BITTER JESTER FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS RECEIVES 501(C)(3) STATUS EXPANDS PRODUCTION OF ANNUAL BATTLE OF THE BANDS

HIGHLAND PARK, IL (JUNE 2016) – Now in its 11th year of bringing highly talented young musicians to perform at free weekly concert competitions in Downtown Highland Park’s Port Clinton Square, Highland Park-based Bitter Jester Battle of the Bands (BOTB) is proud to announce it has been taken under the wing of the newly-formed Bitter Jester Foundation for the Arts (BJFA). BJFA received 501(c)(3) status and is officially a not-for-profit, tax exempt charitable organization designed to mentor and support emerging artists and encourage persons to enter the arts through performance opportunities, scholarships, and grants.

BJFA produces and promotes live music and theatre productions of new and classic works, as well as other forms of literary, performing, media and audio/visual arts and entertainment made possible through generous donations from the public and private sectors.

Funded in part by the City of Highland Park, and a substantial grant from the Downtown Highland Park Alliance, BJFA will continue to produce the ever popular Bitter Jester Battle of the Bands competitions, a co-production of BJFA and the six-time Emmy® award-winning Bitter Jester Studios.

“It is an honor to be based in Downtown of Highland Park, my home town. With its lively sense of community, active nightlife, and super-supportive arts and culture environment, Highland Park is the perfect one-stop-shop for a growing event of this kind,” says Nicolas DeGrazia, Founder of the Bitter Jester Battle of the Bands. “And, Port Clinton Square is the perfect rain or shine venue to host our preliminary battles.”

Since its inception in 2006, BOTB has been mentoring young musicians and encouraging bands to write and produce original music, or perform twists on old classics. More than 500 highly talented young musicians from 125 bands have performed at BOTB, and many have gone on to pursue successful musical careers. For several bands it was their very first professional opportunity to perform live in front of large crowds on professional sound stages with professional audio engineers.

The event is known for putting on spectacular top-notch performances and has seen tremendous growth in recent years. “I grew up in the music world and have developed a passion for finding young talent,” says DeGrazia. “The music battle has grown exponentially since we began and I’m thrilled to see the kids receive all the accolades and encouragement they deserve.”

“Our goal is to continue nurturing creative talent and expand this model throughout the Midwest,” DeGrazia said. “In fact, this year, we are opening the competition to bands from Southern Wisconsin, Northern Indiana, and Southern Michigan. We even have an exciting new partnership with the Marriott Hotel, Highland Park to help ease the burden of travel for some of these new bands.”

ABOUT THE BITTER JESTER BATTLE OF THE BANDS

BOTB is open to all young non-professional bands of any size or musical style with at least one member in high school or a recent high school graduate. Approximately 25 bands comprised of musicians ages 13-19, representing 30-40 diverse Chicagoland communities, are expected to compete for more than $20,000 in combined cash and prizes.

Every Friday night in June starting at 7 p.m., six bands will battle in front of a public audience and a panel of judges at Port Clinton Square, 600 Central Avenue in Downtown Highland Park. One winner will be selected each week by an esteemed panel of music, media and entertainment professionals including Greg Easterling of 97.1 The Drive.

Each of the four winning bands selected by the judges, plus four Wild Card bands chosen by Nicolas DeGrazia and BJFA staff will battle it out at the Grand Finale Concert at 5 p.m. on July 4 at Wolters Field, 1080 Park Avenue in Highland Park. The free concert precedes the City’s Independence Day fireworks celebration in front of an audience of 3,000 people. Two non-competing Showcase Bands kick-off with a pre-concert beginning at 4 p.m. Judges will select two Finalist Bands that will each play one song and the audience will then vote for the Grand Champion by their cheers and applause via the official Bluegrass Restaurant Decibel Meter.

This year’s eight Semi-Finalists and two Showcase Bands will be awarded the opportunity to perform at a “best of” concert at Navy Pier on Sunday, July 17 and Sunday, July 24.

The Grand Champions, Runners-Up, Honorable Mention and all the Semi-Finalists and Showcase bands will each walk away with valuable gifts from local stores and retailers so that no performer goes home empty handed. Prizes include professional studio recording time courtesy of the Jam Lab and Darwin Records, professional photography courtesy of Richard Shay Photography and Mike Kelly Photography, free gear and equipment from Reverb.com and Guitar Center, free pavilion tickets to select concerts at Ravinia Festival, lessons and master classes, gift certificates from Abt Electronics, restaurants, and retail stores, and much, much more!

Past winners have had much success in the real world and are still playing together. Past winner, Andy Burrows, Singer/Guitar, Fleeting Suns of Deerfield, IL said: "Before these battles, playing usually meant being in a gymnasium, it was a learning experience like none other. I learned how to interact with the pros on a pro stage.”

Last year's grand champions, PROFUSION, Bartlett, IL, from the Polish American community, previously won a trip to perform in Poland from a Polish radio station in Chicago and has had incredible successes across the US and in Poland. Link to PROFUSION's "Creep" (cover); Link to PROFUSION's "How It Goes" (original)

The Bitter Jester Battle of the Bands is a truly unique event and a tremendous confidence-builder for young musicians." -Terri Olian, Former Councilwoman, City of Highland Park

Downtown Highland Park is truly the Friday night destination for music, shopping, dining and more. Visit downtownhp.com to find out the restaurants offering specials and other great shopping while in town.

For a complete schedule of events, and to keep up-to-date on the competition, follow Bitter Jester Battle of the Bands on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BitterJesterBattle.

Contributions to support the Bitter Jester Foundation for the Arts can be made by contacting foundation@bitterjester.com or calling (847) 433-8660.

ABOUT NICOLAS DEGRAZIA

As a musical mentor, Nicolas DeGrazia, creator of the Bitter Jester Battle of the Bands, has been encouraging, inspiring and promoting Chicago’s talented youth for over a decade. His music competition provides these young musicians ages 13 to 19 with myriad opportunities to hone their musical skills –gigs in front of a crowd, music education via master classes by sponsors such as School of Rock, equipment, studio recording studio time for the top four bands, and more.

ABOUT BITTER JESTER FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS

Created by Nicolas DeGrazia of 6-time Emmy® award-winning Bitter Jester Studios and Bitter Jester Battle of the Bands Production Manager Daniel Drake, Bitter Jester Foundation for the Arts (BJFA) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity designed to strengthen the arts, support emerging artists, and encourage persons to enter the arts through scholarships and grants. Through generous donations from the public, as well as through grant monies, BJFA produces and promotes live music and theatre productions of new and classic works as well as other forms of literary, performing, media, and audio/visual arts and entertainment.