Talented acts coming to Music Fest

Chaotic Resemblance will perform at the Battle of the Bands Music Fest on Sept. 22 at the Heavener Runestone Park.

Boys and Girls Club Happenings

By CLAY ROPER
As most of you are aware, our “Beat The Heat-Battle of the Bands” Music Fest is scheduled for Sept. 22 at the Runestone Park Amphitheatre in Heavener.

We are extremely excited about this event, and are extremely fortunate to have some very talented musicians from various areas enter the competition. In the coming weeks, we will highlight some of the acts that are scheduled to appear.

One band scheduled to entertain our spectators, but not be part of the competition is “Chaotic Resemblance”. This band is based out of Poteau and is comprised of members: Travis McConnell-Lead Singer/Guitar, Blane Toney-Bass/Keyboards, Logan Ellis-Lead Guitar, Trevon Fowler-Drums.

The name “Chaotic Resemblance” is based on the Bible passage Isaiah 40:18 “So who even comes close to being like God? To whom or what can you compare Him? Without Him we are nothing more than a chaotic resemblance of His perfection.”

Manager Rocky McConnell says “the band’s faith is something that is very real and a big part of our lives and music. We don’t ever want to push anything on anyone, but we do want to share with people about how we deal with problems and life. I think when people hear the word Christian they think of a person wearing a suit and tie, someone who has it all together with no problems. We have problems like everyone else. We aren’t perfect. We deal with the same junk everyone does.

“Our faith is what we hold on to. It’s what gives us the strength to continue to do what we do and that’s what we write about in our music. God has blessed us with some amazing opportunities. We have shared the stage with national artists Thousand Foot Krutch, Seventh Day Slumber, and Kutless. Since October, we have played with Stellar Kart, Kiros, Hillbilly Vegas, The Wedding, PM Today.”

While they will not be entered in the competition part of the festival, we are very excited that they have taken time out of their extremely busy schedule to entertain our audience. You can find the self-titled CD “Chaotic Resemblance” at the I-tunes store.

Another band scheduled to perform and compete in the competition is “Rock Steady”. This band based out of Paris, Ark. is comprised of: Dakota Hill-Lead Guitar and Vocals, Brooklyn McGuire-Rhythm Guitar, Casey Rice-Bass, Bobby Rauch-Drums, Katie Rauch-Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar.

They have been playing together for five months. They started out by taking lessons from Richard Rauch in his studio. Richard also teaches guitar classes and performance classes at Paris Public Schools.

The members wanted to form a band and start performing more often at public events as well as for their school. “Rock Steady” placed second at the Children’s Miracle Network talent contest in March. This fundraiser and talent competition was sponsored by the Wal-Mart Distribution center in Clarksville. They do a variety of music from country, oldies, and southern rock to more current music from the likes of Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert.

Another entrant is “Crossroads”.  This Sallisaw-based band originally performed under the name “Battle Scarred” playing classic rock covers. Originally the band consisted of Wyatt Shumate-Lead Vocals/Guitar, Tony Sanseverino-Lead Guitar/Vocals, Jesse Nicholson-Drums, Ryan Miller-Bass. After taking some time off in 2011, the band was back with a new bassist (Cody Collum), new name, and a new sound. They continue to draw in crowds with and Red Dirt Country sound and attitude all their own.

Still another band scheduled to compete is “The Violet Hour”. This band based out of Roland consists of: Allison Chastain-Vocals/Guitar and Cello, Laura Burris-Keyboards/Vocals, Jonathan Chastain-Lead Guitar, Eric Blythe-Bass, Jake Gibson-Drums. “The Violet Hour” is a female-fronted indie rock band on the move. The band produces a classy throwback rock-n-roll sound with undertones of blues.

The band’s sound has been described as indie, horror pop, or rockabilly which has been influenced by the band’s diverse interests in classical, jazz, and metal. The band strives to inspire hope and encourages listeners to choose life. The band also supports the anti-domestic violence movement “Love Should Never Hurt”. The band released a self titled album on Nov. 5, 2011. The album contains 13 original tracks. The band released the single “Fugitive” on May 29, 2012. The band has already seen an exciting year in 2012. They have been to the Indie Hit Makes Showcase in Kansas City, Rock-N-Rubber Festival in Brookline, MO., and the Berry Festival in Lavaca, AR.
Look for more band summaries in the coming weeks. It is not too late to enter. If you have a band and are interested in playing, go to the Boys and Girls Club website—www.thebgclc.org for entry forms or call the club office at (918)647-7136.

We are also accepting vendor applications, but we have a limited amount of space available.

We look forward to putting on a great event for the community. The proceeds from this family friendly event will greatly assist us expanding our current program and attaining our own facilities throughout the county.