Coverage of the 2011 Battle of the Bands

The Opposables, a four-piece rock band from Catalina Foothills and University high schools, won the eighth annual Arizona Daily Star Battle of the Bands on Friday night at the Rialto Theatre.

The group, the only band in the finals to have been in the contest before, was the pick of both the contest's judges and a crowd text poll.

There was a tie for second place between Manic After Hours, a ska-influenced rock band from Catalina High School, and Dark Aeturnis, a black-metal/melodic-death-metal band with members from Flowing Wells, Santa Rita and Sky Islands high schools.

Six of the 19 original entrants in this year's contest made it to the finals of the 2011 contest.

There were also two solo acts - Alisha Peru of Cienega High School, and Tyler Scruggs of Tucson High School - and a four-piece hard-rock/metal band from Douglas, Wrest, in this year's finals.

Some of the performers had obvious sectors of the audience rooting for them. But as the night went on, the crowd of about 600 seemed to find something to like about all the musicians. And, while it was a competition, many of the bands' members mingled. They also set the tone for the crowd, asking for applause for the other bands.

Peru, Scruggs and Andre Olivas, the singer-guitarist for Wrest, hung out at a picnic table in the alley next to the Rialto before the show looking at social-media websites and reading about the bands in the contest and what was being posted about the preliminaries.

Stage fright, for the most part, didn't show. Between songs, Olivas made fun of persistent feedback, probably from his own guitar, at first apologizing, then saying it was intentional, telling the crowd they should pretend it was part of the song.

The contest's rules require band members to be in high school and that all songs performed be written by band members.

The contest began in the fall of 2010 with bands submitting information about members and recordings.

The prizes for the winning band included eight hours recording time from Allusion Studios and a $500 gift merchandise certificate from the Chicago Music Store, 100 CDs from CD Baby and a chance to play several Tucson events.

The second-place bands receive $100 gift certificates from the Chicago Music store, and a consultation at Allusion Studios.

Contact Dan Sorenson at 573-4185 or dsorenson@azstarnet.com

The 2011 Arizona Daily Star’s Battle of the Bands is Friday at the historic Rialto Theatre. Now in its eighth year, the competition gives scores of teens the chance to show off their skills on a downtown stage that has hosted artists as diverse as Beck, Ray Davies and Snoop Dogg to Gregg Allman, MegaDeth and Smashing Pumpkins.

Click on each finalist's name for more.

Alisha Peru

Solo singer-songwriter Alisha Peru started taking piano lessons  when she was 4 years old and has since learned to play sax, violin and guitar.

Dark Aeturnis

Members of this band from Flowing Wells, Santa Rita and Sky Islands high schools are Cheyenne VanAlst, Austin Kruger, Josiah Cooper and Dalton Spencer. Their music draws on Norwegian black metal and melodic death metal.

Manic After Hours

The members of this alt-rock band, who list influences ranging from the Dave Matthews Band and The Roots to Pinback and Led Zeppelin, are all seniors at Catalina Foothills High School. They are Daniel Olitzky, Forrest Reiland, Raymond Sanchez and Jake Morris.

The Opposables

Members of this band, from University and Catalina Foothills high schools, are Zach Briefer, Derek Salois, Josh Every and Collin D’Aloisio. The Opposables formed in 2008 and cite blues as their main influence.

Tyler Scruggs

Pop singer-songwriter Tyler Scruggs, from Tucson High School, plays piano and guitar and writes screenplays, as well as songs for himself. He hopes to make a career out of songwriting.

Wrest

This rock band’s members, all from Douglas High School, are the only finalists from outside of Tucson. They are Victor Lugo, Joe Morales, Andre Olivas, Gus Enriquez and Carlos Olivas.

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Meet the hosts and judges, find out what the winner receives and get an update on last year's winner by clicking on the links under "Related Stories." Also, read more about Allusion Studios, where the winner will have an eight-hour recording session.

• Where: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St.

• When: 6:30 p.m. doors open. 7 p.m., the Battle begins.

• Admission: $2.

GO ONLINE - After the show on Friday, be sure to check out aznightbuzz.com for photos, video highlights and more.

Hearing her glossy, emotional piano-driven pop, you'd think Alisha Peru would have Sara Bareilles, Alicia Keys or Tori Amos at the top of her list of faves.

But when asked to name her favorite artist, there was no hesitation: "Aerosmith. I like classic rock," said Peru.

"I like music all the way from classical to rap. But my greatest love is classic rock. Van Halen's really good, too."

The 15-year-old Cienega High School sophomore says she doesn't find the isolation of working as a solo artist limiting. Does it make it hard for her to break out of a style and make her songs sound different from one another?

"Actually," she says, "it makes it easier. I don't have to worry about clashing with other people.

"I can work with a band, and I can hear it in my head and teach it to the musicians, and they play it in the style they have. With studio players," she says, she gets exactly what she asks for.

Still, she says, "Sometimes I miss being in a band."

She says her band experience was limited. "We played a few gigs. We had at least 25 originals. I wrote a few of them. Our guitarist wrote most of them.

"I'm doing better as a solo."

She says one factor in favor of the solo approach is that "if I'm writing and I have the band instruments in my head and I take it and play with other people, it winds up sounding like Evanescence."

She's confident, to say the least. Part of it comes from having more than 10 years of musical experience at the age of 15.

"I took piano lessons from the time I was four and half years old," she says. "After I stopped, I think I improved because if I hadn't stopped I wouldn't have started writing songs. I think after I dropped the lessons, I got to be more creative."

She still works at her piano playing.

"I play the piano a lot," she says. "I actually play the piano more than I watch TV."

She feels most comfortable at the piano, but has put in time on a number of other instruments, as well.

"I played violin in elementary school. I started playing sax, alto and tenor, in fifth grade. And I played that in the school bands."

Peru, who plays both acoustic and electric guitars, said she "first picked guitar up in fourth grade, but I didn't really play, play until a couple years ago."

There may have been some genes that helped, as her parents both played some as children.

"My mom played piano a little bit as a kid. My dad played trumpet in high school."

Peru says she knows what she wants in the studio and doesn't seem shy about getting it, even with people she doesn't know.

She says she "was technically the producer" on her three-song demo, "Searching in the Darkness," recorded last summer at Allusion Studios in Tucson.

"I hire studio musicians," Peru says. "But I'm the one telling them what I want them to do. On occasion the sound engineer will give ideas."

She says she's going to combine those songs with those from sessions she did in December to produce an album-length recording.

Her plans are large. College, she'll give it a chance.

But first, she wants to "take one year off after high school and go to Nashville and travel around, get my music out and just travel around."

Dark Aeturnis lead singer, guitarist and lyricist Austin Kruger said the young band's music is unquestionably dark.

"Our image is extremely influenced from the Norwegian black-metal scene," Kruger said, including "the black and white ('corpse') makeup."

Kruger didn't want to dwell on the attention given church-burning and Satanism allegations levied against some of the founders of Norwegian black metal, which started in the early '90s and in this country is often parodied.

"If you type in 'black metal' on YouTube, you get a bunch of people making fun of it. Everyone is trying to outdo each other on how evil they can be," the 15-year-old said.

Dark Aeturnis, with members from Flowing Wells, Santa Rita and Sky Islands high schools, has also been influenced musically by melodic metal bands such as Cradle of Death and Children of Bodom.

Keyboard player Cheyenne VanAlst and co-lead guitarist Dalton Spencer contributed to the melodic metal sound. "Dalton is the king of harmonization," Kruger said, referring to the twin guitar leads the band often uses.

Still, asked the most common themes of the band's original songs, Kruger didn't hesitate or apologize.

"Darkness, to say the least," he said. "The overall elements are usually darkness, death, hatred, brutality. It's fun. I like horror movies. They give you that feeling, 'Am I safe? Am I as secure as I think I am?' "

Kruger has an affinity for the grim lyrics he writes and sings in a guttural metal delivery.

"As a kid, I wasn't interested in going out and playing football. I was sitting in the corner reading about bats. I had this fascination with morbid things. It's about things that go bump in the night."

The band is also unusual in yet another way, at least for its Battle of the Bands appearances, as it is playing without a bass player. The group's regular bass player is not in high school - and so is ineligible for the contest.

Kruger said their solution to playing without a bassist is to rely even more heavily on their dual-guitar arrangements. Kruger and Spencer play guitars tuned to a lower-than-standard pitch, not unusual in metal, but also use an even lower C tuning on some songs.

"We played a couple of shows without a bass player," Kruger said.

Besides the Battle of the Bands warm-up show at Club Congress last month, he said the band has played club shows at the Rock, DV8, Skrappy's and the Bum Steer in the last year.

Getting ready for that is more than just perfecting the music, because the band puts a lot of effort into its appearance and stage show as well, Kruger said.

The band members, except for drummer Josiah Cooper, wear makeup on stage. They also dress in all black, much of it leather, including boots and spiked arm sleeves.

Spencer, in particular, is adept at whipping his waist-length straight hair in time with the music.

"Me and Dalton practiced synchronized head-banging watching Behemoth (a Polish death-metal band) videos," Kruger said.

He said the band's members want to record some of their new songs and re-record some of those on an EP they did last year.

The Battle of the Bands may be one of the last hurrahs for Catalina Foothills High School alt-rockers Manic After Dark.

The group is less active recently than the year before, when it played shows at the Rock, the Living Room and some other local venues.

They're all seniors, and the band's future doesn't extend past May since some of them expect to be going to college out of state, says bassist and singer Jake Morris, 18.

"I think we'll probably go our separate ways when we go to college," says Morris. "We'll keep playing (individually), even when we go off to college. When we come back to visit we'll jam - it just won't be as serious."

In the meantime, they continue to write songs and practice once a week, getting ready for the Battle of the Bands.

There's a touch of reggae in some of their originals.

"We all write together," says Morris. "When we're writing, it's at band practice," although Morris says lyrics sometimes come from individual members.

"One of our guitarists, Raymond Sanchez, he's brought lyrics to us and we've written" the music together.

Drummer Daniel Olitzky, 17, says playing some guitar has helped him to contribute in the writing process. "Or, sometimes, I'll start playing something on the drums, and we'll write from there. Or the guys will have some guitar riffs, and I'll join in."

But Forrest Reiland, the band's other guitarist, won't take any credit for lyrics. "I don't come up with any lyrical ideas," the 18-year- old said.

Guitar is his interest, but he's not taking a lot of credit there, either.

"Me and the other guitarist (Raymond Sanchez) switch off" on lead. "I wouldn't call either one of us lead players," Reiland says.

Still, Reiland obviously has put in some time studying great rock guitarists since he started on electric guitar when he was 11. Before that, he played classical guitar, taking lessons.

"I'm self-taught on electric. I like a lot of classic rock guitarists - Hendrix, Page. I like John Frusciante a lot. I think (classical) has influenced my (electric) playing. I have a bit of a different style than other guitarists."

Guitarist Sanchez, 18, says he spends several hours a day practicing guitar. "I wouldn't even call it practice. It's more like how I like to spend my free time," Sanchez says. "Music is my passion. It's a cliché, but that's the way it is."

The band has had a sweet deal, as bands go. They get along well, and they've got a place to rehearse.

"We're all good buddies," says Reiland.

"We lucked out," Morris says. "We used to play in my room, but now we have a separate room in my house. Everyone in my house plays (music). My dad's a guitarist. It's just a hobby, he plays with friends. He's a rocker. I've been trying to teach him some jazz stuff."

Morris said the practice room is even equipped with a set of drums that Olitzky can use.

Olitzky says he wants to keep playing, even when it's over for Manic After Hours. He continues to take lessons and practices about an hour a day.

In the three years they've been together, The Opposables have gained more experience than most high school bands, even those that make it into the Battle of the Bands.

Like most young bands, they started out playing covers - their versions of songs by established artists. And playing covers got them work, and not just the parties that make up the bulk of exposure most high school bands get.

They've played clubs and bars, including both Nimbus locations, The Hut, Bedroxx and the Hideout, says bassist Collin D'Aloisio.

The nightclub experience, at least in part, was due to connections. Singer Josh Every's dad, David, and drummer Zach Briefer's dad, Andy, are members of a cover band, the Blue Rays, that frequently plays those clubs and sometimes shares the stage with the Opposables. Together with guitarist Derek Salois they got some experience playing before older audiences, in addition to the school friends most groups their age play to.

"It was a good opportunity to learn 40 or 50 songs, 10 of our own and 30 to 40 covers," says D'Aloisio.

It let them build up a repertoire of original material while continuing to play out and get tighter.

And last year they were finalists in the Arizona Daily Star's 2010 Battle of the Bands. They're the only returning band in this year's lineup.

Most musicians never get beyond playing other artists' music. Writing their own material takes time for most bands, if they ever get there. But the Battle of the Bands requires contestants to do original material.

D'Aloisio, who plays both electric and upright (double) bass, also got some outside experience playing with the Tucson Jazz Institute. And he said both he and Briefer also are members of the school choir.

Every said he and Briefer used to write lyrics individually and bring them to the band but that "now it's mostly collaborative."

Every says they consider themselves a rock band, but "we take a lot of stuff from the blues" in writing their own songs.

Sometimes the songs start with lyrics; other times it's the music. And sometimes, D'Aloisio says, they'll come back to a song and completely change the melody or arrangement.

By late 2009 they had enough of their own songs to record an album, which they released early last year.

But the writing may be on the wall for the band, as Briefer, a senior, is probably going to an out-of-state college.

The band is already backing off its schedule, Briefer says.

"Rehearse? In the past we probably did it twice every week. Now, it's probably once every month or so. I think we all know that I will be gone soon. We've kind of calmed everything down at this point," Briefer said.

The experience has been generally a friendly one, Every says. "It wavers, because it's like a marriage between four people." But he said only once has a dispute led to anyone stomping out of practice.

Singer-songwriter Tyler Scruggs was a songwriter first, a musician second.

And the 16-year-old Tucson High Magnet School sophomore is already a songwriting veteran.

"I started writing in 2006 before I learned any sort of musical instrument. I wrote notebooks and notebooks full, but only a handful are any good," Scruggs says.

Still, someone else thought he had potential.

Scruggs says he was contacted by Beluga Heights, a popish Los Angeles-based label that represents artists including Sean Knight and Jason Derulo, about his songs. He says they wanted "to put my songs in their portfolio." As yet, he says, there haven't been any bites from artists or producers wanting his material. But he continues to "devote a certain amount of time trying to write for their genre."

In the case of Sean Kingston, that means writing for someone who works in a Jamaican hip-hop style.

Scruggs' own songs, including those he'll be performing at the 2011 Battle of the Bands competition, are "straight up Top 40 pop," he says.

While developing his songwriting, he's learned to play piano and guitar and, it would seem, is a quick study.

"I learned guitar in December 2007. I learned Rivers Cuomo's song from the band Weezer," Scruggs says.

"Piano? I taught myself watching You Tube videos."

Although working as a solo act in the Battle of the Bands, Scruggs says he has played in a couple of bands and had a backing band while doing "a few shows as Tyler Scruggs."

But he says he couldn't use the band in the Battle of the Bands because some of the members didn't meet the registration deadline.

Scruggs says he split from the earlier bands because they wanted to go in "a heavier direction, like metal. I really can't sing like that."

"I would like to be an artist (but) I'm not a huge fan of the rock-star lifestyle, the on-the-road and everything that goes with that," Scruggs says. "I personally don't think I could handle that."

Although he likes performing live, Scruggs says he thinks ultimately it could be more exciting to be a successful songwriter.

"Songwriters have all the joy," he says. "And it's more surprising, actually, if you write a song and it comes on the radio randomly. It would take you a moment to notice it. And songwriting's a lot more of a laid-back job in the music industry."

He'll be switching off between guitar and piano at the Battle of the Bands show at the Rialto.

He says he's putting in even more practice time than usual. And, even in quieter times, he says there's a lot of competition for the time to practice his music.

Scruggs, who studies digital media at Tucson High, says he's even more interested in screenwriting. "So, I spend about half and half on songwriting and screenwriting," Scruggs says.

Wrest is from Douglas, but they're all over the place musically.

"We go from pop punk to alternative to metal, and a little death core," says the band's 17-year-old singer and guitarist, Andre Olivas.

Fittingly, his personal-favorite band is Linkin Park, the alt-rock, nu-metal and rap-rock group.

Rehearsing for the Battle of the Bands has been keeping Olivas, a junior, and the rest of the band from Douglas High School - seniors Victor Lugo, 19, a guitarist; drummer Joseph Morales, 19; and 18-year-old bassist Carlos Olivas - busy.

Andre Olivas says they've practiced nearly every week and more recently, "maybe even five days a week, at least three days a week."

Their songwriting method is a mixture of the occasional band member bringing in lyrics and music, and a collaboration between members at rehearsals.

Olivas says he has written all the lyrics and the guitar parts for three songs. "But, usually, one of the guitarists will come up with a riff and we'll just work off of that and all get together and throw in ideas, bass and drum parts."

The band is a tight group, and not just musically.

Bassist Carlos Olivas is Andre's cousin, but Andre says they all might as well be related - the loyalty and friendship in Wrest are as important as the music.

That helps overcome their musical differences. For instance, Andre Olivas says Carlos is into cumbias and Michael Jackson, Victor's tastes range from White Snake and Van Halen to Ben Folds, and Joe is a fan of Tool and A Day to Remember.

Olivas sets the band's agenda, picking times to practice and taking care of other band business.

They recently set up a show at Club 3000, a Douglas bar that also rents out space for quinceañeras, weddings and parties. But Olivas said the big freeze broke a pipe that flooded the roof and caused the ceiling to cave in. So, they did a show at a friend's house and each made about $16 to go toward the cost of coming to Tucson.

He said only about five friends drove the 120 miles from Douglas for the warm-up show at Club Congress last month. He's hoping for more for the finals on Friday but not expecting it.

Other than the Battle of the Bands warm-up and competition, the band's musical experience out of Douglas has been a show at the Rock in Tucson. They also come up to attend occasional concerts.

Olivas says he's known for several years that he wants to take music as far as he can.

"I had been playing trumpet in sixth grade. I started out playing drums around eighth grade, four years ago," Olivas says. "Then I saw Disturbed playing at the Rialto and said, 'I want to do what he is doing. I want to play on that stage.' "

He was already working on his singing and played trumpet in the school jazz band. But after seeing Disturbed, he started working on guitar.

"We want to make it a career," Olivas said and then added, as if a high school counselor were sitting on one shoulder and whispering to him: "But, we always have to have a backup plan. I want to go to college."

One thing is for certain, Olivas says: "We look at it as we're family and friends first. If the band should ever break up, we should stay friends. Band second, and friends first."

A panel of five judges will determine the winners of the 2009 Battle of the Bands. The judges represent a wide variety of music and experience in Tucson. They'll put their know-how to use as they vote on technical skills and competence, originality and creativity, entertainment value, songwriting ability and overall sound quality. The top three bands will be announced onstage at the end of the night.

Dan Twelker

Dan Twelker hosts "Locals Only" on 91.3-FM KXCI at 8 p.m. on Mondays. It features interviews and in-studio performances with Tucson bands and artists. He is also an optometrist for the University of Arizona's Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science.

Dan Hernandez

Dan Hernandez got involved in the local music scene in 2001, designing and making prints and posters for bands. He managed hard-rock act Chango Malo on tour from 2002 to 2004. A graduate of Casa Grande Union High School, Hernandez is an entertainment booker at Club Congress.

Acorn Bcorn

Acorn Bcorn is a rock duo consisting of two sisters: Marina Cornelius on vocals and guitar, and Leann Cornelius on bass. (They also share drumming duties.) They were formerly two-thirds of the Beta Sweat. You can catch them at Plush on Feb. 28 with Lenguas Largas and Sic Alps. The duo recently recorded songs and will have a record out sometime in March.

Andrew Cox

Andrew Cox has managed bands for more than five years and co-owns DesertCore Management and Consulting. He was also the director of retail promotions for Century Media and Nuclear Blast Records, and he worked as a producer and engineer for Rose Studios in Clearwater, Fla. He is also a recruitment advertising sales representative at the Arizona Daily Star.

Mark Martinez

Mark Martinez is the operations manager for the Rialto Theatre. For the last eight years, he also has run his own business as a photographer specializing in music, mostly concerts. The Chicago native is an avid music fan, and he also worked in retail music as a store manager for more than 12 years.

The members of Soñar, the 2010 Battle of the Bands winner, are still playing. But not in the same band.

It's not a particularly sad story. It has nothing to do with "creative differences" or members outgrowing the band's music. It's not a particularly unusual story, rather one that high school bands have repeated for years.

The three members of the atmospheric instrumental rock band graduated from high school - two from Greenfields Country Day School and one from St. Gregory Preparatory School - and headed off to different colleges and about as far apart as you can get in the continental United States without getting your feet wet.

Drummer Galen McIsaac-Davidson, 19, is at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash.

Keyboard man Jacob Lifton, 18, is at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Guitarist Griff Tovey, 19, is at Pima Community College. Of the three, he's playing the most music, taking a piano class at PCC, getting some jazz guitar lessons and working with the Tucson Jazz Institute.

The three got together in Tucson over the recent winter break, but didn't get a chance to do the reunion gig they talked about doing for friends and fans of the band.

"I actually got together with him (Griff Tovey) a couple of times," Lifton said. "He's pretty good at jazz; he's picking it up fast. I definitely noticed that his chord changes and soloing improvisation definitely has gotten better."

Lifton said he's been going in the same direction. He studied classical piano since he was about 6 years old.

"There's a piano in the dorm so I go down there once in a while and mess around," Lifton said. "I'm not taking lessons. It's mostly by myself, writing new things or playing old things."

He said he also played a few shows around Ithaca with a local klezmer band.

As a drummer, it's been tougher for McIsaac-Davidson, as a full drum kit and a dorm room don't usually go together.

"Here at Whitman I play hand drums, a lighter acoustic thing," McIsaac-Davidson said. "I jam with other folks in the dorm. My roommate is an awesome guitarist. We play together to unwind."

He said the three old bandmates really clicked when they got together in Tucson over the holidays.

"Whenever we get together, we end up making new stuff, which is fun, but it's not going to go anywhere for a while," said McIsaac-Davidson.

"I really do miss playing with Soñar.

"We're definitely lifetime friends, Jacob and Griff."

You could probably get away with calling Battle of the Band's co-host Robert Shaw "Elvis" without hurting his feelings, but he asks that you don't call him an Elvis impersonator.

"I just say I'm an Elvis performer," Shaw says. "I personally have a distaste for the word impersonation, 'cause to me that's a guy in a jumpsuit. I actually approach our concerts like a piece of theater, that they have an arc or a story to them. We share parts of his life."

Shaw, 32, performs several Elvis-themed shows with a rock band, one based here and one in his home state of Indiana, and as a guest artist with symphony orchestras around the country.

Shaw said he'd taken piano lessons when he was 5 or 6 and played trumpet for a while in junior high school. He caught the stage bug while playing Sgt. Gregovich in a high school production of "Teahouse of the August Moon" as a teenager growing up in Indiana.

"It was irreversible," Shaw said. "The first musical I was involved in was "The Music Man," . . . in high school. Music and theater seemed the way to go to me. That's when I started taking voice and acting lessons."

Actually performing as a musician on stage came much later. It was after his supposedly one-shot Elvis show at the Gaslight Theatre in Tucson turned into a career, that he learned to play guitar.

And even then, it was doing a Johnny Cash tribute that drove him to learn how to play rhythm guitar.

"You can kind of get by" without really knowing how to play guitar when doing an Elvis tribute, Shaw said. That sunburst acoustic guitar was more of a prop than an instrument for Elvis. But Shaw said there was no getting around learning Cash's simple, but unmistakable style, on guitar.

"I still don't know that I'd call myself a guitarist around Blake (guitarist Blake Matthies from Shaw's Tucson band), Shaw says.

Having fronted a band doing Elvis or Johnny Cash songs hundreds of times, Shaw says he's able to identify with the young bands performing at the Battle of the Bands.

"I had a little nerves last weekend, Shaw said about performing his "Celebrating Elvis" show with the Louisville Orchestra.

This will be the fifth year Shaw has emceed the Battle of the Bands. He said he's been impressed with the dedication he's seen on stage.

"I would never have thought of approaching that at that age. The stuff they're doing, too, is not 1-4-5 (three-chord) rockers, most of them."

Sarah Vanek said she's a natural for co-hosting the 2011 Battle of the Bands.

She's been a stage actress, from "Annie" to "Annie Get Your Gun."

As a former child performer, theater teacher and adult professional stage actress, Vanek says she can empathize with stage fright and young entertainers wanting to show the world what they've got.

"I still get nervous before I go out on stage," Vanek says.

Vanek says she respects young people who "love to perform and have enough chutzpah to get out in front of an audience and play their own music. That takes courage."

Vanek's childhood career - "I did my first professional production when I was 5" - included a long stint in a regional production of "Annie."

Since then she has acted in a TV pilot, done commercials, taught in children's theater schools, been a longtime member of a pantomime troupe and, mostly, acted on stage.

Since coming to Tucson in 2001, she's been a fixture at the Gaslight Theatre.

She also did a stretch with the local rock band 80s and Gentlemen and some shows with the Bad News Blues Band as part of a Louis Prima-Keely Smith tribute.

The battle winner will receive a prize package that includes:

• Chicago Music Store - $500 gift certificate for the winning band; and a $100 gift certificate for second- and third-place bands.

• Allusion Studios - Eight-hour recording session and six CDs for winning band. One-hour consulting session for second place.

• Mega Bundle from CD Baby - Includes 100 CDs with content and label printing; full-color on-disc printing; slim jewel cases in black; two-panel, full-color insert for the winning band.

• Wait, there's more - The winning band has the chance to perform at the Star of the Desert Motor Classic at Desert Diamond Casino on March 5, the Tucson Festival of Books at the UA on March 12-13, the Nam Jam concert at the Kino Sports Complex on March 26, and the Solar Rock festival at Armory Park on March 27.

• Each of the finalists will get a custom concert poster.

There was a lot of nervous energy at Club Congress on Sunday night as the six finalists in the Arizona Daily Star's 2011 Battle of the Bands got ready to play a warm-up showcase. And that was just the parents and fans.

Each solo act and band got 10 minutes to set up and 20 minutes to play the warm-up for the Feb. 18 judged contest at the Rialto Theatre.

The finalists include students from eight local high schools and and one from Douglas, all performing original material.

The acts' styles range wildly, from singer-songwriter pop by solo acts Alisha Peru and Tyler Scruggs, ska-flavored rock by Manic After Hours and the hybrid sound of The Opposables, to the metal of Dark Aeturnis and Wrest.

Only the Opposables have prior experience as finalists in the contest, having competed in last year's battle.

Dan Sorenson

The battle winner will receive a prize package that includes:

Chicago Music Store

$500 gift certificate for the winning band; and a $100 gift certificate for second- and third-place bands.

Allusion Studios

Eight-hour recording session and six CDs for winning band.

One-hour consulting session for second place.

Mega Bundle from CD Baby

Includes 100 CDs with content and label printing; full-color on-disc printing; slim jewel cases in black; two-panel full-color insert for the winning band.

Wait, there's more

The winning band has the chance to perform at the 2011 Tucson Festival of Books at the University of Arizona on March 12 and 13, and at the Solar Rock festival at Armory Park on March 27.

Each of the finalists will get a custom concert poster.

The six finalists of the 2011 Arizona Daily Star Battle of the Bands competition will take to the stage Sunday in a free showcase at Club Congress.

The all-ages warm-up show will feature Alisha Peru, Dark Aeturnis, Manic After Hours, the Opposables, Tyler Scruggs and Wrest.

The performers, who come from eight local high schools and one from Douglas, will perform their own original material - and they mean business.

Each will play a 20-minute set in this noncompetitive showcase. It's a tuneup for the main event, which is set for Feb. 18 at the Rialto Theatre.

Sticks n' Strings Music Center, 8796 E. Broadway, will donate a drum set for the bands to use during Sunday's show.

If you go

• What: Arizona Daily Star's 2011 Battle of the Bands Showcase, featuring finalists Alisha Peru, Dark Aeturnis, Manic After Hours, the Opposables, Tyler Scruggs and Wrest.

• Where: Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St.

• When: 6 p.m. Sunday.

• Cost: Free.

• Online: For a sample of the finalists' tunes, go to aznightbuzz.com/botb

• Starting Monday, watch video highlights from the warm-up at aznightbuzz.com

Prizes

The battle winner will receive a prize package that includes:

• Chicago Music Store

$500 gift certificate for the winning band; and a $100 gift certificate for second- and third-place bands.

• Allusion Studios

Eight-hour recording session and six CDs for winning band.

One-hour consulting session for second place.

• Mega Bundle from CD Baby

Includes 100 CDs with content and label printing; full-color on-disc printing; slim jewel cases in black; two-panel full-color insert for the winning band.

• Wait, there's more

The winning band has the chance to perform at the 2011 Tucson Festival of Books at the UA on March 12-13, and at the Solar Rock festival at Armory Park on March 27.

Each of the finalists will get a custom concert poster.

Veronica Cruz

And then there were six. One of the acts below will be crowned the winner of the 2011 Arizona Daily Star Battle of the Bands.

Our panel of judges selected these finalists after listening online to all 19 acts that entered the competition.

The bands were judged on sound quality; technical skills and competence; entertainment value; originality and creativity; and songwriting.

The finalists will play a warm-up show at Club Congress on Jan. 16 and at the Battle of the Bands showdown at the Rialto Theatre on Feb. 18. You can listen to songs submitted by all of the qualifying bands and learn more about the groups at aznightbuzz.com/botb

The finalists also have been invited to perform in the Great Cover-Up, taking place at the Rialto Theatre and Club Congress Dec. 9 through 11.

Alisha Peru

Cienega High School.

411: Peru plays piano and guitar and recorded her first pop-rock CD in June.

And the judges said: "Excellent voice and songwriting ability. I would like to hear more."

Dark Aeturnis

Flowing Wells, Santa Rita and Sky Islands high schools.

411: A metal band two years in the making, according to its Facebook page. The band has been through many lineup, name and even genre changes. Today it's black metal with melodic death-metal influences.

Members: Austin Kruger, Cheyenne VanAlst, Dalton Spencer, Patrick Wilson and Josiah Cooper.

And the judges said: "Accomplished effort. Good overall effect. Looking forward to hearing live."

Manic After Hours

Catalina Foothills High School.

411: This alternative-rock band was formed in April 2008. "We tend to take music very seriously," the band says. "We are influenced by rock, rap, jazz and other types of music to create our interesting style."

Members: Daniel Olitzky, Forrest Reiland, Jake Morris and Raymond Sanchez.

And the judges said: "These guys were fun to listen to." Also: "Taking some chances, and it pays off."

The Opposables

Catalina Foothills and University high schools.

411: Everybody in this alternative-rock band has been playing music since before each member was a teenager. The vocalist has been singing since age 5.

Members: Josh Every, Zack Briefer, Derek Salois and Collin D'Aloisio.

And the judges said: "Really good band vibe. Good vocals. . . . Very entertaining."

Tyler Scruggs

Tucson High Magnet School.

411: Scruggs, a pop-electronic artist, has been writing since 2006 and performing since 2008. On his Facebook page, he says he's a member of "The Rent Is Too Damn High" political party.

And the judges said: "Complete, professional and really fun to listen to. Loved the first song."

Wrest

Douglas High School.

411: This alt-metal band describes itself as "five guys from different musical backgrounds." Members point out that "wrest" is a verb meaning "to pull, jerk or force by a violent twist."

Members: Victor Lugo, Andre Olivas, Joseph Morales and Carlos Olivas.

And the judges said: "Righteous screaming. Sounds like a very tight-knit group. Great recording - chops galore!"

Meet the judges

Dan Twelker hosts "Locals Only" on 91.3-FM KXCI at 8 p.m. on Mondays. It features interviews and in-studio performances with Tucson bands and artists. He has also released his first solo album of singer-songwriter folk, titled "Recycled Love." Twelker is an optometrist at University Physicians Healthcare.

Marianne Dissard, Tucson's French-born chanteuse and filmmaker, has a new CD coming out early next year called "L'Abandon." She will perform a CD- and DVD-release party Jan. 22 at Club Congress, and there'll be a retrospective of her films Jan. 21 at the Screening Room. She will then take off for Europe, backed by a band that includes Sergio Mendoza, Brian Lopez and Gabriel Sullivan.

Acorn Bcorn is a rock duo consisting of two sisters: Marina Cornelius on vocals and guitar, and Leann Cornelius on bass. (They also share drumming duties.) They were formerly two-thirds of the Beta Sweat. You can catch them opening up for White Fang and the Thermals tonight at 7 at Club Congress. The show is for all ages; it's $10 in advance, $12 at the door.

Andrew Cox has managed bands for more than five years and co-owns DesertCore Management and Consulting. He was also the director of retail promotions for Century Media and Nuclear Blast Records, and he worked as a producer and engineer for Rose Studios in Clearwater, Fla. He is also an employee of Tucson Newspapers.

Mark Martinez is the operations manager for the Rialto Theatre. For the last eight years, he has run his own business as a photographer specializing in music, mostly concerts. The Chicago native is an avid music fan, and he also worked in retail music as a store manager for more than 12 years.

Nineteen bands have qualified for the Arizona Daily Star's 2011 Battle of the Bands. We're listing nine of the bands this week and the remaining 10 in next week's edition of Caliente.

The six finalists, to be chosen by a panel of judges, will be announced in the Nov. 18 Caliente. 

The finalists will play a Jan. 16 warm-up show at Club Congress and the live Battle of the Bands showdown at the Rialto Theatre on Feb. 18.

You can listen to the sound files submitted by the qualifying bands or learn more about the groups at aznightbuzz.com/botb

29 Lines: University High School. Alternative with punk, rock and indie. Members: Riley Molloy, Brandon Hellman, Grant Jahn, and Lee Burke.

Alisha Peru: Cienega High School. Pop/rock.

Break the Moon: Flowing Wells High School. Pop and punk/screamo. Members: Aaron Svensen, Sean Mallett, Jeff Phan and Billy Phan.

Chimerical Caxi:  Canyon del Oro and Basis Tucson high schools. Indie rock. Members: Dany Joumaa, Judith Menzl and Leah Ellis.

Complex Houses: Empire High School. Lo-fi/indie

Members: Issac Moon, Zac Harris and Josh Carnes.  

Dark Aeturnis: Flowing Wells, Santa Rita and Sky Islands high schools. Black metal. Members: Austin Kruger, Cheyenne VanAlst, Dalton Spencer, Patrick Wilson and Josiah Cooper.

Exosense: Sonoran Science Academy. Between rock and metal. Members: Alireza Torres, Dustin Briles, Eric Fernandez, Danielle Tanner and Nick Tanner.    

Manic After Hours: Catalina Foothills High School. Alternative rock. Members: Daniel Olitzky, Forrest Reiland, Jake Morris and Raymond Sanchez.

Six String Theory: Flowing Wells High School. Ska/punk. Members: Alexander Manzutto, Cade Scheafer, Sean Gale and Ciro Minopoli.

Check back next week for more on the other 10 bands.

This week we introduce you to the rest of the 19 bands that qualified for the Arizona Daily Star's 2011 Battle of the Bands.

The six finalists, to be chosen by a panel of judges, will be announced in next week's edition of Caliente.

The finalists will play a warm-up show at Club Congress on Jan. 16 and the Battle of the Bands showdown at the Rialto Theatre on Feb. 18.

You can listen to songs submitted by all of the qualifying bands and learn more about the groups at aznightbuzz.com/botb

Rite of Kin: University High School. Alternative rock. Members: Ken Decker, Queston Kwolek and Eitamar Nadler.

Savanah: Santa Rita High School. Alternative, grunge and ska. Members: Nick Mackenzie-Low,  Brandon Martin and Ryan Rhodes.

Cynosure: Nogales High School. Alternative/post-grunge. Members: Jerry Linn, Andres Lake and Ivan Villa.

The Ellipses: Catalina Foothills High School. Rock. Members: Sutton Hathorn, John Millerd, Kavon Sharifi and Gregory Hathorn.

The Floor is Lava:  Sabino and Mountain View high schools. Post-hardcore/screamo. Members: David Scordato, Lexi Salazar, Max Smith, John Jones. 

The Opposables: Catalina Foothills and University high schools. Alternative rock. Members: Josh Every, Zack Briefer, Derek Salois and Collin D’Aloisio.

The Reprisal: University High School. Metal. Members: Ezzy Chavez, Tynan Newman, Edgar Martinez and  Lucas Carballeira.

Tyler Scruggs: Tucson High Magnet School. Pop/electronic.

Unbreakable: Sunnyside High School. Punk/Pop. Members: Daniel Cota, Isaac Siqueiros, Gilbert Corrales and Javier Siqueiros.

Wrest: Douglas High School. Alt-metal. Members: Victor Lugo, Andre Olivas, Joseph Morales and Carlos Olivas.

Nineteen bands from Southern Arizona high schools will square off in the Arizona Daily Star's 2011 Battle of the Bands.

This year's field stretches from Douglas and Nogales to Marana, the broadest representation to date.

The competition was open to full-time Southern Arizona high school students, ages 14 through 19.

Six finalists, determined by a panel of judges, will be announced in Caliente Nov. 18.

The finalists will play a Jan. 16 warm-up show at Club Congress and the live Battle of the Bands showdown at the Rialto Theatre on Feb. 18.

Here's a look at the 19 combatants. You can learn more about the bands, see photos and listen to their music at aznightbuzz.com/botb.

University High School band 29 Lines' submission says the four-member group was influenced by Ben Folds, We Are Scientists, Death Cab for Cutie, Coldplay, Stravinsky and Bach.

Solo singer-songwriter Alisha Peru of Cienega High School lists influences including Evanescence and Alicia Keys. She plays piano and guitar and recorded her first CD in June.

Break the Moon, a four-piece band from Flowing Wells High School, formed in August 2009 and lists influences including The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Never Shout Never.

Chimerical Caxi is an unconventional - violin, piano and lead vocal - trio from Canyon del Oro High School and Basis Tucson. They list influences including KT Tunstall, Elton John and classical violinists.

Complex Houses, a drums-bass-and-guitar trio from Empire High School formed in September 2009, although the band's bass and guitar players have played together since they were 12. Their diverse influences include Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie and Wilco.

Cynosure is a five-piece group from Nogales High School with influences ranging from Tool and the Deftones to Blink 182 and Machine Head.

Dark Aeturnis is made up of musicians from three schools, Flowing Wells, Santa Rita and Sky Islands. The self-described black metal band's influences including Children of Bodom, Marilyn Manson and Avenged Sevenfold.

Exosense, from Sonoran Science Academy, took its present form in 2009 when it expanded from a guitar duo to a full band with bass, drums and vocals. Their influences include Iron Maiden, The Beatles, System of a Down and Rush.

Catalina Foothills four-piece Manic After Hours draws from rock, reggae, jazz and pop, including Dave Matthews, Minus the Bear, the Grateful Dead, the Roots and Radiohead among their influences.

Rite of Kin, a hard-rocking trio from University High School, formed in February 2009 claiming influences from Rush and Metallica to Dire Straits and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Santa Rita High School trio Savanah formed in August 2009 and their original songs are influenced by Sublime, Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Reel Big Fish, among others.

Members of Six String Theory, a four-piece from Flowing Wells High School, met in the school's jazz band and includes trombone, bass, guitar and drums and two voices. They're influenced by Sublime, NOFX, The Beatles, Bad Religion and consider themselves a ska/punk group.

The Ellipses - a four-piece with two guitars, bass and drums from Catalina Foothills High School - identifies as a rock group with influences including The Strokes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Modest Mouse and Switchfoot.

The Floor is Lava is a five-piece metal group with both female and male lead vocals. They're from Sabino High School and narrow down their brand of metal with a genre self-description of "post-hardcore/screamo." Influences include The Devil Wears Prada, A Day to Remember and August Burns Red.

The Opposables are a four-piece made up of musicians from Catalina Foothills and University high schools. They list themselves as alternative rock and include a wild range of influences from Dr. Dog and Spacehog to Jimi Hendrix and Steely Dan.

Metal band The Reprisal from University High School - two guitars, bass and drums - has been together since September 2009 and credits Papa Roach and Lynyrd Skynyrd in addition to a long list of heavy metal and hard rockers as influencing them.

Tucson High's Tyler Scruggs is one of the few singer-songwriters in this year's competition. He accompanies himself on guitar, but uses bass and drums on his recordings. He lists David Bowie, Weezer, Kanye West and Randy Newman as influences.

Unbreakable is a punk/pop four-piece from Sunnyside High School. They met in Sunnyside's guitar classes and jazz band and formed the group in October 2009. Their influences include Jonas brothers, Relient K, Reik and Rabito.

Wrest is an alternative metal five piece - two guitarists, bass, drums and a lead singer - from Douglas High School. Their influences are Linkin Park, Tool, Whitesnake, Slipknot, A Day to Remember and Michael Jackson.