Welcome back, my friends, to the online battle of the bands that never ends—the fantabulous Artvoice Battle Of Original Music (B.O.O.M.). Often imitated, but never duplicated, this marks the third year we’ve been reaching out to the local original music community, and discovering a depth of talent and drive that few knew existed here. Turns out the Buffalo area continues to serve as a hotbed for new artists, and we’re proud to offer them a platform to get their music out there.

Congratulations to Round 1 Week 3 Winners, Carpo Phorus!

This week, we’d like to congratulate Carpo Phorus! He collected the most votes in our online contest this past week, so he proceeds to the live preliminary at Nietzsche’s on Friday, October 16.

For you, dear readers, who’ve been living under a rock, here’s how our contest works. Solo artists and bands visit boom.artvoice.com and register by answering a brief questionnaire, like the ones on the right of this page. They also submit a couple songs and a photo.

From the pile of submissions we receive, two acts are chosen each week, and they appear in the print edition of the paper. These two then compete head to head in our virtual concert hall—where visitors to Artvoice.com can listen to the music, and then, with the click of a mouse, cast one vote for the contestant he or she prefers.

Thus, each week produces one winner. At the end of four weeks, we arrive at the four bands that then square off in a live showdown, where each audience member receives one ballot to cast for his or her favorite. At the end of the night, one band emerges victorious and wins a spot in the B.O.O.M. Grand Finale, the big live concert battle that pits the four winners of our preliminary shows against one another. That night, one band will walk off with awesome prizes, and join the ranks of past B.O.O.M. Grand Champions Dali’s Ghost, and TypeRelevant.

Bands are encouraged to get out the vote any way they can short of stuffing the ballot box. Our IT guy has detected such instances in the past, and it’s never been taken lightly. If you’re caught cheating, you can be disqualified. And there’s nowhere to appeal our decision.

Also, musicians, there’s still time to enter B.O.OM., even if you’ve entered before. Visit the registration page to find out how.

Good luck to the Bear Exchange and David Cloyd. May the best band win.

The Jim Crean Band	The Fated Grey
You must have the latest Adobe Flash Player installed to listen to the BOOM! contestants.	You must have the latest Adobe Flash Player installed to listen to the BOOM! contestants.
Band Members: Jim Crean (lead vocals, guitar) / Colleen Crean (drums) / Phil Naro (guitar) / Johnny Roxx (bass) When/where did the band form? Formed about six months ago in Buffalo, NY. You might like us if you like: Aerosmith, Talas, Goo Goo Dolls, Cheap Trick. Recorded releases: Jim Crean (1991), Elegance, Excess & Decadence (2004), Velvet Crush (2009), Hollywood Rockstar (2009) Best show ever played: Opening for Cheap Trick. Why you should win the Artvoice.com Online Battle of Original Music: We feel we have alot to offer in our live performance, and feel the songs will appeal to everyone! Website: http://www.jimcrean.net	Band Members: Jeff Woods (vocals, guitar) / Dan Barto (drums, vocals) / Justin Chmiel (guitar, vocals) / Jeremy McNally (bass) When/where did the band form? 2008, Niagara Falls New York You might like us if you like: Foo Fighters, Thrice, Brand New Recorded releases: The Road We Encounter (2009) Best show ever played: There is no best show. We get something out of every time we perform or just practice, it truly builds the character of our band. Why you should win the Artvoice.com Online Battle of Original Music: When you listen to our music, there’s something going on inside you emotionally that you can’t quite figure out. You catch this tidal wave of feelings and find a way to relate our music to the many curve balls life can throw at you. We work very hard at every angle we have with this project. We’re very proud of our collaborations together. We want the public to enjoy the fruits of our labors. Website: www.myspace.com/thefatedgrey