By Morgan James
What a crowd! What talent! Each week boasts a slew of patrons fired up and ready to join in on the action of the CV Open Mic Competition 2016 at The Block Sports Bar & Grill in Cathedral City. Each performer pushes to outstanding lengths to engage the audience in energetic, heartfelt performances. Live streams buzz through social media adding to the crowd as the night rolls on as each new fan is made, clamoring to meet face to face with the inspiring artist they just watched. Giveaways in the form of t-shirts and fanny packs added to the fun. This week’s guest judges from 87.9 KCOD Coachella FM, station manager Toni Bakal, plus Windy Marie Chisem and Caleb Walker, had the tough job of scoring each amazing band and artist. Once all of our talented musicians graced the stage and the votes were tallied, it was Porsia Camille and Josiah Gonzalez who were awarded 1st place. The stand out performers decided to take home movie tickets to the Mary Pickford Theatre and will now move on to the Semi Finals January 4th. If they win there, the pair will compete in the Grand Finals on January 11th for an MTV Quality Music Video Production from Desert C.A.M. Studios/Winmill Films and award winning Director Chip Miller, plus a $500 trip to Las Vegas from Crater Lake Spirits, as well as an Artist Development Session from Grammy nominated Producer Ronnie King, a Promotional Photo Shoot from Rav Holly, and a Boss RC-1 Loop Station Pedal from Guitar Center Palm Desert. 2nd place was awarded to System aka Marco Thoma who’s impromptu beats wowed and who chose to take home a $25 gift certificate to The Block Sports Bar & Grill. 3rd place went to Nuclear Cowboys who’s acoustic trio got the crowd pumped and who chose a $25 gift certificate to The Block Sports Bar & Grill as well.
THANK YOU to ALL our performers at the CV Open Mic Competition for putting on a great show AND making the environment so supportive for all of the artists involved: Mike Sick-boy, David Strauss, Marco Thoma aka System, Johnny Maravilla, Paul Vasquez of Unity Frenzy, Warrior Spirit Falcon that Sings, L-Boogie The Mann, Porsia Camille, Josiah Gonzalez, Jim Holiday, Ethan Vega, Erik Mouness, Jonathon Sweetnam, Juan Espino aka Razor J, Tomas Granillo, Oscar Villagrana, and Jacob Cantu. Also a big thanks to Johnny Carmona, our amazing sound technician. I hope to see you all next WEDNESDAY at THE BLOCK SPORTS BAR & GRILL in Cathedral City! Look for coverage of this week’s event and the announcement of winners in the next issue of Coachella Valley Weekly! SPECIAL THANKS to all of our sponsors: Desert C.A.M. Studios/Winmill Films & Chip Miller, Ronnie King Music, Crater Lake Spirits, Rav Holly, Guitar Center, Stuft Pizza Bar & Grill, CV Weekly, Canyon Copy & Print, and The Block Sports Bar & Grill.
Be sure to “LIKE” Facebook.com/CVOpenMicCompetition for updates! ALL AGES ALLOWED and YOU may compete EVERY week! PLEASE NOTE: Due to our overwhelming number of interested performers, sign in starts at 7pm and will be closed at 7:45pm. BRING YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY and FANS and note that the competition usually ends around 10:30pm so be sure your friends and family know to stay until the end to voice their vote!!! For questions or information about sign-up, please see Facebook.com/CVOpenMicCompetition or contact creator and host, Morgan Alise James at MorganAliseJames@gmail.com or (714) 651-1911
