Plans for the 2010 RAWK Final Four Category: RAWK Final Four This article has been read: 816 times. Band Competition The 2010 RAWK Final Four will be a competition between 20 selected younger regional bands, resulting in the winners of four preliminary rounds - as voted by the fans in attendance at each preliminary event, in conjunction with bonus points provided by a panel of judges - meeting in the Finals of the RAWK Final Four, likely to be held at The Service Station, 9315 N. Nevada (an all ages facility) on Saturday, March 13, 2010. This will be the 9th Annual RAWK Final Four. It has been, by far, the largest and best-publicized event for younger rock bands, and the longest-running. This event is designed as a fundraiser for RAWK, with an opportunity for financial earnings by the bands, including prizes for the winners. The bands, even the non-winners, will receive a GREAT AMOUNT of exposure – hopefully again including television for the Finals, as it has the past two years. RAWK will print 500 posters for distribution all over the area, thousands of flyers, specialized Final Four tickets, and the print media will be provided contact material regarding each band. Bands will be recruited based on issuing invitations to bands eligible to return from last year’s Final Four, contacting bands which had previously expressed an interest in playing a RAWK show or the Final Four, and bands responding to notices that the Final Four was soon coming up. We have tried to include bands that are serious about their art. Also, to be eligible, the bands must have at least half their members still in high school, and no member more than two years out of high school, or over the age of 20. The music is to be original music, created by the band. Preliminary Rounds Four “preliminary round” events have been scheduled for The Porch, a contemporary church facility at 1804 W. Broadway in Spokane, on the following dates: Saturday, January 23 Saturday, January 30 Saturday, February 6 Saturday, February 13 Each band will play on only one of these dates. Bands will be assigned to a specific preliminary round date based on priorities expressed by the bands for certain dates, an attempt to spread out the returning bands on different nights, and an attempt to not have bands from the same schools facing each other on the same night, if possible. The play order for each evening will be drawn at random. The set length for each band will be ˝ hour (30 minutes – maximum, bands may choose to play for less, but 20 minutes is recommended as the minimum). The number of competing bands each night will be 5. There may be "headline/non-competing" bands or acoustic artists during the "vote counting." RAWK will provide the staging, basic sound system, microphones and lights, but the bands should bring their own instruments, drum kits, and guitar amps. Please call us if you lack equipment. Here is the preliminary group of bands that have recently expressed willingness to play, subject to their eligibility: Act One Scene One (Cheney) Albatross, FKA The Temps (Mead) A World In Flames Black Friday (Coeur d'Alene area) Bodhi Drip (LC) Confusion Arise (Ferris) Executive Smack (LC, G-Prep) Flight 509 (U-High) Jazz (Shadle Park) Nothing To Gain (Ferris, Rogers, U-High) Prayer For Tomorrow (Ferris) The Ongoing Concept (Rathdrum) The Sassmatrons (LC) The Universal Men (Mt. Spokane) 3 Years Later (East Valley) Victory For A Day (Moses Lake) Waggy Plank (Mt. Spokane) Yukon The Archer (LC) We have 18 spots currently filled. play date and time: JANUARY 23 6:00 3 Years Later 6:45 Bodhi Drip 7:30 Albatross 8:15 Victory For A Day 9:00 Waggy Plank JANUARY 30 6:00 The Ongoing Concept 6:45 The Sassmatrons 7:30 Prayer For Tomorrow 8:15 Black Friday 9:00 A World In Flames FEBRUARY 6 6:00 Executive Smack 6:45 7:30 Act One Scene One 8:15 9:00 Nothing To Gain FEBRUARY 13 6:00 Confusion Arise 6:45 Jazz 7:30 Yukon The Archer 8:15 The Universalmen 9:00 Flight 509 Agreement Each band will be asked to sign an agreement regarding behavior/language appropriate for an all-ages event, and provisions regarding the turning over of ticket money prior to taking the stage. As described below, it is NOT REQUIRED that ANY tickets be sold, but hard work usually pays off in most every endeavor in life. Being successful as a band is as much about being businesslike, organized, and effective in promotion and in building relationships as it is about writing and performing songs. Tickets The price of each advance ticket for the preliminary rounds will be $8. As for the last few years, there will be no "discounting" – each band will turn over $8 for each ticket sold. This is being done for uniformity of pricing. Each band will likely be given 75 tickets to sell at a band meeting. Bands do NOT need to sell ANY tickets (but it sure helps get a base of votes for your band, by having friends/family there). The bands will return ALL unsold tickets and cash for tickets sold in advance of the show. The tickets will be individually numbered, and a record kept of their distribution. We recommend each band have a ticket manager to keep track of who has each group of tickets. Obviously, the more tickets a band sells will increase the odds that people who like that band will be in attendance to vote for the band. Each person holding a ticket, or buying one at the door (the price will be $10 at the door), will be given (as they enter the venue) one ballot on which to vote for his or her favorite band. Bonus points will be awarded by a panel of judges, as a way of rewarding quality performance. The winner will be announced at the end of the evening, and provided their cash prize of $100. Second place each night will be given $50. Free Admittance to the Finals All Final Four band members (sorry, not girlfriends/boyfriends) get free admittance to the Finals on March 13. We cannot offer that for the preliminary rounds (unless you are IN the particular round, of course) – due to space considerations. Wild Card Band As in the past, we will likely select a "Wild Card" band to open the Final Four show on March 13. At this time, RAWK has not decided how to select the Wild Card band (we know we are mixing football and basketball metaphors here, but please bear with us). We reserve the right to do any silly thing we want to in order to select the wild card band. Please don’t be upset if not selected – just do your best to win your round. It is always a hard choice for us. Winning is Not Everything Each year some people feel bad about not "winning." Although winning produces a good feeling, this is not all about winning. The bands will gain great exposure, lifetime memories, and the experience and enjoyment of playing on a professional stage in front of a huge, friendly crowd. Bands will learn things about promotion, organization, and networking. Bands always comment on how many opportunities they get to play other shows after gaining exposure at the Final Four. Many new people will hear you, and hear of you. Girls/guys will think you are cute. Prize for Winners The winning band at each playoff round will receive $100 in cash, and second place $50. In addition, we are trying to come up with additional prizes from corporate sponsors for the Finals. At this time, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to offer any, except a Grand Prize, which will be $500, which you may use for equipment or recording. Any sponsors will receive recognition in our advertising, if a sponsorship commitment is made early enough. The wild card band will not receive a cash award from the preliminary round, but will be eligible for the Grand Prize if they win the Final Four. It would be helpful if the bands would help solicit prizes, such as gift certificates, from local businesses. Then there will be more to win. Call Bridget Vogel at 509-638-3216 for more information. Of course, the winning band will receive substantial recognition in the local media and on the RAWK web site, www.rawkonline.com. The 2008 winning band, The Chasing, got to meet the Mayor of the City of Spokane, Mary Verner, in her office at City Hall. The winning band has generally been invited to participate in a variety of community events, such as Pig Out and First Night. It is also likely that the Finals on March 13 will be video and audio taped, and perhaps presented on CMTV, Channel 14 on Comcast Cable, and perhaps also included in the Comcast Digital On Demand service. Past Winners We are proud of all the bands that have participated over the years, and the way many band members have gone on to other projects. The quality of past champions is undeniable. They are: 2002 Soapbox (2 members now in Paper Genius) 2003 Malfunction 2004 For Years Blue (now: The Globes) 2005 Catalyst (frontman now in Oil of Angels) 2006 Vax Lavala 2007 BEAF 2008 The Chasing 2009 Green Light Go Questions Direct any general questions to Dale Strom at 509-998-9767. Art concepts and production is being led by Myk Crawford. Dave Crume is our Board President. Charlie Greer is leading volunteer staffing, and Bridget Vogel is in charge of soliciting sponsorships. Brian Golly developed our web site. Other RAWK Board members and staff will play important roles in making this the best RAWK Final Four of all time. Keep an eye on www.rawkonline.com for updates. Posted by: rawkmandale - November 10th, 2009 Back to News Articles View Articles From RAWK Final Four Category