Contact:                                                                                                          

Elizabeth Chavarin   

Office: 1-408-808-2175

Rock the Library – Enter San José Public Library’s "Battle of the Bands"

Celebrate Teen Tech Week 2013, “Check In @ your library”

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Are you a teen (age 12 – 18) that performs with your own band? Ready to move out of the garage and onto a wider stage? Enter San José Public Library’s online "Battle of the Bands," in celebration of Teen Tech Week 2013 (March 10-16).

To enter, have your parents or a friend grab that camcorder and record your best performance. Post the video online (e.g., Facebook, YouTube, etc.). Submit your entry by sending an email to sjplbattleofthebands@gmail.com that contains a link to your music online. Be sure to include the following information:

• The name of the band/performer, and names and ages of all members
• A brief description of the band, to be used on the contest webpage
• A name, phone number, and email where the contestants can be reached

Submit entry by February 9. Please note: No personal information will be posted online.

This contest is open to all musical genres, but no obscene or offensive lyrics are allowed. Inappropriate lyrics or behavior will result in disqualification. Participants may enter together as a group, or as a solo performer. Solo performers must play an accompanying instrument. No karaoke permitted.

What’s next? Your entry will be posted on the official "SJPL Battle of the Bands" site sjpl.org/battleofthebands. Music lovers will be invited to visit the page between February 25 and March 16 to listen in and cast their votes for their favorites. The top five finalists who receive the most online votes will be announced March 19.

The top five finalists from the online voting contest must be available to play at the live final concert on Saturday, March 23 at the new Bascom Library and Community Center (1000 S. Bascom Ave, San Jose). Each band will have up to 20 minutes to perform their set.  A panel of judges will evaluate the performers on their musical ability and stage presence. The decision of the judges will be final.

First, second and third place winners will receive the following prizes:

• First Place: $250
• Second Place: $150
• Third Place: $50

The library gratefully acknowledges the generous support of all its community sponsors, including Pin Up Productions, Live 105.3, Streetlight Records and San Jose Pro Drum. 

For more information, including full contest rules, stop by your neighborhood branch of the San José Public Library, or go online to sjpl.org/battleofthebands.   For additional Teen Tech Week activities, such as video game days, contests, and crafts, go online to sjpl.org/teens.

About Teen Tech Week:

Teen Tech Week is a national initiative sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association and is aimed at teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through libraries such as DVDs, databases, audio books, and videogames. Teen Tech Week encourages teens to use libraries' non-print resources for education and recreation, and to recognize that librarians are qualified, trusted professionals in the field of information technology.

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Congratulations BOTB 2013 Winners!

1st Place

Lizard Kingdom Progressive Rock

“Lizard Kingdom is heavily influenced by bands such as the Fall of Troy, Ricky Martin, Sha Na Na, Nickelback, Milli Vanilli, and Brian Wilson. In our spare time, we enjoy making balloon animals. Collectively our favorite food is pickles. Our pre-show ritual is we gather around, and run with scissors to display bravery.”

Video

2nd Place

Cactus  Experimental/Fusion

"Cactus is a group that plays for the sheer love of all different kinds of music, whether it be jazz, blues, alternative, classic rock, or Motown. Each practice is always different consisting of spontaneous new ideas every time. We enjoy the simple things in life, humor, and acting weird and crazy!"

Video

3rd Place

Half N Half   Indie Rock

“We have been together since Fall 2011, and started out playing covers. But with HALF of us wanting to play this, n Half of us wanting to play that, we finally decided to collaborate to write our own music! “

Video

Supporters:

The library gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions of its community sponsors:

• Live 105.3 FM
• PinUp Productions
• San Jose Pro Drum
• Steetlight Records
• San Jose Rock Shop
• Music Village
• Music Go Round

Did you follow Battle of the Bands this year? Did you vote for your favorite bands?

All the bands had an additional chance at winning a prize this year:

our teensReach members voted for the best videos and here are the winners:

First place:

Second place:

Third place:

Honorable Mention:

Let us know what you think of the videos in the comments!

 Rock the Library!!!

 She Waves the Flag Takes Top Prize in

San José Public Library's “Battle of the Bands”

A Celebration of Teen Tech Week 2011, “Mix & Mash @ your library”

  SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Fremont-based group—She Waves the Flag—won the 2011 Teen Tech Week “ Battle of the Bands” concert finale held Saturday, March 19 at the Almaden Library and Community Center. The grand prize for their achievement is a $250 Visa® gift card.

The event showcased emerging musical talent among local youth. Twenty bands competed initially in San José Public Library’s 2011 Teen Tech Week “Battle of the Bands.” Contestants entered the contest by recording a performance, posting it online and then submitting a link to access their performance. All entries were posted on the official Teen Tech Week “Battle of the Bands” web page and viewers were invited to cast their vote online for up to three bands. Over 2,700 votes were cast.

The five bands receiving the most popular votes were invited to continue in the competition by giving a public performance before a live audience and a panel of community judges, which included: Andrew Kutsenda, Pin Up Productions in San Jose; Amy Anderson, Events Manager San Jose Downtown Association and Producer of Music in the Park; Paul Kauppila, Rock Scholar, Music Historian and Radio DJ; and Kat Luedke, Teen Librarian at the West Valley Branch Library.

Second place went to the Conversions, who performed alternative/ experimental rock and was rewarded with a  $150 Visa® gift card.   Third place was awarded to the young members of The Twinge, who performed indie, alternative rock and received a $50 Visa® gift card.  Other bands appearing in Saturday’s live performance included The Gist and Some Random People. Links to the original contest entries will remain posted on the “Battle of the Bands” web page for all to enjoy.

“Battle of the Bands” highlights San José Public Library’s observance of Teen Tech Week (March 6-12). For more information on programs and services for teens, visit the Teens page at www.sjpl.org/teens, contact your neighborhood library or call King Library Youth Services at (408) 808-2183.

Supporters:

The library gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions of its community sponsors:

• Live 105.3 FM
• PinUp Productions

Teen Tech Week

Teen Tech Week is a national initiative sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association and is aimed at teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through libraries such as DVDs, databases, audiobooks, and videogames. Teen Tech Week encourages teens to use libraries' non-print resources for education and recreation, and to recognize that librarians are qualified, trusted professionals in the field of information technology. Teen Tech Week began in 2007 and has a general theme of Get Connected @ your library.

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“Battle of the Bands” Live Concert Finale

Five Local Teen Bands Compete for Top Honors

WHAT:  Free live concert featuring five teen band finalists chosen by popular vote during the online Teen Tech Week - Battle of the Bands competition sponsored by San José Public Library. A panel of community judges will use a 10-point scale to rate the bands based on musical ability, originality, professionalism, and stage presence.  First place winner will receive $250, second place $150 and third place $50.  Live 105. 3 FM will host the event and provide giveaways. 

For information, visit www.sjpl.org/battleofthebands or call (408) 808-2175. Click on each band’s link to preview their submission.

WHEN:  Saturday, March 19, 2011 from 3-6 p.m.

WHERE: Almaden Library and Community Center – Community Room: 6445 Camden Ave., San Jose

WHO:

The finalists (see more details below):

• Conversions
• The Gist 
• She Waves The Flag  
• Some Random People
• The Twinge

The judges:

• Amy Anderson, Events Manager at the San Jose Downtown Association and Producer of Music in the Park
• Paul Kauppila, Rock Scholar, Music Historian, and Radio DJ
• Andrew Kutsenda, PinUp Productions, San Jose
• Katherine Luedke, Teen Librarian & SJPL Battle of the Bands Founder

WHY: Teen Tech Week is a national initiative sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association since 2007 and aimed at teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through libraries such as DVDs, databases, audiobooks, and videogames. Teen Tech Week encourages teens to use libraries' non-print resources for education and recreation. This year’s theme is "Mix & Mash @ your library." Community sponsors include, Live 105.3 FM and PinUp Productions.

THE FINALISTS

All the bands are from Santa Clara County.

Conversions - Alternative / Experimental / Rock

In their own words: We are a very original sounding band due to the amount of moods, sounds, and genres our music contains. We are all very dedicated to our music and hopefully it shows through each song.

The Gist - Alternative / Classic Rock / Blues Rock / Pop-Rock

In their own words: The Gist of Rock is here! We play it all Alternative, Classic Rock, Blues Rock, Pop-Rock and all.  We owe it to Green Day, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Rush, and other Classic and Alternative Rock bands.  Come hear the Gist.  We want to make it to your playlist. 

She Waves The Flag - Pop/Hardcore

In their own words:  We started about 3 years ago, but with the constant member changes and genre differences, we like to think we truly started about a year ago. We've played over 50 shows, recorded our 5 song EP and we are going back March 25th through the 27th to record our second 4 song EP. We had over 800 downloads on our first EP and we are constantly giving our strongest efforts to improve our band and expand our music. We really love music and we love making music and playing shows for others to enjoy. We generally do it for others over ourselves. So we hope everyone can get into our music and enjoy it as much as we do playing it!

Some Random People (SRP) - Classic Rock

Band Description: Some Random People (SRP) was formed in the summer of 2010, born out of a common musical interest and love for classic rock. Four schoolmates joined together to plan their assault. After only a handful of practices over a period of a few weeks, their ambitions were realized when they took the stage to play their first show in October, 2010 at the Cupertino Carnival followed by holiday and spirit rally performances at their own and other local area schools.  With these victories in their wake, they now look to the future... 

The Twinge - Alternative Rock / Indie

In their own words: The Twinge is a band formed of school friends who all share a passion for music. We like to play good ol' rock n' roll, alternative rock, and indie music. We take our influence from classic rock artists like Led Zeppelin and the Beatles and contemporary influence from bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse, and Cage the Elephant. We're into everything and appreciate all kinds of music, and are sure you'll enjoy our upbeat catchy originals, solid covers, and unique style.

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