Paisley Park selects 9 finalists for its 'Battle of the Bands'
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.
Where to buy tickets
Tickets to Musicology are available at OfficialPaisleyPark.com, and they're pretty pricey at $100 per night.
But attendees will also get admission to the Paisley Park museum tour and dance parties that follow the nightly performances.
