Actor, musician and singer Robert Shaw will again host at the Battle of the Bands Friday.
A native of Indiana, Shaw landed in Tucson in 1998 and did a brief stint at Old Tucson Studios before moving onto the Gaslight Theatre to play a character resembling Elvis.
Shaw then took off to places like Indiana and Los Angeles before landing back in Tucson to begin playing full Elvis tribute concerts.
He's also a full-time actor at the Gaslight and performs around town with his groups: Robert Shaw and The Lonely Street Band (myspace.com/ robertastheking) and The Debonairs (myspace.com/ azdebonairs).
In honor of Valentine's Day, Robert Shaw and The Lonely Street Band will perform two shows of Elvis-themed love songs at the Gaslight, 7010 E. Broadway, but the shows are sold out.
However, Shaw will perform another show, "How Great Thou Art: The Gospel Music of Elvis," on March 17, April 14 and May 12 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $23.95.
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For more info, go to thegaslighttheatre.com.
Popular Choice Award
All 29 bands that entered the Battle of the Bands have an opportunity to win the Popular Choice Award, chosen by people voting online at AZNightbuzz.com. The Popular Choice Award goes to the band that scores the most votes on AZNightbuzz.com by 5 p.m. Friday. The winner will be announced at the Battle of the Bands finals Friday at the Rialto Theatre. Members of the winning band receive iPod Shuffles.
Live text message voting
For the first time, those attending the Battle of the Bands will be able to rank each band's performance via text messaging.
A special number will be unveiled at the Rialto on Battle night. After each band's performance, participating crowd members will receive text messages asking them to rate the group's show. Standard text messaging rates apply.
The band with the highest text message rating at the end of the night will be announced and given a $25 gift certificate to the Apple Store.
Live webcast
Also for the first time, the Battle of the Bands will be broadcast live over the Internet.
If you can't physically make it to the show, you can listen on your computer, streamed at AZNightbuzz.com.
Hosted by the site's editor, Jaynelle Ramon, the webcast will feature all of the performances.
Prizes
Here are some of the prizes the finalists will compete for in the 2008 Battle of the Bands.
First prize:
• Free entry into the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
• Professional recording session on board the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus.
• Apple iPod Shuffle for each band member.
• $500 gift certificate from Chicago Music Store.
• Invited to play the Solar Rock music festival on March 29 at Himmel Park.
• Appearance on local radio station KXCI (91.3-FM) on the show "Locals Only" with Don Jennings.
• Crate Profiler Model 5.
• AMPEG – BA112 Bass Combo.
• One Godin guitar (model/type varies).
• 1,000 custom CDs with full-color jacket and three-color on-disc printing courtesy of Disc Makers.
• Pro Account on Pure Volume.
• Track jackets from NAMM.
• Maxell prize package for each band member (CD-Rs and Disc Wipes).
Second place:
• $100 gift certificate from Chicago Music Store.
• Invited to play the Solar Rock music festival on March 29 at Himmel Park.
Third place:
• Same prizes as the second-place winner.
The Popular Choice Award winner will receive:
• An iPod Shuffle for each member of the band, courtesy of the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus.
The text message winner will receive:
• A $25 gift certificate to the Apple Store.
The Rialto Theatre
This is the fourth time the Battle of the Bands has been held at the venerable theater.
The historic venue opened in 1920 and has undergone several renovations. It was closed for about a year from 2004 to 2005. Improvements included new lighting and a new marquee.
It's easily one of Tucson's best music venues, attracting top national acts such as Modest Mouse, The New Pornographers and Arctic Monkeys.
Coming soon to the Rialto:
• Monday: George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic.
• Tuesday: Rodrigo Y Gabriela.
• Feb. 16: Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers
• Feb. 17: Aiden.
Parking: With Downtown construction, finding decent parking might require a little effort. There's a lot directly north of the Rialto, accessed off Broadway. There's also parking in the neighborhoods to the east.
Advice for the bands
We asked local music pros who book bands for a living to dispense some sage advice.
"If you think you're any good, dedicate yourself to it and something good will come from it."
— David Slutes, singer/guitarist for the Sand Rubies and Club Congress entertainment director
"As much as self-promotion annoys me, in some respects, it definitely gets people places. And persistence works. Don't be shy about getting yourself out there because you don't know when some little connection somewhere is going to pay off."
— Curtis McCrary, Rialto Theatre manager
"When nobody knows who they are, they need to try to play a lot. And try to forge relationships with other bands. . . . Try and play out once a week until people start noticing you and you get a little bit of a draw, then pull it back a little bit."
— Kris Kerry, Plush booker
If you go
• What: Arizona Daily Star's Battle of the Bands.
• When: 7 p.m. Friday.
• Where: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St.
• Cost: $2 donation.
• More info: AZNightbuzz.com.
Sponsors
The John Lennon Songwriting Contest
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
The Chicago Store
Southwest Guitar Studio
KFMA (92.1- and 101.3-FM)
KLPX (96.1-FM)
KXCI (91.3-FM)
Solar Rock Festival
NAMM
Apple
Crate
Ampeg
Disc Makers
Godin Guitars
Maxell USA
