Riverside County 'Battle of the Bands' Deadline Draws Near

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA – Local bands looking for a break have until Jan. 23 to sign up for the "Battle of the Bands" competition to be held at the 2017 Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival next month.

In order to enter, bands must be made up of Riverside County residents, ages 26 or younger, according to the office of county Supervisor John J. Benoit.

Applications will be reviewed by the Fourth District Youth Advisory Council and must include a demo CD, stage plot, lyrics for all the songs to be played (including at least one cover song) and a photo of the band.

Seven bands will be chosen to duke it out from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, on the Magic Carpet Stage at the Riverside County Fairgrounds.

Contestants will be evaluated on technical performance, originality of songs, professionalism, stage presence, vocals and audience reaction.

The winning ensemble will be awarded $5,000 worth of musical equipment from Music Depot LA. Second- and third-place finishers will take home a trophy.

The application can be downloaded at www.datefest.org, and can be found under the "What's New" section.

Completed applications and materials should be sent to the Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival Battle of the Bands, Attn: Sophia Felix, 73-710 Fred Waring Drive., Suite 222, Palm Desert, CA, 92260.

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--City News Service/Image courtesy of Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival