On February 22^nd, 2009, Landmark Events hosted a Battle of the Bands (BOTB) at Club Soda. 17 bands competed for the chance to play at a showcase for various label representatives. Among the 17 that played, six groups were chosen to play on May 1^st at Saints. Arthur Kall, the organizer for both the Battle of the Bands and the showcase, opened with a short acoustic set and introduced the bands that had won the chance to play. The order of the lineup for the evening was based on ticket sales.

First on stage was The Hot Streak, a local band which has a strong following in Montreal and has shared the stage with upcoming artists such as The New Cities and The Johnstones. The energy that they exuded the second they started playing made it impossible for the crowd to stay still. After Arthur Kall’s slower more intense performance, The Hot Streak was much more upbeat and provided some good entertainment thanks to their matching outfits and their quirky choreographed dances. You can check them out on their myspace at: www.myspace.com/thehotstreak

The band that won first place on February 22^nd was Vinyl Hero, a rock/country/funk quartet that took to the stage second. It was clear that the reason they won was because of their very radio-friendly sound as well as their excellent stage presence. For more information on them you can look them up at: www.myspace.com/vinylheroband

Third on stage was Stereo Hotbox, a group of musicians with a very unique sound compared to the rest. They literally made us want to put on our cowboy hat and boots and square dance! They blended rock with country and had some acoustic songs mixed in that got everyone’s attention. Their myspace link for more information is: www.myspace.com/stereohotbox

Set To Kill was the next to perform and it was clear that they had a very loyal following. They connected with the crowd almost immediately which led to lots of head banging, moshing and punching the air. Their hardcore genre of music is exactly what you might find in 5 years from now at Taste of Chaos. Keep your eyes open for this band and check them out at: www.myspace.com/settokillband

The fifth band, Soul of Sam, was only formed in early 2009 and has already been making a name for themselves in and around Montreal. Their set changed things up for the audience when a female lead vocalist came on to perform.  Kat Reiter is not only the lead singer for the band but also the lyricist, inspired by the likes of Arethra Franklin. They’re definitely worth checking out! www.myspace.com/soulofsammusic

The final group on stage was The Lennoxvillains. These three musicians attracted the largest number of fans which was shown through the amount of tickets that were sold. Their progressive/rock sound is comparable to something that could be heard on the video game Guitar Hero. For more information on this band check out their myspace:  www.myspace.com/lennoxvillains

Related Articles:

• A Little Show Review
• Sum 41
• Monday Rose Play The LAM Benefit Show

Find arcitcles with similar tags: arthur kall, confront, confront magazine, hot streak, lennoxvillains, music, Set to kill, Soul of Sam, Stereo Hotbox, the johnstones, the new cities

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 10:59 pm and is filed under Broadcasts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.