Battle of the Bands

That’s right, we have it. For possibly the first time ever, we won’t be the ones to rock your socks off… you’re going to rock ours off. So call your friends, find some drums, steal an amp, and replace that high e you broke two years ago because this is your shot to earn some cash and finally play in front of a real audience.

The Establishment’s Means to Keep the Artists Down (Rules)

Requirements
This is a contest for rock bands, so there are some requirements.

1. All bands must have at least 3 members.
2. You must have at least one guitar.
3. You must play your own instruments.
4. You must ROCK!

Content
All bands have up to 12 minutes to perform. In this time they may perform as many songs as you like, but they better all rock! All songs MUST pertain to anime. This means that you can play an anime opening/ending song, an original song about anime, a song about fandom, or whatever. As long as it’s directly related to anime we’re happy, and if we’re not happy then you’re disqualified. If you’re not sure about something, ask us and we’ll let you know. You’ll have 3 minutes to set up while the MC introduces your act. After your set you’ll have to get off the stage as fast as possible so the next band can set up. The order of play will be chosen at random.

Equipment
The convention shall provide the following equipment for your band:

1. A drumset
2. Microphones on stands
3. 2 boom microphones for other instruments (violin, etc)
4. 1/4” cables for two electronic instruments (piano, keytar
5. Power strips for amplifiers

You are responsible for bringing all guitars, amps, keyboards, pedals, and any other instruments that your band will need.

Judging
You will be judged on your bands overall performance in terms of awesomeness of music, awesomeness of lyrics, awesomeness of stage presence, how awesome you play, and awesomeness of overall experience. Basically on how awesome you are. You will be judged by a panel of 5 people, all of which know how to rock, and how to respect the rock. If there is no clear cut winner after all the bands have played be ready to duel it out in a sudden-death round, or to settle things with an old fashion battle of the axes. Be ready for anything, so it might be a good idea to have an extra song lined up, if for no other reason than to have something fresh to play for your victory encore! After all the bands have played and the last horns have been thrown up, the judges will award the triumphant with an award for “Most Rocktastic Band”, 500 dollars cash, and the prestigious title of “Those who rocked the Armageddicon”. We may also call on you again to open for The Protomen, depending on how the schedule works out. There may be other judges awards, or there may not be. At Anime Punch, awards tend to be created when the universe dictates that one is deserved. We do not control the universe, we only fill the voids it creates.

Registration
To sign up your band, just shoot us an email at Rock@animepunch.org and just tell us your band name and the names of your members. As the time gets nearer to the con, we’ll ask you for more and more info and probably have you sign a contract. Two weeks before the con we will want to have a list of what you’ll be playing. You don’t have to know the exact song order, and you still have the right to cut a song, or even add one, but we’ll want to know what to expect to see on our stage. We’ll also use this to let you know if two bands are going to be playing the same song. This is where it pays to let us know ahead of time, because we don’t want to hear any repeats, so if you’re the second band to report in saying you’re going to play the second Naruto opening, then you may be finding yourself learning a new song quickly! Also, at this point we’ll want you to send the lyrics of any original songs you write. Another thing you can do to give us a better idea of what’s going on, and to give yourselves an advantage too, is to send us a demo tape. It doesn’t have to be the best recording in the world, but something to give us a taste of your sound and to let us know you’re not utterly horrible. If too many bands register and we have to cut some bands from the show, the ones without a demo tape will be the first to go. You’ll still need to register for the convention normally. You must be a registered member to perform, and anyone who wants to see you play will need to register too.

Legal Stuff
Registering as a band does not guarantee you will play. We reserve the right to cut any bands from the list for any reason we want. The main reason would be time constraints, but that doesn’t mean we won’t cut you if we think you’re jerks, or if it seems to us like this is your first time holding a guitar. Our judgments are final. I don’t care how much harder you say you rocked than the other guys, you’re wrong. Our house, our rules, and we owe you nothing. If any of your equipment is damaged during the show, or anytime at all really, it’s your fault and we’re not paying for it. Watch your own stuff, it’s not our responsibility. Whether it gets chipped while it’s sitting in a corner, or whether you smash it into an amp, we’re not paying for it. If you smash your guitar into our equipment, you’re also paying for it. Anything of ours that gets damaged by you is also your problem, and we will collect. Not only that, but if you break something we need for the con, not only are you buying us a new one, but you’re also renting one for us to use for the rest of the con. In short, don’t fuck with our speakers. Being on stage does not abstain you from normal laws. Don’t do anything illegal or say anything that will get us or you in trouble. As far as dress code goes, wear what you like as long as it’s not something like what Red Hot Chili Peppers has done to be offensive (AKA, don’t come out just wearing a sock, or a Michigan jersey, or anything stupid like that).

Other stuff
Have fun, rock hard, all that jazz. If you aren't sure if your song is acceptable send it to us and we'll let you know. We've also got some people who can help you write a song if this is your first time, and we can even give you some suggestions of songs that would be pretty hardcore to cover. If you're not sure about signing up, I say go for it. The worst that can happen is you'll make total fools of yourselves in front of all your friends and suck so much that it ruins the weekend for everyone!