Instaband

COLUMBUS, Ohio (March 7, 2013) – Friday, March 1, was a cold, blustery night, but that didn’t stop the top ten high school bands in central Ohio from heating up the stage at GROOVE U’s Instaband finale. Nearly 500 fans, bands and partners were in attendance to witness the battle for a recording contract, complete with a professionally recorded EP, music video, website and more!

The judges’ vote was unanimous. Metal band, A F(r)iend in Me, with members from Groveport Madison High School and Arts & College Preparatory Academy clinched the 2013 Instaband title (see the winner announced on the Instaband YouTube channel). In the process, approximately $3,000 was raised for three local youth-based music education nonprofits the — Dick & Jane Project, Music Loves Ohio and Through Mind’s Eyes.

The runner up was alternative rock band, Mirror Image, from Watkins Memorial High School. They received $500 worth of recording time at Vaughan Music Studios, an Instaband Diamond level partner. The night got exciting when third place was too close to call, and Hollywood Red and Underground Magic had to play a third song as a tie-breaker. Hollywood Red, a rock band with members from Gahanna Lincoln and Reynoldsburg High Schools, took third place and won a $250 gift card from Instaband Executive Producer — Music Go Round.

“We were blown away by the level of talent and professionalism of the participants, and by the amount of support from family, friends and fans,” said Dwight Heckelman, Director of GROOVE U’s revolutionary music career program. “What an amazing first year for Instaband! We want to thank all the partners, judges, emcees, bands, fans and especially GROOVE U students for making it a successful event.”

From start to finish, the Instaband competition was produced by first-year GROOVE U students: Aaron Dill, Christian Porter, Derek Rassmussen, Katherine Dotson, Sam Gwin and Zachry Earhart. They developed the rules and judging criteria, handled marketing and promotion and functioned as stage managers, sound technicians, publicity managers, back line managers and videographers, all the while gaining real-world music business experience.

Local radio personality, Mark Dantzer, emceed the event which was judged by the following panel of local celebrity judges:

• Jerry DePizzo, O.A.R.

• Dwight Heckelman, Founder and Director, GROOVE U

• Kevin Joy, Features Reporter, The Columbus Dispatch

• Brian Lucey, Grammy-winning Master Engineer, Magic Garden Mastering

• Shayla Reaves, News Reporter, WBNS 10TV

“It is a natural fit for us to have our students produce Instaband as a way to help build community, plus it’s a great hands-on learning experience, which is part of our DNA here at GROOVE U,” said Heckelman. “GROOVE U believes in the power of the local music community, and we see a real need for local high school artists to engage that community.”

That’s right, the Instaband central Ohio battle of the high school bands final is tonight at GROOVE U. The top ten bands take the stage starting at 7 pm. Doors open at 6 pm for the Instafan Expo featuring the CD102.5 Scene Team, Great Photo Booth, CannonFM, food trucks and awesome partners like Music Go Round, Vaughan Music Studios, GameOn, Vinyl Frontier and more!

Admission is $5 and benefits three local music education nonprofits – the Dick & Jane Project, Music Loves Ohio and Through Mind’s Eyes.

And we’ve got a stellar panel of judges – Jerry DePizzo of O.A.R., Brian Lucey of Magic Garden Mastering, Kevin Joy of The Columbus Dispatch, Shayla Reaves of WBNS 10TV and GROOVE U’s very own Professor Dwight Heckelman. Our emcee is local favorite, radio personality – Mark Dantzer of Mix107.9.

Space is limited, get here early! It’s going to be EPIC!

The top high school bands in central Ohio compete this Friday, March 1, at the GROOVE U campus, to become the 2013 Instaband champion and win a recording contract. The winning band receives a professionally mastered EP, music video, website, merchandise, booking support and mentoring with industry pros. All proceeds benefit three youth-focused Columbus music nonprofits — the Dick & Jane Project, Music Loves Ohio and Through Mind’s Eyes. The following are the finalists:

• Midnight Coast – Upper Arlington High School

• Christopher Robin – Columbus Alternative High School

• Hollywood Red – Gahanna Lincoln and Reynoldsburg High Schools

• StereoDrift – Dublin Coffman High School

• Under the Docks – Northland High School

• Underground Magic – Arts and College Preparatory Academy

• We Got Caught – Hilliard Darby High School

• A F(r)iend in Me – Groveport Madison High School

• Mirror Image – Watkins Memorial High School

Additionally, one fan-voted wildcard band will also advance to the final round. Fans have a  24-hour voting window from 6:00 p.m. February 26, to 6:00 p.m. February 27, to “like” their favorite band on the Instaband YouTube channel (youtube.com/InstabandMusic). The band with the most YouTube “likes” will advance in the competition as the wildcard band (dislikes will not count against the score).

Local radio personality and emcee, Mark Dantzer, kicks-off the competition at 7:00 p.m. Each band has 10 minutes to play and is then scored on musicality, performance, style and creativity by the following panel of local celebrity judges:

• Jerry DePizzo – Saxophonist for O.A.R.

• Dwight Heckelman – Founder and Director, GROOVE U

• Kevin Joy – Features Reporter, The Columbus Dispatch

• Brian Lucey – Grammy-winning Master Engineer, Magic Garden Mastering

• Shayla Reaves – News Reporter, WBNS 10TV

The winner is ultimately determined by a combination of 50% judge’s score and 50% audience vote. The second place prize is recording studio time valued at $500 provided by Vaughan Music Studios and the third place prize is a $250 gift certificate provided by Music Go Round. In addition, the school of the winning band receives a gift package from Sweetwater valued at $500.

We haven’t left out the fans. Doors open early at 6:00 p.m. for fans to experience the Instafan expo. Our partners from Music Go Round, Matt Holley Designs, Vaughan Music Studios, Great Photo Booth, GameOn, Vinyl Frontier, CannonFM, the CD102.5 FM Scene Team and local food trucks all add to the Instaband experience. Special thanks to Domino’s Pizza, Lazer Kraze, LIVE! Technologies and Sweetwater for their contributions to the contest.

Admission is $5 at the door, and all proceeds benefit our three music charities. This family-friendly event is open to all. Come out and support up and coming local musicians.

The Instaband Final is this Friday, March 1, and along with the 9 bands which advanced from the semifinals, one fan-voted wildcard band will also advance. Fans have a  24-hour voting window from 6:00 p.m. February 26, to 6:00 p.m. February 27 to “like” their favorite band on the Instaband YouTube channel (youtube.com/InstabandMusic). The band with the most YouTube “likes” will advance in the competition as the wildcard band (dislikes will not count against the score).

We are pleased to announce the bands/artists performing in the Central Semifinal this Friday, Feb 22! They are (in no particular order):

• Ceezar (Fort Hayes)
• Christopher Robin (Columbus Alternative)
• Midnight Coast (Upper Arlington)
• Shughazi (Fort Hayes)
• Out of The Wilderness (Fort Hayes)
• Common Ground (Fort Hayes)
• Strayt Laced (Westerville North)
• Quis Tha Flight (Columbus Africentric)
• TR3O (Grove City)
• Under the Docks (Northland)
• Alt 1 – Justin Bowser (Fort Hayes)
• Alt 2 – Brandon Williamson (Fort Hayes)

Good luck to all the performers! Please come out and cheer them on! Doors open at 6 pm for the Instafan Expo. $5 minimum donation.

First off, congrats to the six groups advancing to the final on March 1. They are:

• A F(r)iend in Me
• Hollywood Red
• Mirror Image
• StereoDrift
• Underground Magic
• We Got Caught

There’s one more semifinal to go – the central division semifinal is Feb 22 @GROOVE U. We are accepting submissions through Fri, Feb 15 @midnight. Don’t miss out, get your submissions in now!

Remember, one band from the competition will have a second chance to advance to the final as a fan-voted ”wildcard” via YouTube. The videos will not be posted until after the central semifinal. More details coming soon!

Next, we want to give a shout out to all our great partners who have helped make Instaband a success thus far. Be sure to check out the partner page for a list of our partners. And, please check out their tables at the Instafan Expo.

Finally, thanks to our fine judges who have contributed thoughtful feedback to each band and artist. We have a great line up of judges for the final competition that you don’t want to miss! And also, thanks to our great emcees who have donated their time and talent to make the event fun for all!

And last, but certainly not least, thanks to the many, many fans who have come out to support the talented youth we have here in Columbus. We hope to see you all at the central semifinal on Feb 22 and the final on Mar 1.

Central Ohio’s battle of the high school bands competition – Instaband – continues this Friday, February 8, at the GROOVE U campus, after a sold out show last week. Next up is the west division featuring the following bands, listed with the schools they attend:

• Viktor Lillard – Upper Arlington High School
• Sacred Affliction – Grove City Christian School
• Sleep Through Monday – Westland High School
• StereoDrift – Dublin Coffman High School
• The Ballad of You – Hilliard Darby High School
• Neza – Worthington Kilbourne High School
• We Got Caught – Hilliard Darby High School
• Mirror Image – Watkins Memorial High School

The bands were selected by an independent panel of judges, and will compete for three spots to advance to the Instaband final on March 1. The top three bands advancing from the east semifinal are Underground Magic, Hollywood Red and A F(r)iend in Me.

We are still accepting submissions from artists/bands in the Central division through February 15.