There might not be any Brookfest to pump up the volume this summer in Brookfield, but those yearning to hear rock ‘n’ roll (and then some) can head to Kiwanis Park, at the intersection of Arden and Brookfield avenues, for a new musical event.
The village’s Recreation Department and Special Event Commission, in collaboration with the Brookfield-based music shop, A Sound Education, will host a "Battle of the Bands" on Sunday, May 21 from noon to 6 p.m.
The event will feature eight bands comprised of kids from local high schools, including Lyons Township High School, Riverside-Brookfield High School, Nazareth Academy, Fenwick High School and Morton High School.
And, for those wincing at the thought that the event might feature only the slashing guitar riffs of heavy metal or punk rock, organizers say the lineup is a fairly diverse one.
"We’ve got everything from ska to alternative rock to groups with horns," said Patrick Sheridan, owner of A Sound Education, which will be providing sound and recording equipment for the event, which is free and open to the public. Mike Doerr of A Sound Education will serve as the emcee for the Battle of the Bands.
"It’s a great thing for these bands," Sheridan said. "They can’t play in clubs or bars, so there’s not a lot of places for them to play. It gives the bands validation for what they’re doing."
Sheridan said that he knows many of the musicians in the bands that will play at the event on Sunday, since they are regulars at his Ogden Avenue shop. As a teen growing up in Brookfield, Sheridan said he remembered going to LaGrange Park’s Battle of the Bands. Doerr, meanwhile, played in that event with his high school band, Tractor Boy.
Based on that experience, Sheridan said he’d contacted LaGrange Park about resurrecting the event there, but met with little success. In May 2005, he held his own Battle of the Bands on Ogden Avenue in front of his store.
So when he was approached by the Brookfield Recreation Department about lending his expertise for a village-sponsored event this year, Sheridan jumped at the chance. Sheridan passed the word to his own music students at the store and helped also get the message out to local schools.
According to Arlene Rovner of the Brookfield Recreation Department, posters were hung at the junior highs and middle schools serving Brookfield as well as private high schools serving the village.
Rovner said she received eight demo CDs or tapes in response to the call for bands, all of whom will be playing in the event on Sunday. Each band was also required to submit song lyrics with the demos, because, well, "sometimes you can’t understand them," Rovner said. "We had some rules there."
Rovner said that the event organizers will also be going over the bands’ set lists before they hit the stage for their half-hour or so turn in the spotlight.
"There is a lot of original music, and a lot of it is surprisingly good," Rovner said. "Most of the bands submitted at least one original tune."
Three judges will rate the bands at the end of the event, and the top three will be given awards. First prize is a professional recording session at Vital Music Recording in Brookfield and an opportunity to perform at Brookfield Zoo on a date to be determined later.
The second- and third-place finishers will win the opportunity to perform at a village-sponsored event later this summer, according to Rovner.
For members of the audience, there will be a raffle to win a Washburn Idol Series WI-60 electric guitar.
The event is bring sponsored by First National Bank of Brookfield, Brookfield Zoo, Berthel Lewis Electric, Rende Realty, Scola’s Collision Center, After Hours Formalwear, Cock Robin, Brook Park Senior Social Club, Hyper Entertainment, VMR Studio, Chris’ Green Pocket and Washburn Guitars.
Donating raffle prizes for the event are Noodles and Company, Magic Wok, Casa Margarita, Chipotle, Palmer Place, Aunt Diana’s, Bill’s Place, Blueberry Hill, Roly Poly Sandwiches, Highland Queen, Starbucks, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Arby’s, Hot Rags, Borders Books and Brookfield Auto Supply.
