MAD Battle contestants announced
Things will soon be heating up at the Murphy Arts District, as 10 local bands compete to win a grand prize of $2,500 plus more.
Contestants for the MAD Battle band competition were announced recently. Ten local acts were selected to compete by the MAD Committee, out of between 12 and 15 that entered the contest, said Bob Tarren, MAD’S chief marketing officer, noting that many more artists called for information but did not enter the contest.
“Some of the bands, we’ve actually heard of before, around town … so they have a good El Dorado-following,” said Hali Pinson, MAD Stage manager and sound engineer.
Pinson, one of the archi
tects of the MAD Battle, said she felt it was important to feature local talent now that MAD has been open for a few years and has established itself.
“We just wanted to get something for the town that hasn’t really been done before, or, if it has been done, there hasn’t been one in a while,” Pinson said. “We wanted to bring some local bands into it … an El Dorado-style battle of the bands.”
The 10 bands selected for the competition are from around the region, from Louisiana, south Arkansas and all the way up to the northern parts of the state. The bands that will compete in the MAD Battle are: Monsterboy, an alternative genre-bending act with pop sensibilities out of North Little Rock
Crutchfield, a contemporary pop rock band from Malvern
Jimmy Lewis & the 8 Second Ride, a country/southern rock group with members from South Arkansas and northern Louisiana
As the Willow Burns, an alternative rock band with a wide range from Monticello Saving for Tuesday, the solo project of longtime musician Ricky Garrett from Camden
Akeem Kemp Band, the blues-meets-soul-meets-rock n/roll solo project of singer/songwriter Akeem Kemp from Morrilton
R@ndom, a 90s-inspired act out of West Memphis
Cypress Knees, a “foot stompin’ bluesy rockin’ country band” from Calhoun, Louisiana McCuin, a high energy rock band with a long history of playing live originally formed in Nashville, Tennessee
Sied Swipe, a four-piece heavy metal band out of central Arkansas
With the line-up settled, Pinson is now working with the artists to finalize their set lists, stage plots (where on stage the artists’ equipment will be placed) and other logistical considerations.
“With 10 bands, trying to do them all efficiently means that there’s going to be a lot of teamwork,” Pinson said. “So at this point, it’s just a lot of communication between myself and Ally (Tharrett, MAD event coordinator) and the, I guess, ‘honorary head’ of each band to make it move as smoothly as possible.”
Pinson said when the show rolls around on August 9, the audience will be a large part of the contest.
“We’re going to use a thing called a decibel reader, where the louder the audience is, the higher it peaks, and whoever has the highest peak gets the audience vote for that night, and that’s going to be about 50 percent of the criteria,” Pinson said. “So they really want to invite a lot of people to scream and have a good time on [their] behalf.”
The MAD Battle, which is being sponsored by the Arkansas Times, who sponsors a yearly musician’s showcase for bands in Arkansas, and Noalmark Broadcasting Company, is scheduled for August 9 at the First Financial Music Hall.
Each of the 10 finalists will perform a 15-minute set. A team of judges will select the top five performances of the night, with those artists advancing to a second round the following evening.
The second round will give each of the five finalists a 20-minute set, with the winners being announced after the show. Audience participation will make a difference here – their vote will help to decide the best band overall. The best overall winner will receive $2,500, along with a promotion package made by MAD’s production and marketing teams and a guaranteed booking at the Griffin Restaurant.
“We’d like to see people come out and support local music and support those bands,” Tarren said.
Other prizes include $100 for best vocals; $100 for best instrumentalist; and $100 for best showmanship. Judges will select the best of (s), while audience participation will help decide the top five bands and best overall.
Judges include MAD Chief Executive Officer Terry Stewart, musician and MAD stage-veteran Bijoux, culture editor for the Arkansas Times Stephanie Smittle and operations manager of Noalmark Broadcasting Corporation Caleb Burger.
“Instead of having 10 different Thursday Night Lives, we’re just putting them all on one stage,” Pinson said. “One of the top five bands from Saturday night (night two) will be asked to fill our final slot in the Griffin Restaurant Saturday of Music Fest.”
Tickets for the MAD Battle are currently on sale. Onenight tickets will cost $10 in advanced and $15 on the day of the show, while two-night ticket packages are $15 in advance and $25 on the day of the show.
Tickets may be purchased at eldomad.com, at the MAD Box Office at 101 E. Locust St. or via toll-free phone at 877940-3334. To learn more, visit eldomad.com.