guitarist Adam Alford (who has original music on major streaming services) and Dee Homminga, who is active on stage and screen as a singer and guitarist. No solo act has ever won the LSSU Battle, but could Adam, Dee, or Kevin be the first?
The 3rd 4th annual LSSU Battle takes place TONIGHT at 7:00 PM as part of this year's Great Lake State Weekend. It is absolutely ALL AGES, with tickets running for $10 for adults and $5 for kids aged 10 and under, and you can buy them at this link if you don't want to pay at the door. As in the past three years, everything goes down in the theater at the far left of campus (basically Sault Michigan's answer to the SCTC). The field this year is wide open, and it will be interesting to see who joins The Sole Aggressors, Molly & The Other Guys, and The Dynamic Duo as victors of this annual event! Could About:Blank build off of their podium finish in Brimley? Can Dynamix kinda sorta repeat as champions? Is the fourth time a charm for Kevin? Can Tunngtyed impress despite being the only guitar-less entry this year? What about all of the complete newcomers? Find out who comes out on top TONIGHT!
Memo to Sault Ontario event promoters: If Sault Michigan and Brimley can each have successful multi-year battles of the bands, what's stopping a bigger neighbouring city from even getting one off the ground? No preview video today, as I don't want to give any inkling of favouritism in the competition, but visit the above links for complete details on this year's Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands! Thanks everyone!
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