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Battle of the Bands Finals: The Westown Reprises a Successful Mid-Michigan Tradition
By Scott Baker Revitalizing the idea again in January at the classic Westown on the infamous Midland Street district in Downtown Bay City, bands from all over the area and from all different genres took part each Tuesday night in the two months of festivities. Wrapping up February 22, Westown band organizer Celia ' Seal' Buckhantz had her hands full with promotions, play times, set changes and band morale, which helped cap off the successful event. "There were 18 bands, seven in the semi-finals," said Buckhantz during the final evening. "Six made it by winning each week and one was a wild card. Guilty was the wild card." Taking the stage each night, bands would go for half hour sets, putting out the best entertainment they could offer in front of as many fans as they could gather. For the final night, the group Guilty was sandwiched between 2nd System and The Banana Convention. "It's Thom's baby," stated Buckhantz on the idea behind the weekly showcases at the Westown. "Thom Sorger, he wanted to do a Battle of the Bands thing and he had never done it before. And they hired me like three weeks into it, January 15, I think." Buckhantz, 30, originally from Los Angeles, California, has been living in Bay City for a year and a half now. With a background in entertainment organization in the big city, she was a shoe-in for the job helping out Sorger and the groups. Hearing yells for 'Seal' has become commonplace for the event, as she has been working closely with the bands to keep each situation running smoothly. "I am like a mother when it comes to bands, because I've had to baby-sit them for so long," she quipped. "I worked with DJ's and punk bands in L.A. I had a security company for five years that traveled with punk bands and they're just like a bunch of kids. I don't care if I'm from Bay City or Los Angeles, if a band is going to ask me how I really feel, I'm going to tell them." Having helped bring in judges for the final two weeks, all three bands out of Saginaw were able to have some industry-based ears hear them, outside of their core fans. "We
have three judges," said Buckhantz. "Lynn Roberts (from Z93.3 WKQZ,
Saginaw) and she brought in Matt, he's another guy from the radio station
and we have another guy from Paradise Talent out of Detroit, his name is
Ben. They've been here for the last two weeks. The winner tonight gets money
and a plaque and gets to open for (Lou Gramm's) Foreigner at the River
Roar." "I'm inquisitive as to why more people don't want the Tri-cities to be one, because all I hear is people from Saginaw don't want to drive to Bay City and (people) from Midland don't want to drive to Bay City, but people from Bay City will drive anywhere. Coming from L.A., 15 minutes is like ten blocks. And here, when I went out promoting I went to all the music stores and talked to everybody. I really wanted to know what the problems that they thought were happening, being in Bay City. They said, 'Well, police is an issue.' But there's got to be a way we can find a balance. I know Tuesday nights are hard, butŠ" For a minimal two-dollar cover, fans and friends get a sneak peak at the future of local music, perhaps even the next big thing.
"We're going to give the option to people who didn't make it to the semi-finals or finals (to come back) if they want to play again," said Buckhantz. "We hope to achieve more music and give bands a place to play. They know that. All three bands (tonight) have the opportunity if they want to come back and play any of the next eight weeks Tuesdays (before the next Battle of the Bands)." For the evening's winner, The Banana Convention, the group impressed the judges as well as the fans and came across as the most original. The only non-hardcore group in the final showcase, the energetic pop-centric group gave out press kits, did a ton of promotions, and really pushed their show, and it was evident to everyone with their win, according to Buckhantz. "They put the most effort into it. I see their posters everywhere. They put their posters up on other (groups) websites. They dress alike (and) they come up with new ways to do it. They don't swear at all. It's a totally different thing." Eventually Buckhantz would like to cross the Battle winners with a national tour, or get the band on a fitting bill like the Warped Tour or a specific festival. The Battle of the Bands is open to all genres of music. "We made (this) up for everybody. (Plus) There are other nights when (The Westown) could use bands." For more information on future events, contact Seal’ at 989-684-0772.
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