Eventful 'Battle of the bands' benefits Trident United Way

Get some serious bang for your bucks when just over a dozen clash on stage next Thursday at the Music Farm for Trident United Way's fifth annual Battle of the Bands.

Included with the ticket price are free drinks and food as well as possible prizes for showing up. All you need to remember is to put your contact information in the pool for the drawings between every set.

Proceeds will benefit organizations of Trident United Way (TUW). Co-chairman Christopher Glenn explains that the event also serves to raise awareness of what the local organization does and where donations go.

"We want to get young people involved. Get them educated about TUW, educate them about what TUW is all about and where the money goes when they give," he said.

Glenn says Trident United Way is a resource for distributing money to other nonprofit organizations.

"They determine where the money is most needed in the community and distribute it accordingly. They act as a pass through."

Passing the mic to bands will be emcee Ken Carrington of the RiverDogs.

The crowd will determine best cover band.

Local celebrity and music industry judges will select best original band.

This year's cover band line-up will include Henry's Attic, Dirtweed, Headrush, Cindi & the Sound Catz and Fatter Than Albert.

Original bands will be Big Bangs Theory, Hwy 17 Band, TranceFusion, Steel Petals, Ascending Heights, Dead on Time, Hundred Hands Down and NOTA.

If Steel Petals sounds familiar, it's because they won best original band at last year's battle. Last year's best cover band was South Strand Band.

Also taking the stage will be On the Hunt, a '70s classic rock cover band. While not competing, they'll keep the energy high while votes are counted and winners are decided.

Then an all-star jam featuring members of the Battle of the Bands committee will wrap up the night after results have been announced.

In order to qualify to play, all bands had to participate in a United Way project. One was helping the Lowcountry Food Bank box food. The other one was a poverty simulation to see what it would be like to live at the poverty level, Glenn said.

"There were absolutely no negative comments by anyone," said Glenn. "Everyone learned something about the project they participated in and everyone walked away feeling like they accomplished something good for the community and learned more about the organizations and TUW."

New to the event will be this year's "Rock Your Socks Off" campaign.

Attendees are asked to bring new men's, women's and children's socks to donate to Crisis Ministries.

By doing so, sock bearers will get special access to a new, specialty beer by Sweetwater that hasn't been released.