The 5th annual Dayton Battle of the Bands kicks off on January 16, 2025 at The Brightside Music & Event Venue. This exciting music series, presented by the venue along with Venus Child Productions and Sound Valley, highlights up-and-coming original bands across a variety of genres.
The series runs for 6 weeks, every Thursday from January 16, 2025 through February 27th (skipping Feb 20th for sold out Kim Deal concert). The winner of each week moves onto the Finale, held in the Brightside’s Ballroom on Sat, March 8th.
The playoffs result from a 50/50 mix of audience and judges’ votes. Every attendee receives a ballot upon entry and utilizes ranked-choice voting to select their top three favorite bands. Each week, music industry insiders and special guests serve as judges, with their votes carrying greater influence.
“Despite the ‘battle’ name, this series has been such a fun way to discover so much of the creative talent brewing in Dayton,” organizer Libby Ballengee shared with us. “Maybe you’ll find your new favorite band!”
The participating bands get professional photos to add to their press kit and the chance to audition for bookers from around the city including Levitt Pavilion, Blind Bob’s, Oregon Express, and more! This year, Dayton Battle of the Bands is partnering with Concert Archives to offer bands consolidated feedback from judges.
Photo by Jordan Lynn Freshour
For the Finalists who perform in the Finale, they all receive a video of one of their songs performed live, which is provided by Sound Valley. This is such an awesome asset for the band’s press kit. They also receive cash prize, free pizza for rehearsals from Dayton Pizza Factory, among other perks.
For the grand prize winner – they get all above plus an EP recording session with Dayton Sound Studios, a spot on Levitt Pavilion Dayton’s summer schedule, free t-shirts from Little Monster Printing, and $1000.
Past winners include: The Katawicks, Bohemian Funk, crabswithoutlegs, and Freakquency.
More details about Dayton Battle of the Bands can be found at their website: daytonbattleofthebands.com
HOW TO GO:
The Brightside Music & Event Venue (905 E 3rd St. Dayton, OH)
- Jan 16 – Week 1 – Alternative / Rock
- Jan 23 – Week 2 – Singer-Songwriters
- Jan 30 – Week 3 – Hip Hop / Rap / R&B
- Feb 6 – Week 4 – Hard Rock / Metal / Punk
- Feb 13 – Week 5 – Americana / Bluegrass / Folk
- Feb 27 – Week 6 – Funk / Jam / Reggae / Ska
- March 8 – Finale featuring the winners from each week
7pm doors open / Music 7:30pm – 10pm
All ages
$10 advance, $15 at the door
Tickets & information available at
https://www.daytonbattleofthebands.com
Or https://www.thebrightsidedayton.com/
