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Dayton Battle of the Bands

Exciting Local Music Showcase at The Brightside on Thursday, August 1st

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The Brightside Music & Event Venue is known for it’s Dayton Battle of the Bands series that showcases up-and-coming local musical talent. Last year’s DBB winners, crabswithoutlegs, a 9-piece jazz fusion band, is releasing their very first vinyl record and celebrating this achievement with their friends Six Foot Blonde and Eastwood.

 

Six Foot Blonde is a talented powerhouse coming from Bloomington, Indiana. They’re celebrating their own album release, And Then Some, with a major regional tour across the US. This stop in Dayton at The Brightside is extra special because they get to share the stage with their musical peers.

 

Eastwood, from Columbus, kicks off the evening at 7:30pm. They made their Dayton debut last year to high accolades, leaving local music fans wanting more! They are back and ready to knock our socks off once again.

 

Crabswithoutlegs members hail from both Dayton and Columbus, and have been wowing audiences across the state. Not only did they win Dayton Battle of the Bands, they won The Ohio State University Battle of the Bands too! If you have not yet seen them perform – this is your opportunity to see what all the hype is about.

 

This show is a also great opportunity to stock up on new music! Skeleton Dust Records, a local record shop, is posting up at The Brightside with crabswithoutleg’s vinyl. Six Foot Blonde will have merch and music available as well. Buying original music directly from the bands is a wonderful way to support local music!

 

✨ HOW TO GO? ✨
     August 1, 2024
     The Brightside – 905 E 3rd St, Dayton (inside the VodVil Bar)
     Doors open at 7pm / Music at 7:30pm
     Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door
     Get tickets in advance here: https://www.venuepilot.co/events/101382/orders/new#/
     All ages welcome!

The Fourth Annual Dayton Battle of the Bands Finale

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The fourth annual Dayton Battle of the Bands finale takes place on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at The Brightside Music (905 E 3rd St, Dayton, OH 45402), and features six winning bands from each of the playoff rounds.

The finalists from all six weeks include The Bruins (pop/rock), Sheller (alt/punk/metal), Austin Wolfe (Americana/folk), The Shady Pine (country/bluegrass), Melinamarie (hip-hop/R&B), and Freakquency (funk/jam/progressive).

While the finalists were determined in their categories via a combination of audience and judges’ votes, the final round will be 100% determined by the audience. 

“We do ranked-choice voting so that alleviates the popularity contest issue,” said Libby Ballengee, music booker and promoter at The Brightside. “People can come and vote for their fave band, but sometimes everyone loves one band and they get everyone’s 2nd place vote, and that puts them over the top.”

By eliminating the element of bias, relying entirely on the audience feels like an objective method of choosing a winner.

“I don’t know that any panel of judges I could put together would be fair considering we all have genres we like more than others,” said Ballengee.

Previous weeks’ performances were on The Brightside’s smaller Vod-Vil Bar stage, while final competing bands will make their musical cases and perform once more on the Ballroom stage.

Vying for the Grand Prize, the winner gets a free EP recording session with Dayton Sound Studios and the opportunity to perform at Levitt Pavilion Dayton, among other rewards from Little Monster Printing and Dayton’s Original Pizza Factory.

Dayton Battle of the Bands 2023 winner, crabswithoutlegs, a jazzy nine-piece, has quickly become one of Dayton’s darlings, playing the Levitt and becoming a staple act at The Brightside. There’s a good case to be made for the potential of this year’s winner.

Tickets to Dayton Battle of the Bands are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m. The show starts at 7 p.m. Each ticketholder will be granted one vote.

The Brightside Music & Event Venue is located at 905 E 3rd St, Dayton, OH 45402.

Ticket link: https://www.venuepilot.co/events/94654/orders/new

Dayton Battle of the Bands 2024 Line-Up Announced

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It’s here! The Dayton Battle of the Bands 2024 line-up has been announced! The 4th annual local music showcase features 6 weeks of playoff rounds starting on January 18, 2024, and a finale on March 9, 2024 at The Brightside Music & Event Venue.

The series was launched in 2020 pre-pandemic by The Brightside, Venus Child Productions, and Sound Valley Dayton. A few of the features that differentiate this showcase from other Battle of the Bands include: playoff rounds are decided by a mix of audience and judge’s votes, each week of the playoff rounds features a different genre of music, and plays down the idea of it being a “competition.”

Photo by Jordan Lynn Freshour

Organizers explained that in this competition, simply participating is a “win.” All the bands who participate get to network with industry professionals, perform in front of area music bookers, and get professional photos from Jordan Lynn Freshour. The finalists who move on all get a cash prize, the opportunity to perform on the big stage at The Brightside, and get a live music video of one of their songs from Ashley Karsen, of Sound Valley Dayton. The grand prize winner gets all of the above, plus free pizza for rehearsals from Dayton Pizza Factory, custom band merchandise from Little Monster Printing, a performance next summer at Levitt Pavilion, and an EP recording session at Dayton Sound Studios.

Along with helping up-and-coming bands get to the next level in their music journey, the Dayton Battle of the Bands team is inspired to help introduce Dayton audiences to new music to love.

“People are busy, so it’s hard to keep up with what’s new with the local music scene,” organizer Libby Ballengee shared with us. “Having a curated showcase like this during the winter especially, when people have fewer other entertainment options, makes it more enticing to come out and check out new bands. We’re trying to stimulate Dayton’s curiosity about the music being created here. Plus the shows are 7:30-10pm, so plenty of time to get home and to sleep!”

FULL SCHEDULE:

Jan 18, 2024 – WEEK 1 – POP / ROCK

– Ace Slite, Arianna Holiday, Dukes of Owls, The Bruins

Jan 25, 2024 – WEEK 2 – AMERICANA / FOLK / SINGER-SONGWRITER

– Austin Wolfe, Jeff William Butcher, Mrs. Midwestern, The Nautical Theme

Feb 1, 2024 – WEEK 3 – HIP-HOP / R&B

– Blanch Robinson, Damac, D. Knight, Dos.Grandiose, MelinaMarie

Feb 8, 2024 – WEEK 4 – ALTERNATIVE / PUNK / METAL

– ATTN Deficit Squirrel, DayGloom, Sheller, Toxic Nobility

Feb 15, 2024 – WEEK 5 – COUNTRY / BLUEGRASS

– Controversy For Breakfast, Possum Creek Ramblers, The Barnharts, The Shady Pine

Feb 22, 2024 – WEEK 6 – FUNK / JAM / PROGRESSIVE / JAZZ

– EverybodyEats, Freakquency, Intergalactic Spaceforce, KindHost

HOW TO GO?

The Brightside, 905 E 3rd St., Dayton, OH

Tickets available at thebrightsidedayton.com by Jan 1, 2024

$10 advance / $15 day of show for the playoff rounds

7pm Doors open / 7:30pm – 10pm music starts

All ages welcome

More information: https://www.daytonbattleofthebands.com/

 

Newly Announced: Dayton Battle of the Bands Finale line-up is set!

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The 3rd annual Dayton Battle of the Bands Finale is happening on March 11, 2023 at The Brightside, and the line-up is now set. After 6 weeks of competition at The Brightside, the top 6 bands will compete in one amazing show!

The finalists include the following bands (alphabetical order – not performance order of the night)

– Crabswithoutlegs
– Josh Webb & The Home Sown Band
– The Luv Locz Experiment
– R3G
– Sam King & The Suspects
– Wreck League

Not familiar with any of the bands participating? That’s the fun! This entire series is a fun way to check out new, local, original music!

How does it work? Each ticket buyer gets one vote (in person). You’ll be asked to rank your top 3 bands in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. Unlike the rounds, which were a combination of judge and audience votes, the finale is decided by the audience only.

The grand prize is an EP session at Dayton Sound Studios, the title sponsor of this series. The grand prize winner also gets to perform at Levitt Pavilion Dayton during the summer 2023 concert season, a merch package from Little Monster Printing, pizza for rehearsals from Dayton Pizza Factory & $1000 cash prize.

HOW TO GO?
March 11, 2023
Doors 6pm. Show 7pm.
Music starts at 7pm – we highly recommend you get there by 7 to see all the bands perform.
The Brightside (905 E 3rd St, Dayton)
Tickets are $15 advance
$20 at the door. 
Note: Advance tickets are recommended (this event has sold out!)
Ticket link – https://www.venuepilot.co/events/70559/orders/new

Live Music is back at The Brightside with a 2021-2022 concert lineup

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The Brightside Music & Event Venue has announced their 2021-2022 concert season (listing below), which will run from November 2021 through early April 2022. The season offers a mix of concerts ranging in genre from jazz to metal, dinner theater, shopping events, burlesque, drag and wellness events.

The Brightside is a newer venue downtown, opening in the spring of 2019, just a year before the covid shutdown. After years of sitting in disrepair, the multi-purpose event space was rehabbed by local artists Carli and Hamilton Dixon

The venue hosted a mix of entertainment and private events their first year. During the covid shutdown, they didn’t stop working. While the building was empty, they took the opportunity to continue improving the space, by adding a second-floor loft and giving the exterior a facelift.

Financially, covid was very tough on independent venues across the nation. Pivoting to weddings helped the team make it through the shutdown. Through it all, the team has remained passionate about getting back to live music and public events.

“We were so grateful we got to host some really memorable concerts this summer,” Libby Ballengee, the venue’s event creator shared with us. “However, we’ve collectively decided that our time to shine is autumn through spring when the big outdoor venues like Levitt, Fraze, and Rose are closed for the season. We’re excited to host to bring Dayton audiences amazing up-and-coming national and local acts.”

The Nth Power performs at The Brightside on Nov 9, 2021.

The Brightside kicks off the season on Tuesday, November 9th with a very funky dance party featuring The Nth Power, a sensational trio born out of New Orlean’s Jazz Fest. They’ll be paired with Ernie Johnson From Detroit, a 10 piece afro-funk-rock band that is known for their electric on-stage energy.

Their season also features annual events with Ekoostik Hookah, Scythian, The Werks, and Miss May I, two all-day music festivals, and the Dayton Battle of the Bands. This season includes Sunday evening Dayton Dinner Theater engagements, with live jazz, dinner, and a cult favorite film.

“The winter gets so dark and depressing, I like to host events that lift people’s spirits, including my own!” John Boucuvalas, Dayton Dinner Theater’s owner told us.

Ballengee told us that more dates are to be confirmed soon yet. “We’re not done booking yet, so look for more dates to be announced! We may have a big show over the summer, here or there, but by and large, we’re going to enjoy our summers along with everyone else!”

Ekoostik Hookah performs at The Brightside on Nov 19, 2021.

They’re also focused on providing a safe, indoor experience. The venue has installed UV-C air sanitation filters in their HVAC units. There are also asking guests to wear masks unless a patron shows proof of vaccination, negative covid test, or antibody test result.

Tickets and information for The Brightside events can be found at https://www.thebrightsidedayton.com/event-calendar. See list to date of events planned below. Note: Not all events tickets are available for purchase yet.

The Brightside is located at 905 E 3rd St in downtown Dayton and has free, on-site parking.

 

2021-2022 The Brightside Season

Ernie Johnson From Detroit performs at The Brightside on Nov 9, 2021

Tuesday, Nov 9, 2021 – Power Funk from The Nth Power & Ernie Johnson From Detroit

Sunday, Nov 14, 2021 – “A Night in Paris” featuring Howard Hewett & fashion from Curvy Kouture

Thursday, Nov 18, 2021 – Jazz Fusion with Jonathan Scales Fourchestra

Friday, Nov 19, 2021 – Ekoostik Hookah with special guests Subterranean

Sunday, Nov 21, 2021 – Dayton Dinner Theater premiere featuring Star Wars & live jazz

Friday, Nov 26, 2021 – Celtic Rock with Scythian and Arbo

Saturday, Nov 27, 2021 – The 10th Annual Werksgiving Celebration featuring The Werks and Dustin Smith & The Daydreamers

Friday, Dec 3, 2021 – Soul-Reggae-Funk Dance Party with Jah Sol and Solistic

Scythian performs at The Brightside on Nov 26, 2021

Sunday, Dec 5, 2021 – Daytime: Katrina Reelfish Presents a Holiday Drag Brunch

Evening: Dayton Dinner Theater featuring Christmas Vacation & live jazz

Friday, Dec 10, 2021 – HoliDayton

Sunday, Dec 12, 2021 – Dayton Dinner Theater featuring Elf

Friday, Dec 17, 2021 – Miss May I with special guests TBA

Thursday, Jan 13, 2021 – Dayton Battle of the Bands – Round 1 featuring Funk, Rock’n’roll, & Jam

Sunday, Jan 16, 2021 – Dayton Dinner Theater premiere featuring Wizard of Oz & live jazz

Thursday, Jan 20, 2022 – Dayton Battle of the Bands – Round 2 featuring Hip-Hop, R&B, & Soul

Jah Sol performs at The Brightside on Dec 3, 2021

Thursday, Jan 27, 2022 – Dayton Battle of the Bands – Round 3 featuring Alternative, Punk, & Metal

Sunday, Jan 30, 2022 – Dayton Dinner Theater premiere featuring The Princess Bride & live jazz

Thursday, Feb 3, 2022 – Dayton Battle of the Bands – Round 4 featuring Folk, Americana, & Singer-Songwriter

Friday, Feb 4, 2022 – Punk Rock Prom with Nightbeast, Safe Money, & Knavery

Sunday, Feb 6, 2022 – Dayton Dinner Theater featuring Caddyshack & live jazz

Thursday, Feb 10, 2022 – Dayton Battle of the Bands – Round 5 featuring Dance, Electronic, & Experimental

Monday, Feb 14, 2022 – Valentine Day Dinner & Jazz with the Blue Heron Trio

Thursday, Feb 17, 2022 – Dayton Battle of the Bands Finale

Friday, Feb 18, 2022 – Femme Fatale Dayton Burlesque Revue

Friday, Feb 25, 2022 – ENMY with special guests TBA

Blue Heron Trio performs at The Brightside on Valentine’s Day, 2022

Saturday, Feb 26, 2022 – Sound Valley Winter Music Festival – featuring the winner of the Dayton Battle of the Bands

Sunday, Feb 27, 2022 – Dayton Dinner Theater featuring Airplane & live jazz

Saturday March 5, 2022 – Mardi Gras Extravaganza featuring Solistic & special guests

Sunday, March 13, 2022 – Daytime: Venus Rising Wellness Workshop

Evening: Dayton Dinner Theater featuring The Holy Grail

Sunday, March 27, 2022 – Dayton Dinner Theater featuring Napoleon Dynamite

Sunday, April 10, 2022 – Dayton Dinner Theater featuring The Big Lebowski & live jazz

Tickets and information for The Brightside events can be found at https://www.thebrightsidedayton.com/event-calendar. See list to date of events planned below. Note: Not all events tickets are available for purchase yet.