Are YOU BC's Best Teen Band?

BC's Best Teen Band Contest is in its third year and is looking for another break-out group or singer. It could be you, but you'll never know unless you compete!

Opportunities can be hard to come by for teen bands, especially when they’re just starting out. The space between jam sessions in your parents' basement and playing on an actual stage with a real audience can seem daunting – but Youthink has come up with a solution to bridge that gap! On October 3, 2011, Youthink kicks off its third annual BC’s Best Teen Band Contest! It’s open to bands and singer-songwriters of any genre of music, just as long as they are between the ages of 13 and 18.

BC’s Best Teen Band Contest gives young bands from across the province a chance to showcase their music, connect with key players in the music industry and learn how to advance their music careers. This year, there are over $15,000 worth of prizes up for grabs for the Top 3 bands, including $3500 cash for artist development and $1000 worth of gift cards from Long & McQuade. The grand-prize winner will also earn a recording session in a professional studio setting, a band photo shoot plus much more!

Catching up with past BC's Best Teen Band Contest winners

Youthink recently got the chance to talk to Jeff Huggins, lead singer of The Knots, the Coquitlam/New West rock band that won the competition back in 2010, about his experience in the contest. We also caught up with Ethan Caleb, singer of Victoria alt-indie folk band The Archers, BC’s Best Teen Band 2011, about their reflections on the experience. It’s been a big year for both bands; they each released their debut EPs over the summer and had their very own EP release parties. With so much big news you’d think it’d be easy to forget the contest itself, but Huggins clearly remembers how it all started.

Read more on the 2010-11 band contest and its winning band, The Archers

“BC’s Best Teen Band Contest was such a surreal experience for me," says Huggins. "I’ve never heard of another contest that caters so positively to aspiring teen bands. The songwriting workshops, the photo shoot, the contest finale, the songwriting session with Shaun Verreault and eventually recording our EP with Jay Evjen were all absolutely inspiring and life-changing for us as a band.”

How the band contest works

The contest works in three stages. First, it’s narrowed down to the Top 10 bands by a panel of industry judges, then each band has their friends, family and fans vote for them to qualify for the Top 3. And finally, the Top 3 bands earn a slot in the BC’s Best Teen Band Contest final showcase, the culmination of the contest, where the winner is determined.

“The finale just was the climax of the whole experience,” says Huggins. “Everything led up to it and there was so much anticipation. That was the quickest show that we’ve ever played… and it had nothing to do with how long our set was. It was over in the blink of an eye and I just remember how amazing it felt to be up there playing to fans, judges and industry professionals.”

Read more on the 2009-10 band contest and its winning band, The Knots

Although both years the competition has been fierce, the overwhelming feeling of the contest finale tends to be camaraderie, which is exactly what made it a highlight for The Archers.

“The day in Vancouver with Stoned Optic, Ivory Coast and The Knots doing soundcheck and just hanging out with all the people from Youthink and all the industry officials during the meet and greet was great,” says Caleb. “We met some wonderful people, ate some great sandwiches and heard some amazing music.”

What the winning bands are doing now

Both bands have been gaining steady momentum since picking up the title in their respective years, and neither shows any signs of slowing down. The Archers recently played at Victoria’s Rifflandia music festival this year, a huge milestone for the band that Caleb says wouldn’t have been possible without BC’s Best Teen Band contest.

“Since the contest and even during, we all really started putting all our energy into this music thing and it started to pay off considerably," says Caleb. "We wouldn’t be at this point now if we hadn’t used the contest to push ourselves and our music to another level.”

Catching a break can be hard for a teen band, but an opportunity like this can truly accelerate your career. Judging by the success of The Knots and The Archers, it might just be the best way to get out of the garage and on your way to a promising future.

Bands have from now until December 5, 2011 to enter at bandcontest.youthink.ca. The Top 10, which will be chosen by a panel of industry judges, will be announced in January. The public will then vote for the Top 3. The ultimate winner will be decided at the live finale in April 28. More information at bandcontest.youthink.ca and youthink.ca/bandcontest.

Watch a recap of the 2011 BC's Best Teen Band Contest

Video message from BC's Best Teen Band 2011, The Archers