Competition Saturday at Turley Park

Turley Park will be alive with local talents Saturday as 10 bands rock out for a shot at a free trip to New York or California and a chance at a major record deal.

The second round of the battle of the bands competition takes place Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. and will showcase the bands selected from the first of three elimination rounds. Fifteen bands turned in demos and information kits, and after Saturday’s contest, only three will remain.

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The remaining bands will compete near Lentz Hall in Thompson Point on Friday, Oct. 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. for the winning trip that will bring them face to face with Universal Records for an audition and opportunity for a contract signing.

The music genres of the bands are mostly rock variations with some bands playing punk. A few of the bands, such as The Plus and Untied, play gigs at Carbondale venues on a regular basis.

Sonya Walls, president of Digi Dawg Productions, said the contest is being hosted by 101.5 CIL-FM radio, which has recently been promoting the contest on air.

“It’s going to be a good show with a lot of good talent,” Walls said. Most of the bands are from Carbondale, while one will come from West Frankfort.

The Weather Channel forecast for Saturday was partly cloudy as of Thursday, but Gabriella Pehanich said the concert will take place “rain or shine.”

Walls said the 10 bands will get 20 minutes to play whatever they want, with 15-minute breaks in between for groups to set up their equipment. She expects most of the bands to stick with original music rather than covers.

CIL-FM will be on hand to judge the competition and select the final three bands based on their musical ability. Crowd turnout and feedback will also be important, as bands often respond to energetic audiences.

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Chris Psenicka, lead singer for Untied, said the event should help showcase a lot of good talent, especially that of local bands that are still working on developing a larger fan base.

“There’ll be a lot of good competition there,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve played in [a public forum] like this, so it’s pretty exciting.”

Reporter Brian Peach can be reached at [email protected]

Info Graphic List of bands and order they will play in. The competition takes place Saturday noon to 6 p.m.