Bands to battle it out this weekend on the Plaza

To the untrained ear, a “battle of the bands” might sound like some order of tribal warfare. To aspiring musicians, the phrase is a four-word invitation to work over their competition with their own brand of musical mastery. On Saturday, Aug. 23, the historic Sonoma Plaza will become the site of the 2008 Sonoma Battle of the Bands in which 10 acts will compete for a bevy of prizes and, of course, bragging rights.
The brainchild of local musician and jeweler Michael Halem, the event is, in part, a response to the lack of age-appropriate venues for aspiring rock stars.
“When I was a teenager, growing up in New York, there were a lot of opportunities for teenagers to play,” said Halem, who leads the band Crossfire, which recently rocked the Sonoma City Party. “There were school dances where they used live bands, there was the VFW hall where they usually had a teen dance once a month and they’d rotate bands. There were engagements at the Boys Club once a month and quite a few other venues. It gave us kids who were 14, 15, and 16, something to work towards.”
For Halem, the rock of ages might as well be the “rock of under-ages,” given that most young musicians aren’t old enough to legally play the handful of local venues.
“Nowadays, it just breaks my heart. There’s a lot of young players out there that work their buns off, rehearsing and doing all this stuff, and they can’t get out of Mom and Dad’s garage because there’s no place where they can really play,” said Halem, whose  16-year-old son plays drums in a band that pens its own tunes.
“It’s great stuff, they work hard, but where are they going to go with it, you know? They’re too young to play in a bar, there’s no venues,” Halem added.
To wit, Halem alighted upon the idea of a “battle of the bands” that was limited to 10 Sonoma County bands, whose musicians were between the ages of 13 and 19. The bill filled quickly. This year’s competitors include The Aviators, The Sway, A.K.A., Backlash, Magicians Use Twins, The Taniells, Mimisiku, Yellow Snow, Last Minute and The Volume.
Moreover, five local music luminaries from an array of musical backgrounds will judge the event. Among them are Athan Pasadis, a recording engineer, keyboardist and composer; John Murphy, a drummer, instructor and leader of popular local act EZ Kewl; Crossfire trombonist David Prescott; drummer, instructor and proprietor of Santa Rosa-based recording outfit Atlas Studios, Jesse Wickman; and Sonoma Valley Sun music columnist and veteran guitar hero J.M. Berry. The Sonoma Community Center has joined as a co-sponsor of the event.
Winning bands will be awarded gift certificates to Zone Music in Cotati, ranging from $300, $200 and $100 for first, second and third place, respectively. Likewise, Jesse Wickman from the judges panel, has offered three hours of recording time at Atlas Studios to the winning act.
“In addition to that, I’ve had some absolutely drop-dead-gorgeous trophies made,” said Halem. “The first-place is about 24 inches tall, a beautiful trophy with a gold guitar on top. Second place is similar but a little smaller, third place is a little smaller, and then there are seven trophies that I’ve decided to call the ‘2008 Sonoma Battle of the Bands Award of Merit,’ because I don’t want any of these kids to go home empty-handed – none of them. I want them all to be recognized and I want them all to feel special.”
To facilitate the proceedings, Halem’s own band has supplied its professional PA system to help provide optimal sound for the competitors, which will be run by sound professional Ric Romano. Halem was adamant that the young musicians be provided every possible accoutrement of a professional gig.
“Here’s a situation where most of these kids, if not all of them, are on a real stage, with a real PA system, with real monitors and a pro sound man. This is like, ‘Wow!’ I think this is a really important thing,” observed Halem. “I really care about these kids. I’ve put God knows how many hours into this and a hundred percent of everything that has been paid for has been out of my pocket, and I don’t want anything for it except the satisfaction of watching these kids hopefully having a great time. That’s really all I want.”
The 2008 Sonoma Battle of the Bands rocks from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, August 23 at the amphitheater in the historic Sonoma Plaza.