By Morgan James
Such an overwhelming number of performers came out to play at week #4 of the CV Open Mic Competition 2016 at The Block Sports Bar & Grill in Cathedral City! 23 different acts came through this week and brought friends to cheer them on. The house was packed all night long and until after midnight as the crowd pressed for more. Audience giveaways have begun to pour in from local supporters like Australian Leather Hats, plus T-Shirts from Brutal Bee Music Group that thrilled the rowdy cheering section. Even more new faces came out to see what all this fun is about as more live feed videos flood social media outlets from the event. Multiple guest judges had the tough job of deliberating and tie breaking this week. Once all of our talented musicians graced the stage and the votes were tallied, it was Rod Van Buren was awarded 1st place. The powerful vocalist decided to take home a $25 gift certificate to The Block Sports Bar & Grill and will now move on to the Semi Finals January 4th. If he wins there, Rod 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 Ladaryl, who decided on 2 tickets to the Mary Pickford Theatre. Third place was a tie between L Boogie Da Mann who took home a $25 gift card to Stuft Pizza and Razor J featuring Porcelain who were awarded 2 movie tickets to the Mary Pickford Theatre.
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: Josh Ballard, Frank Michel, Alex Antonio, Shawn “Stretch” Fisher and James Hollis Eaton from Hollace, Daniel Scopelitis aka Signed the Puppet, Craig Evans of The Twisted Knobs, Jonathan Sweetnam, JBird, and Ethan of Skitzo Attack, Tyler of Melting Pink, Josiah Gonzalez, Michael L McDonald aka Mac Won Don, Jim Holiday, Mike Sick-boy, Marco Thoma aka System, Dave Strauss, Razor J, Porsia Camille, LaRon Tremaine Williams aka L Boogie Da Mann, Michael Morgida, Rick Dame aka Warrior Spirit Falcon that Sings, Rod Van Buren, Ladaryl, Five Acre Dream, Lou King, and Matt Claborn. 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, CV Weekly, Canyon Copy & Print, the Mary Pickford Theatre, 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 by 11pm 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
