BC's Best Teen Band Contest: Introducing Your Top 10

Getting to know this year's BC's Best Teen Band Top 10 finalists.

Ten young bands across B.C. recently hit a milestone in their music careers when they were chosen as finalists in Youthink’s fourth annual BC’s Best Teen Band Contest.

The 10 talented artists – selected out of the more than 40 entries by a panel of industry professionals – make up one of the most diverse groups the contest has seen since launching in 2009. The Top 3 bands will be determined by fan voting so these artists are now in control of their own fate as they must work tirelessly to gain as many votes as possible. The Top 3 will secure a spot in the Band Contest finale where they’ll battle it out for the title of BC’s Best Teen Band 2013 on April 27th at Vancouver’s Electric Owl. So without any further delay, let’s meet this year’s Top 10 artists.

ADOB

Collect Call

City: Surrey
Schools: Earl Mariott, Elgin Park
Genre(s): Alternative, modern rock

YT: How does it feel to have made the Top 10?
CC: It feels good to be recognized for our hard work. We spend hours meticulously tweaking each song until we are satisfied. So it’s definitely reassuring to see results for the hours of composing, rearranging and, sometimes, groaning.

YT: Why should people vote for your band?
CC: We really dedicate our music to our audience, as well as ourselves. We keep the music honest and down-to-earth by writing lyrics and melodies that come straight from the heart.

YT: Who are your biggest inspirations?

CC: Our biggest inspirations would have to be Hey Rosetta!, Said the Whale and the Arkells. We've got musical background in classical and jazz as well, which we subconsciously incorporate into our sound from time to time.

YT: What would winning the contest mean to your band?

CC: Winning the competition would be a great opportunity for us to publicize our music. The monetary awards would definitely help us to refine our sound and develop as a band. Even if we win, we would continue to invest hours into our music instead of letting it feed our egos since we know that we still have many areas to improve in.

DaniElle

City: Pitt Meadows
Schools: Pitt Meadows Secondary
Genre(s): Country

YT: How does it feel to have made the Top 10?
D: Honestly, I did not think I was going to make it into the Top 10. I was up against so many great competitors. I am really excited to be able to participate in this contest!

YT: Why should people vote for you?
D: I feel like I am running for President! I think that I offer something unique to this competition. Music is my life and getting into the Top 3 would be an experience I would soak up and not take for granted.

YT: Who are your biggest inspirations?
D: Every musician out there offers something different to the table and gives me a different perspective on music. The women of country music definitely inspire me the most, like Tara Oram, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift. Katy Perry is also a major influence in my life.

YT: What would winning the contest mean to you?
D: Winning this contest would be AMAZING! I know it sounds cliché, but that's exactly what it would be.

How We Survive

City: Saanichton
Schools: St. Andrew’s Regional
Genre(s): Alternative, metal, punk

YT: How does it feel to have made the Top 10?
HWS: We couldn’t be happier to even get some recognition as an aspiring band, let alone be known as one of the Top 10.

YT: Why should people vote for your band?
HWS: We are passionate and honest about playing and writing music. The music we write is genuine and real.

YT: Who are your biggest inspirations?
HWS: Ian D'sa, Dallas Green, Jimmy Hendrix, Ed Nash, Benjamin Burnley and Alex Shelnutt.

YT: What would winning the contest mean to your band?
HWS: Winning this contest would give us the opportunity to share our music with many more people than we ever thought possible. It would be the best opportunity to get our music out there for people to listen to and enjoy (hopefully).
 

Lucy Mistreated

City: Duncan
Schools: Cowichan, Woodlands, Ladysmith, Parklands
Genre(s): Alternative, progressive, blues, indie, rock

YT: How does it feel to have made the Top 10?
LM: We have worked hard over the past two years. We feel so honoured that the judges saw the potential we believe we have and are giving us a chance to show the rest of B.C.

YT: Why should people vote for your band?
LM: Being an entertainer goes beyond being a good musician. It’s learning from others, respecting the fans you already have and working hard to win over new ones. We believe the songs we have already written are good, and if we continue to work hard and learn from others, we’ll continue to get better.

YT: Who are your biggest inspirations?
LM: As a band with diverse members none of our inspiration comes from a single place - we think that’s what makes us unique. From our lead singer’s (Colby) love of the classic sounds of John Lennon and the Beatles, our bass player’s (Ryan) obsession with the styles of John Paul Jones and Victor Wooten, our drummer (Cole) love of the complex rhythm of Mars Volta and Thomas Pridgen, our keyboardist/singer’s (Kaitlin) love of the songs by Joan Jet and, finally, our guitarist’s (Colton) admiration for the bluesy sounds of Canadian artists Colin James and Jeff Healey, we believe this diversity shows in the quality, complexity and uniqueness of our songs.

YT: What would winning the contest mean to your band?
LM: Just getting to the Top 3 will be an honour in itself and give us a chance to work and learn from industry professionals. Winning the contest would be a dream come true and our biggest achievement to date - it would be so incredible. We believe hard work really does pay off and hopefully this will give us a chance to tour throughout B.C. and share our music.

Northern Rain

City: Surrey
Schools: Lord Tweedsmuir, Fleetwood
Genre(s): Rock, pop, alternative

YT: How does it feel to have made the Top 10?
NR: It feels awesome. There are some talented musicians and we are excited to have a chance to showcase our talent and love for music.

YT: Why should people vote for your band?
NR: We’ve worked hard at writing meaningful lyrics to our songs and hope that our fans enjoy listening to them.

YT: Who are your biggest inspirations?

NR: Our writing and songs have been inspired by some of our life experiences, as well as listening to a variety of other artists. We enjoy some older classics and newer groups such as Hedley and a Day To Remember.   

YT: What would winning the contest mean to your band?

NR: We would love the opportunity to progress in our musical careers and winning this contest would open many doors for the four of us.  It would allow us to increase our fan base and give us great exposure in the music world.

Roy Has Fire

City: Castlegar
Schools: Mount Sentinel, Stanley Humphries Secondary
Genre(s): Rock, funk, alternative,

YT: How does it feel to have made the Top 10?
RHF: We are happy to have this opportunity to represent the Kootenays in this contest. It’s an exciting experience to be a part of this.

YT: Why should people vote for your band?
RHF: We love writing and performing together. It would support us in bringing attention to the arts in the Kootenays and sharing our original blend of rock and alternative [music].

YT: Who are your biggest inspirations?
RHF: We have been inspired by many great bands, but our good friend and teacher Ian from Supercat Studios has taught and supported the members of Roy Has Fire from the beginning. He has been a big inspiration for all of us, and we wouldn't be where we are without him.

YT: What would winning the contest mean to your band?
RHF: Winning the contest would mean a lot to us. We would love to be able to record and share our music with everyone. This would help us to have enough money for recording and other musical goals. We would be excited to play in front of a Vancouver crowd, and get our name out there.

The Distributors

City: Nanaimo
Schools: Wellington, Woodlands
Genre(s): Blues, alternative, rock

YT: How does it feel to have made the Top 10?
TD: It feels amazing! It’s made us realize we’re on the right path in our music career. We are very humbled by this experience.

YT: Why should people vote for your band?
TD: We put music before gimmicks. For us it’s most important that we’re writing songs that sound good. And we work hard to accomplish everything ourselves.

YT: Who are your biggest inspirations?
TD: Our biggest inspirations come from the support of our friends, family and community. They have supported us so much during our seven months together and have inspired us to write music that makes people say, “WOW! Now those kids are going to go far!” When we perform our songs and people start dancing,we know we are doing our job and that feels great. It inspires us to push ourselves harder.

YT: What would winning the contest mean to your band?
TD: Winning the title of BC's Best Teen Band would mean the world. It would open up so many new opportunities [for us], and as a result bring us new challenges that will allow us to grow as musicians. This is our chance to represent teens who strive to be the best they can be. Rock music is a really prominent genera in this decade and we want our music to be a part of that. Artists like the Black Keys, Rival Sons and The Sheepdogs are the pioneers of retro-rock revival and we want to join their ranks someday. We've worked really hard over these past seven months writing, promoting and creating a fan base, and during that time we've grown and realized that its not impossible to achieve our wildest dreams. Winning will take us one step closer towards making those dreams a reality. 

The Flying Fishmongers

YT: How does it feel to have made the Top 10?
TFF: It feels exhilarating. We put a lot of time into writing and recording our songs, so it gives us a sense of accomplishment knowing that we could come this far in the contest with our music.

YT: Why should people vote for your band?
TFF: If people listen to our music, and they like it, that would be more than enough of a reason to vote for us. That would let us know that we are doing something right, and inspire us to continue further with what we are doing musically.


YT: Who are your biggest inspirations?

TFF: One of our biggest inspirations is Metallica. Not only do they work very well together, but they also have a great respect within the band that has helped them achieve great things. As well, they have a burning passion for what they do, and that passion is one main factor that influences us as a band.


YT: What would winning the contest mean to your band?

TFF: It would be a great honour knowing that we could win a contest such as this, and it would also give us a push musically. Recording with professionals will teach us valuable skills that we can take with us for the rest of our musical career.
 

The Racket

City: South Hazelton
Schools: Hazelton Secondary
Genre(s): Rock, heavy folk, blues-rock, rock’n’roll.


YT: How does it feel to have made the Top 10?
TR: We had caps lock on all day! It’s pretty darn cool that the years and years of practising are starting to morph into something real. We hope we can jump over the hurdle into the Top 3.

YT: Why should people vote for your band?
TR: We put A LOT of hours into doing what we love, and it’s our passion. It would mean so much for us if you voted for our band. You would be helping a few guys with an amazing start on their musical journey.

YT: Who are your biggest inspirations?
TR: Our biggest inspirations are people who have an unprecedented passion to do something they love, and will do anything for this passion to remain. We've had lots of musical inspiration, like Adrian Glynn, James Lamb, Jack White, Jeff Buckley, Eva Cassidy and Bob Dylan to name a few.

YT: What would winning the contest mean to your band?
TR: It would be a big door opening [for us], and it would mean our music is heard by lots of different people from all over B.C. – a great thing since we want to embark on a summer tour. Recording time and cash will help with that as well. We're looking for opportunity and this contest would give us so much.

Fans have until 11:59 p.m. to vote, so head to youthink.ca/bandcontest2013 and support your favourite artist.