North Springs Grads Play At National Battle Of The Bands

From North Springs Charter High School: Atlanta’s own “Anonymous Da Band” has been selected as a finalist for Prince’s Paisley Park MUSICOLOGY Battle of the Bands set for August 31-September 3, 2017 at Prince’s Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

The unique live performance event will highlight “Real Music by Real Musicians” – an ethos Prince consistently championed through his life, creative works and incendiary live performances. Each night August 31 – September 2, three artists will perform for a live audience at Paisley Park with one winner being selected nightly to advance to the final band battle on Sunday, September 3. Between these three finalists, one artist will be crowned the champion and will receive a unique Artist Development award package, consisting of studio recording time at Paisley Park, a mentorship session with members of Prince’s super group New Power Generation (NPG), and additional career development opportunities to be announced post competition. Anonymous Da Band was selected from an open pool of video submissions entered via Paisley Park’s official Facebook page.

“Anonymous Da Band” is made up of four Atlanta-based recent high school graduates:

• Xavier Davis (Keys) Westlake High School ‘17 graduate, currently a freshman at Hampton University
• Xavier Jones (Bass) North Springs High School ’17 graduate, currently a freshman at Kennesaw State University
• Langston Michael (Sax) North Springs High School ’15 graduate, currently a junior at Wake Forest University
• Justice Michael (Drums) North Springs High School ’17 graduate, currently a freshman at University of Miami Frost School of Music

The four piece instrumental group will perform Saturday night, September 2 from 9:30-10pm and if selected, will proceed to the final round on Sunday, September 3. Each evening concert August 31-September 2 will be followed by a late night dance party in the Paisley Park Soundstage.

Locally, “Anonymous Da Band” has performed for events such as The Atlanta Jazz Festival, the Wade Ford Concert Series and the Atlanta Beltline Concerts, to name a few. The group has opened shows for the likes of Najee, Chrisette Michele and Pieces of a Dream.” Da Band” released their first album, The Odyssey, in 2015, which can be found at popular on-line music outlets.

In spirit, the MUSICOLOGY event will be rooted in the band battles that were commonplace in North Minneapolis in the 1970s. Jam sessions among high school friends in basements and community centers, most notably The Way on Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis, evolved into competitive band battles at outdoor parks like North Commons (North Minneapolis) and Phelps Field Park (South Minneapolis). The history is deep and the competitive spirit at that time helped push forward an incredible mix of musicians, including Prince, André Cymone, Sonny Thompson, Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Jellybean Johnson.

Photo courtesy of North Springs Charter High School: Xavier Jones (bass) and Justice Michael (drums) taken at NS