Written by Dakshesh Thackar, Woodstock High School student journalist
On Saturday, Nov. 4, Woodstock was rocking as The Scene Promotions company put on the first Big Battle of the Bands as a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Carleton York. The event, hosted at the Best Western Plus Hotel and Convention Centre, saw five bands from across the Maritimes take the stage to compete for the title and $1,000 in prize money. Taking part were Tee 4 Three from Moncton, Run the River from Fredericton, Old Habits from Moncton, The Martin Boys from Woodstock, and Turbo from Halifax.
“We intentionally had very unique bands playing. When Daniel Monteith, Mellissa Hargrove, other organizers, and I sat down and talked about what we wanted as a vision for the event, we wanted something that served the bands and the entire music scene. We wanted diverse original bands that could show themselves to our audience,” said Corey Crouse, who runs The Scene Promotions.
The performance was presented by The Scene Promotions, with Daniel Monteith acting as MC for the night.
As the night unfolded, each band delivered captivating performances to an audience of over 200 music enthusiasts. The competition was fierce, with each band receiving a 30-minute setlist to showcase their unique styles and greatest talents.
Judges Eddie Young, Erika Betts, Shaun Monteith, and Shaun Albright faced the difficult task of deciding upon the winner of the Big Battle of the Bands.
Turbo emerged victorious and took home the $1000 prize and the coveted trip to Sabian, with The Martin Boys coming runners-ups and receiving the virtual fan award!
Crouse’s goal with The Scene Productions is to grow the region’s music scene and expose all ages to live music.
“We want you to come if you can’t afford a ticket. We want you to come if you don’t have any friends to go with. It’s not about making money; it’s about making it happen.”
Steven and Ruth Rideout from Big City Sound, Randy Ross, Sally Teague, Ryan Martin, Ryan Duffley, Jennifer Connor, and Melissa Hargrove all helped with the event’s sound, production and marketing. While all proceeds went to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Carleton-York, the event saw sponsorships come from all corners of the region.
“The performance went absolutely seamless,” said Crouse. “It was their hard work which allowed us to have a great performance. There were no immediate sound checks when the bands went up on stage; there were multiple bands coming and going fast on and off the stage, and we were actually ahead of time with our schedule, which put more pressure on our sound crew. It was because of their professionalism that the show went the way it did with all of the pressures on board.”
As the echoes of the last chords faded away into the Woodstock streets, not only had some of the Maritime’s greatest talents been showcased, but a spotlight shined on Woodstock’s prosperous, vibrant, and ever-growing music scene, all while raising funds for a good cause.
