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No venue in the Twin Cities area so readily accepts upcoming bands to participate in constant local shows and high-pressure contests like the Rock. Another claim to fame the Rock has is the steady influx of musicians formerly of huge rock and metal bands, such as Motley Cr¤e, Whitesnake and, of course,Joan Jett.

The Rock has been a popular area bar in the Maplewood area for several years now, but in recent months they have seen a surge of popularity that comes with having local bands perform so consistently and so cheaply. The most recent crowds have been made up of fans of the local bands participating in the battles of the bands.

And the Rock has a battle underway right now.

It’s called, predictably enough, the Battle of the Rock Bands. The premise of the contest is for a number of bands to perform, and whichever band receives the most votes wins the contest. Throughout the past month-and-a-half, each Thursday a handful of rock bands have performed, and the winner each Thursday moves into the final round, to take place on Feb. 24 at 9 p.m.

To date, there is only one more Thursday that bands will be able to perform to gain the slot in the final showdown. Over the course of the past few weeks, bands such as 3 Pill Morning, Thoughtcloud, the Diary
Concept, Likwid Blu, and Sunset Black have received spots in the performance in the end of the month.
Finalist Likwid Blu has been together for four years, after forming as a joke. Over the course of their history, they have created a strong and moderately sized fan base in the Twin Cities. Their music boasts the ability to fluctuate from haunting and melodic to dark and bouncing and even to heavy and melodious sounds. They believe their music evokes and expands the deepest emotions from each member to give back to their fans.

A few of you may remember a “Loud and Local” contest that local radio station 93X featured that gave the winner a place on the X-Fest summer tour. The winning band was none other than Sunset Black. Because of the popularity Sunset Black gained from that contest, they have playedcontinuously around the Twin Cities, gaining a significant fan base in the process. With strong, steady rock beats, fans can easily get into this kind of music.

3 Pill Morning boasts of a different type of rock. Integrated with strong, metal beats, 3 Pill Morning features vocals in the hip-hop genre. This band was formed in the summer of 2002 and has steadily tried to tour as much as possible to gain loyal fans č and this has obviously been a success. Formed in the summer months of 2004, the Diary Concept has also gained part of the local spotlight. With the former vocalist of Sentimental Alliance and former members of Finder, this band has created an indie rockąmeetsąpop punk
sound. The Diary Concept also features Hamline student James Nelson on guitar.

Thoughtcloud so far has managed to stump on how they could have possibly gained a slot in the finals.
With a not-so-talented female vocalist and a generic rock sound, they seemed to irritate the crowd more than wow them; nonetheless, they will be participating in the final contest.

Head out to the Rock and vote on Thursday, Feb. 24. You have a direct say in who takes home the $2500, and maybe goes on to become famous - at least in the local scene.