Congratulations to our week 2 winners, Suffolk & Rain!

Congratulations to Suffolk & Rain! They collected the most online votes this past week, earning themselves a spot on our next live battle of the bands at Nietzsche’s on January 14, 2011.

This week features two more of the best original acts that have thus far submitted a photo, an original mp3, and filled out our rigorous questionnaire. Each week, the popular online vote decides who proceeds to the live show where four acts square off in a no-holds-barred extravaganza of local original music.

That night at Nietzsche’s (21+), each audience member will be given one ballot on which to cast his or her vote for his or her favorite band. At the end of the night, when the tally is completed, only one will have won the right to perform in the Artvoice BOOM Grand Finale—the battle royale, winner-take-all live blowout where one talented act will walk away with unspeakable prizes, a handsome wad of cash, and the eternal privilege to proclaim themselves Artvoice BOOM Grand Champions!

This week, we give you Canoe and Speak Easy Three. Take a moment to meet them on this page and listen to their music below. Finally, cast ONE vote for the one you like best. Through the magic of the digital age, we will tabulate the voting and announce this week’s winner in next week’s print edition.

A word of warning however: Bands attempting to stuff the ballot by submitting multiple votes will be rooted out using the most sophisticated intelligence software available on the black market. (Well, okay, that’s a bluff, but if you try to fool our IT guy you will be caught. Just ask the FBI…he’s that good. And if that happens, you will be disqualified with nowhere to appeal our decision.)

There’s still time for artists to enter the contest. Just visit boom.artvoice.com to find out how. In the meantime, check out this week’s contestants, and may the best band win.

Speak Easy Three	Canoe
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: Clinton Manning - guitar, vocals / Andy Reardon - bass / Mike Ruben - drums When/where did the band form? The band formed in the Buffalo area in the summer of ‘09. You might like us if you like: Our songs and influences vary but our genre can be compared to artists like Matchbox 20, Blues Traveler, Barenaked Ladies, Goo Goo Dolls, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc... Best show played: We’ve had a lot of awesome shows but recently we played out in Rochester opening for Dennis DeYoung of Styx. It was probably our largest crowd to date with a nice stage and great sound. We got a lot of positive response and turned a lot of heads. Why you should win the Artvoice.com Online Battle of Original Music: We’ve spent the last year working hard towards this band and have given up other opportunities to pursue our love of music. We believe our music offers appeal to people from all walks of life and would love the opportunity to reach new listeners especially here in the local community. Website: www.speakeasythree.com	Band members: Brent Martone - lead guitar / Austin Aungst - drums / James Rocco Celeste - lead vocals, rhythm guitar / Casey Nuchereno - bass When/where did the band form? Brent, Jams and Casey have been together since summer 2009, but didn’t get serious until they met Austin in December 2009. You might like us if you like: Blink-182, Green Day, Bruce Springsteen, The Ramones, Bare Naked Ladies, Dave Matthews Band. Best show played: The best show we’ve ever played was our first show at X- wheels. We played with some incredible bands to an incredible crowd. Why you should win the Artvoice.com Online Battle of Original Music: We deserve to win BOOM! because we feel like BOOM! is the perfect venue to gain exposure for our band and style of music. Website: www.myspace.com/canoeee