It was a thrilling conclusion to the CV Open Mic Competition Grand Finals! The Summer edition 2015 ha brought on a very talented group of finalists. Schmidy’s Tavern in Palm Desert was packed with enthusiastic fans and DJ Alex Updike kept them grooving in between performances. Each of the 7 semi finalists performed 2 songs for our celebrity judges: Brad Mercer who is a professional performer, recording artist, and mid-day radio personality on Q102.3; Chip Miller who has toured as a musician, produced award winning artists and music for television, and is an accomplished filmmaker; Jesse Tostado from P.Lab Productions who puts together Coachella Valley events such as Elevate at Agua Caliente and the annual Burning Bash; Esjay Jones who is a multi-platinum selling and award winning recording artist and producer; Mike Mozingo who is a musician and hosts ‘Mozingo in the Morning’ weekdays on MIX 100.5; and Shasta, an International DJ who has toured the world performing at major clubs and festivals including the Palm Springs Hard Rock Hotel. Once the votes were tallied, 2nd place was announced and Porsia Smith won 4 hours of studio time from JEM Productions. Anticipation built as 1st place went to Avenida. The four band members won 8 hours of studio time plus a mix and master, $500 trip to Las Vegas, and an Artist Development Session with Producer, Ronnie King.
Thank you to ALL of our finalists for putting on a great show: The Classy Mother Fu?ckers, Lance Riebsomer, Bear Fight, Claire Davidson, Ol’ Doc RIckenbeck, Avenida and Porsia Camille. Make sure to be on the lookout for these talented artists playing here around our valley soon! 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 amazing sponsors: JEM Productions, Ronnie King Music, Crater Lake Spirits, KAM Studios, CV Weekly, Canyon Copy & Print, DJ Alex Updike, and the Mary Pickford Theatre.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: I hope to see you at our next session which begins next Tuesday 8/18/2015. This event is open to ALL AGES and YOU may compete EVERY week! PLUS Schmidy’s has a HOUSE DRUM SET in place! 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 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 “LIKE” and see Facebook.com/CVOpenMicCompetition or contact creator and host, Morgan James at MorganAliseJames@Gmail.com or text/call (714) 651-1911
