Paisley Park selects 9 finalists for its 'Battle of the Bands'

The artists and bands hail from 6 U.S. cities.

Author:: Kaleh Sapp
Publish date:: Aug 22, 2017

Paisley Park has chosen nine finalists to battle it out in a competition for "real musicians."

Last month, organizers invited music acts from around the country to apply for the "battle of the bands" contest. The event is a throwback to battles that were commonplace between bands in north Minneapolis in the 1970s.

The four-night event, called Musicology, will be held over Labor Day weekend, Aug. 31 to Sep. 3.

Meet the finalists

Paisley Park announced the nine finalists in a news release Tuesday.

They were selected from an open pool of video submissions entered via Paisley Park’s official Facebook page between July 7-31.

The artists and bands hail from six U.S. cities, including four groups from Minneapolis:

iLLism – Minneapolis
Pho – Minneapolis
Radiochurch – Minneapolis.
Purple Funk Metropolis – Minneapolis.
Cosmos – Seattle.
The Nightowls – Austin.
Black Alley – Washington, D.C.
Le’Asha Julius – New York.
Anonymous Da Band – Atlanta.

Each night, three different bands or artists will perform in front of a live audience on Prince's legendary Sound Stage, and a winner will be chosen.

Then the three winning artists will advance to a final battle on Sunday, Sept. 3.

One artist will be crowned the champion and score an award package that includes studio recording time at Paisley Park, a mentorship session with members of Prince’s supergroup New Power Generation, and "additional career development opportunities" that Paisley Park says will be announced post-competition.

"The Musicology event will provide an exclusive opportunity for musicians to connect with new fans, showcase their talents and – through friendly competition – elevate their abilities," the release says.