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| "Beatnik Jr." Rolls on in Hard Rock's Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands Contest On May 26, 2009, the winners of the video voting phase of Hard Rock's Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands contest were announced; among them, Los Angeles-based Beatnik Jr. - one of only five bands advancing to the final phase of the contest, worldwide online voting. These five bands have triumphed over the initial 150+ band entries, from all over North America. On April 23, Beatnik Jr., appeared in a special live performance at the Hard Rock Café at Universal CityWalk, in Universal City, CA. Their performance was part of the Final Battle in the Hard Rock's Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands contest, which was held at 21 Hard Rock locations across the U.S., as well as the Hard Rock in Toronto, Canada. Beatnik Jr. defeated another local band during the Final Battle, advancing to the next stage of the contest - judged video voting - in which they represented the Los Angeles Hard Rock location. One winner from each Hard Rock Café location moved on to this second round of the contest, where a video recording of each winner was judged by a panel of music industry insiders, led by Head Judge Little Steven of the legendary E Street Band, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Darryl "DMC" McDaniels. Additional video voting judges included Planet Rock DJ, Nicky Horne; Live Nation Vice President of Promotions, Toby Leighton-Pope; and SPIN Magazine editor, Doug Brod. With video voting complete, the contest's five remaining bands have moved on to the online voting phase, where fans from all over the world are currently able to cast votes via the web - these votes will determine the ultimate contest winner. Online voting is open from May 26 until June 7, at the following link: http://battle.ambassadorsofrock.com. Voters can review the five finalists' performance videos, pick their favorite band and cast their votes, all in a matter of minutes. The Hard Rock's Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands contest has bands competing to win the ultimate title of the "Ambassadors of Rock", and a grand prize including the chance to perform on stage at Hard Rock Calling 2009 in Hyde Park, London, which takes place this year June 26-28. The festival is one of the U.K.'s most-anticipated concert events and the kick-off to Hard Rock's 2009 Ambassadors of Rock Tour. The Hard Rock Calling 2009 festival's confirmed performers include headliners Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, as well as The Killers, The Kooks, The Pretenders, Dave Matthews Band, Fleet Foxes, Ben Harper & Relentless 7, Seasick Steve, and The Gaslight Anthem. The Los Angeles leg of the contest is in partnership with local radio station KROQ (106.7 FM). If Beatnik Jr. wins the ultimate prize of the trip to London, to play in the Hard Rock Calling 2009 festival, KROQ will send four people to the festival as well, to join in the festivities. All Angelenos are encouraged to vote for their representing band, Beatnik Jr., to increase their own chances of accompanying the band to Hard Rock Calling 2009. Los Angeles-based Beatnik Jr., an alternative mix of electronic and experimental rock, began playing together just over a year ago, in late 2007. To date, they have played a multitude of shows in cities and venues all over Southern California, as well as appearances in other locales across the nation. The group, which is known for incorporating elements of electronic rock into their unique sound, has built quite the following in the past year, appealing to a varied demographic - from other emerging local and national acts, artists and musicians, to seasoned music industry veterans who hale Beatnik Jr.'s musical talents, feats and nuances. At the helm of Beatnik Jr., is John Maro. John, a Philadelphia native, has been making music his entire life, which is now devoted to heading up Beatnik Jr. He sings and writes, plays guitar and keyboards. Jordan Vernik, also from Philadelphia, is both lead guitarist and producer, molding and focusing the band's live and recorded sounds. Collin Winner, new to Los Angeles from Connecticut, is the band's bassist. And hailing from Virginia, drummer Drews' unique creativity lays down the Beatnik Jr. rhythm. Fans have referred to Beatnik Jr.'s music as sounding similar to Radiohead, The Faint, The Postal Service, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, and even The Beatles. Beatnik Jr.'s recent performances include their April 9 and April 23 shows as part of the Hard Rock's Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands contest, as well as their appearance as part of the legendary Sunset Strip live music venue, The Viper Room's, Soul Satisfaction Mondays lineup. Beatnik Jr. played an additional show at The Viper Room, on May 3, and the band recently performed at Fat City, in San Francisco. Some of Beatnik Jr.'s upcoming shows include two scheduled dates at the House of Blues Sunset Strip, on May 30 and June 6, a promotional appearance at the Hard Rock Café at Universal CityWalk, on June 2, as well as a July 3 show at The Troubadour, in West Hollywood. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |