Just a reminder that it’s that time of year again and The Del Mar Fair is rapidly approaching. With it comes The Battle of The Bands and it’s not too late to get your bid in… If you’re a local SD artist (CA residents only) you can find all the details and sign up information right here but ya probably should act fast. The deadline for submitting entries is May 23rd. The “Battle” begins on June 20th, round two is on June 27th and, the winner will be crowned on The 4th of July.

Joel (AMP) and I filmed some bands last year for our own personal edification but I can’t for the life of me remember who they were. That might be a shameful thing to admit but I think it’s a tribute to the mediocrity we were fed (at least while I was there) last time. We shot some video of a couple performances which Joel has up on his YouTube Channel. I think some of the acts were chosen as “novelty acts” because #1) I had never heard of quite a few of them… Granted, I don’t know EVERY band in San Diego but I’ve been gigging around here for the last 7 years… I should at least have heard your name before if you’re playing out… #2) Many of these same bands looked good but didn’t really execute very well. I realize that The Del Mar Fair can be a big deal but a show is a show… You need to get your nerves under control if you’re going to play for crowds. I’ll bet a lot of these bands had killer demos and press kits that they put a lot of time in on but lacked experience and couldn’t deliver the goods when the time came. Just speculation mind you…

There is one band that I do remember from last year but unfortunately I didn’t get to see them perform. That would be our boys from Soundescape. I think I even have an interview with the band where they talk about last year’s battle. Come to think of it, I’m going to have to dig that up and see if it’s worth posting… It seems to me that while they were very much being gentleman about the whole thing, I think they were a little disgruntled at the outcome. Now, I have absolutely no inside knowledge of the goings on with The Del Mar Battle of the Bands and it’s sponsors. What I do know is that as a general rule, it’s a good idea not to underestimate the power of relationships when it comes to these kinds of media sponsored events. It’s just one of those situations where the “best man” might not always win. Either way, take your shot. Go, do, get dirty… Sign up for The Del Mar Battle of the Bands… Eventually the cream always rises. If you’re it, we’ll know it…