Muse hosts Battle of the Bands

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    By Erin Pierce

    The grungy brick venue on 151 N. University Avenue will erupt 8 p.m. tonight with the tunes of local bands The Weakmen,The Monikers, Pleasure Island and The Project.

    These are the second four of 16 local bands competing in the Muse Music Battle of the Bands this week. Four bands compete each night, Tuesday through Friday. The winning band from each night will go on to compete for the $250 prize in the final show Saturday.

    ?I think this collection of bands is a reflection of what?s happening right now in Provo,? said Brett Meldrum, co-manager at Muse Music. ?There?s a lot of creativity here. Different tastes, different talent. Our line-up reflects that.?

    The genres represented in this five-day musical marathon range from pop rock, emo and acoustic to experimental, indie and classic rock.

    ?We have a mix of bands that wouldn?t normally play with each other sharing the stage,? said Jake Haws, a junior from Tacoma, Wash. and Muse Music co-manager. ?You won?t see just a punk-rock crowd, or just an emo crowd. It really brings people together when they?re suddenly forced to be there.?

    Representatives from Decline skate shop, the Provo Downtown Alliance and other local organizations will judge competing bands based on criteria such as originality, performance quality and audience reaction.

    ?We tried to get judges that are a representative cross-section of the audience,? Meldrum said. ?Many of them are students.?

    Meldrum said that Muse?s Battle of the Bands is more than a competition ? it?s a local showcase.

    ?Some people come for good music. Some people want to see a party on stage. Rather than to single out one band, we want to put on really good shows,? Meldrum said.

    Mark Hender, keyboarder and backup vocalist for Mon Cheri, agreed that the Battle of the Bands is not about the competition.

    ?I would like to think of music as a non-competitive venue. We are portraying our art. I don?t see art and think of it as a competition between Pablo Picasso and DaVinci,? Hender said. ?It?s about glorifying the local music scene, letting artists display themselves and their imagination.?

    Tickets to Battle of the Bands are available at Muse Music. Tickets are $5 for one night, $8 for two nights and $10 for the whole week.

    MUSE MUSIC BATTLE OF THE BANDS
    TuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
    The HandsomeThe WeakmenAnother StatisticMary Cox and the Pop Rocks
    Mon CheriThe MonikersMetzenerThe Otters
    Something DeloreanPleasure IslandNeon TreesDeclaration
    Silver EyeThe ProjectTearJames Can”t Jive

    Saturday

    FINAL PLAY-OFF Four bands, one winner from each night, compete for $250 first prize and $100 second prize.

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