A battle of the bands

Oliver Brown, a student in the music magnet at Hamilton High School, writes:

Pushing beaten half-stack amps and spray-painted guitar cases up Hollywood Boulevard, a group of musically minded high school students contended in the Blastbeat USA West Finals recently at the Musicians Institute. In a tremendous display of talent, these musicians came together to test their entrepreneurship and melodic ability in a nonprofit competition that is relatively new here in the United States.

                                                                                                                                                          

Robert Stephenson founded Blastbeat in Ireland in 2003 in an attempt to bring music back into the hands of students. Stephenson designed a program that would teach business ethics to some young people, while allowing others to expand their musical skills.

In the course, participants establish mini-corporations or MMCs that discover bands by holding benefit concerts in their communities. Then, these production companies are judged by a panel of industry executives on such factors as professional appearance and event management, while the bands that they present are graded on their stage performance and originality. After several months of grueling labor, the students, alongside their bands, exhibit their effort at the regional competition, an event that determines the participants of the world finals in Dublin.

A program that began as a national endeavor now functions on a global level, maintaining Blastbeat centers in the United States, Ireland, England, Slovakia, South Africa and more, all connected through a website. Using funding from several international corporations as well a grant from the Irish government, Stephenson has created a foundation that educates and empowers young people.

This was evident in the performances last weekend at the Musicians Institute. With the refreshing opening performance from the alternative sound of the Leftovers to the closing set of underground rappers Somewhere Else, the victorious group, there was an incredible demonstration of talent and musical aptitude. Photos from the event are above.

While judges deliberated, members from each of these groups took to the stage in a collection of skill that produced inspiring results. Blending blues and metal, these young musicians broke the tension of competition in the realization that they were all joined in the common pursuit of the arts. In a show of musical and ethnic diversity, the Blastbeat USA West Finals embodied the many striking sounds and colors of Los Angeles.