“Battle of the Bands” raises cash for charities

The band Riverside Drive performs during the recent “Battle of the Bands.” The event was presented by Musicland with the finals being conducted at Shooters Roadhouse. Riverside Drive ended up being the winning band of the four finalists.

A packed house was at Shooters Roadhouse recently to judge which of four area bands they liked the best.

The “Battle of the Bands” concluded at Shooters in late March, with it being presented by Musicland. The four finalists included Two Years Apart, Case the Joint, Meandergreen and the eventual champions Riverside Drive.

Musicland owner Bethany D’Alimonte said it was an event that initially started last September.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to do an event like this and support organizations with live music,” said D’Alimonte.

Proceeds were split 50/50 with half going to the winning band and the other half to charity. D’Alimonte said the charities selected were the Homelessness Hub and the Welcome Centre for Women and Families.

Auditions were held in February at Musicland with 14 bands vying for a spot in the finals. Bands came from as far as Chatham and Sarnia to participate.

Initially, only three bands were supposed to be chosen for the finals but D’Alimonte said the quality of the bands meant another was added to the list of finalists.

“We had a hard time picking three but (the judges) had four we could agree on,” she said.

An estimated crowd of 200 were inside Shooters March 29 with D’Alimonte further estimating another 200 or so were outside. A bus from Windsor came in to support Case the Joint, she added. Two-hundred is the capacity at Shooters and D’Alimonte said that was hit within 15 minutes of the doors opening.

“I expected a good crowd but that blew me away,” she said. “A lot of people think live music is dying but I think it’s just getting started.”

D’Alimonte said she approached several businesses to sponsor the event and had little difficulty lining them up.

“Everyone said yes,” she said. “I raised $6,000 in two days.”

Businesses that helped sponsor “Battle of the Bands” included Hotel STRY, the Reliable Realtors, Boufford Tax Preparation, the Hole in the Wall, the Bucket List Coffee Roastery, and Hogarth Hermiston Severs LLP. She also thanked Shooters for their support.

Musicland is hosting its next open stage concert at The O April 26 at 7 p.m. and that is open to all ages. The last candlelight concert at Musicland is April 27 and there is a $10 cover charge to attend that one.

“Battle of the Bands” raises cash for charities

By Ron Giofu