LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Battle of the Bands at the Roundup


One Night Stand plays at the Roundup Saloon. Photo John T. Miller

In front of a packed house at the Roundup Saloon in Lafayette, four bands competed in a Battle of the Bands July 21 to see which one would get a paying gig to open the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival next month.

Playing good time party music, One Night Stand beat out the other three cover bands for the opportunity to play on Saturday, Sept. 16, from 10:30 to noon on the main stage.

Opening the evening's entertainment was Rubber Soul, a tasteful Beatles cover band. The Dark Side played next with alternative '80s-plus music, followed by Definitely Maybe, a rock cover band with a focus on the '90s, and One Night Stand rounded out the evening.

The winning band plays around locally as The Jesters, but for the Roundup event they used a stand-in drummer and bass player. It's unsure which band they'll play as for the Art and Wine Festival. The other three bands all have the opportunity to play Sunday, Sept. 17.

The event was sponsored by the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, the Music Cooperative and the Roundup.

Jennifer Grossi, the founder of Music Cooperative, put on the event, saying, "It was absolutely awesome. All the musicians were amateurs. Some of them were dads and grandpas who played music over the years and came back together. The competition was challenging and I'm glad I wasn't a judge."

Ryan Lendt, a musician and instructor at the Music Co-op, and Johnny Koeller, a musician who used to book all the entertainment at the Roundup, did the judging. Jay Lifson was pegged to represent the Chamber of Commerce, but with the trauma of the recent fire he was given the night off.

The Music Co-op, with studios on Tice Valley Boulevard and Golden Gate Way, works closely with the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. They give their students gigs while providing music and entertainment for the city's events, such as Earth Day and A Taste of Lafayette.

For more information on the Art and Wine Festival visit the Chamber of Commerce website at www.lafayettechamber.org.