Press Releases:

 

February 27, 2008

"25 BANDS TO COMPETE IN ROCK-OFF 24"

***** for immediate release *****

Twenty-five original high school bands from across the vast state of Maine will soon converge in Portland as Reindeer Records presents the 24th Annual Rock-Off Competition!

They are the battalion of young rock musicians cranking out original tunes and getting their acts together in hopes of winning $1,000 and being named "Best Young Band in the State of Maine."

The long-running popular musical event has been an influential driving factor for many homegrown garage bands, as well as a launching pad for many young music careers. It all takes place at McAuley Performing Arts Center, 637 Stevens Avenue in Portland, with two super-sized marathon shows on Sunday, April 6th, and Sunday, April 13th.

“The Rock-Off experience has been a magnet for many aspiring local young musicians who want to take advantage of the event's extraordinary exposure and networking opportunities,” according to Louis Philippe, RO Executive Producer and President of Reindeer Group, Inc. “Artists such as Rustic Overtones, Howie Day, Jeremiah Freed and a host of bands well known in the all-ages arena, have all strutted their great stuff on the Rock-Off stage…some won, some didn't, but they all learned a lot and developed their acts with successful results."

A total of 50 bands responded to this year's competition, but getting to the Rock-Off stage is not an easy task. Registration criteria for the Rock-Off is intentionally more challenging and based on general recording industry standards rather than popularity.  Each band is judged on numerous elements in three major categories: Live Showcase Performance, Original Material and Marketability. A separate panel of judges evaluates each category, and Audience Vote is also  part of a band’s overall score.  The bands with the top five highest overall scores will make it into the Finals, slated for Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11th.

One additional band will be “saved” as the MaineToday.com Wildcard Band—the band with the highest combination of online poll votes and text messaging votes. MaineToday.com, a long-time media sponsor of the Rock-Off, will provide more interactive fun for this year’s participants and their extensive fan bases including a full schedule, band info, pictures, bios, sound-clips, and up-to-the-minute news at http://entertainment.mainetoday.com/rockoff.

All shows are open to all ages. Tix are $10 per showcase in advance, or $12 per showcase at the door—with special group discounts for youth organizations—and are available from any participating band, or by calling Reindeer at 857-9002 or for purchase online at www.reindeergroup.org.  Reindeer Records is part of Reindeer Group Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization.  A Rock-Off History can also be found on their website.

This year’s line-up of Rock-Off hopefuls Includes…

9TH RAIL (Brunswick HS), AFRO CHINSTRAP (Yarmouth HS), BETTER THAN (Gray-New Gloucester HS), CATO STREET CONSPIRACY (North Yarmouth Academy), CRASH THE END (Mt. Ararat/Cheverus), CROSSED OUT (Gorham HS), EGO TRIP (York HS), FIGHT OF THE FADING (Leavitt Area HS), GIRAFFE (Mount Desert Island), GRAFFITI (Mount Desert Island), GRAND THEFT (Rangeley HS), INFRASONIC (Scarborough HS), INTRODUCING… (Windham HS), MILES AWAY (Freeport HS), MINOR DETAIL (Yarmouth HS), NOT QUITE AND FALLING (Greely HS), OF RIOTS AND OUTBREAKS (Cony HS), PARK STREET BREAKDOWN (Freeport HS), SKAPOW! (Scarborough HS), SKÖSH (Buckfield HS), THE BLUE STREAM BAND (Sanford HS), THE BRITISH INCLINE (Falmouth HS), THE GOOD TIMES (Old Orchard Beach HS), THE MARK GENNARO BAND (Portland HS), THE TWO-BIT MATTHEWS (Scarborough HS)

 

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