Congratulations to The Gavin Petrie Band!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Gavin Petrie Band for collecting the most online votes this past week. With that, they secure a spot in our next B.O.O.M. live showdown, scheduled for Friday, January 15, 2010 at Nietzsche’s.

This week, we’re featuring Iceberg and The Square Circle in our online battle of the bands. Visit boom.artvoice.com to check out their music and cast a vote for the band you like best. This week’s winner will join Photos of Wagons, the Gavin Petrie Band and Leon and the Forklifts on the bill for our next live show.

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 below. 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 that 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 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.. Visit boom.artvoice.com today, to find out how. Tune in next issue to see who won this week’s match, and who’s up to bat.

Good luck this week to The Square Circle and Iceberg. One of them will win a spot on the bill at Nietzsche’s. The winner will be announced in the January 7 issue. May the best band win.

The Square Circle	Iceberg
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.
When/where did the band form? 2008 Amherst, NY in my parents basement. Band Members: Vik Bhargava - lead vocals, guitar / Patrick Mudd - piano, keys, bass / Bob Simmons - drums You might like us if you like: The Beatles, The Killers, Django Reinhardt, The Shins Recorded Releases: The Square Circle (self titled debut) 2009 available at www.thesquarecirclemusic.com Best show you've played: Last week at Mister Goodbar. A lot of people were into the sound and we let loose with little inhibition. Why you should win the Artvoice.com Online Battle of Original Music: We can't say that we deserve it. We try to put out a good sound and let the people decide. We could say we deserve it because we as artists want everyone to feel or listen to our expression and always want to be the center of attention; but who wants to hear someone say that. "oh listen to us, we're special, we're original, no one has ever done this before..." Website: www.thesquarecirclemusic.com	When/where did the band form? In the fall of 2007, we got together and recorded our first demo CD in Hank's bedroom on Custer Street in the University Heights. We played our first show the following spring. Band Members: Hank Miller - vocals, keys / Fill Ragusa - guitar / Zachery Ausman - drums / Adam Wakefield - bass, vocals You might like us if you like: Vampire Weekend, New Pornographers, Tokyo Police Club Recorded Releases: Demo CD (2008) - 6 songs, Celebrity Crush (2008) - 4 songs , Signals (2010) - 14 songs Best show you've played: The best show we've played was this year's Halloween show at our practice space. The crowd was really fun: everyone was dressed in silly costumes and a bit tipsy, punk and hardcore kids dancing to our little indie tunes. Zac was beating his drums in a full-sized tiger mascot costume. Why you should win the Artvoice.com Online Battle of Original Music: We're a blue collar band. Iceberg isn't trying to sell our music in commercials or fall victim to get rich quick scams like you often see with unsigned bands. We're not the coolest looking act in the world, but what we lack in flash we try to make up for in crafty songwriting and an energetic stage show. Website: www.myspace.com/iceberg12oclock