College Battle Of The Bands Awards 3rd Annual National Title

Santa Monica, CA (Top40 Charts/ College Battle of the Bands) College Battle of the Bands, a collegiate music talent search, awarded this year's title to Seattle rockers, Land of Pines from the University of Washington, as the top artist from over 100 colleges and universities across the United States. The nationwide search concluded at the legendary Echo in Los Angeles on Friday night, June 24, in front of an all-star cast of industry judges including: record producer Andrew Scheps, composer and music supervisor John Houlihan, Buzz Bands LA's Kevin Bronson, Managing Member of Vertiplex Group James Mercs, and senior director of membership for the Recording Academy Rob Accatino.

Battling for the national title were: Southwest Region winners The Mohicans (Texas Tech University); North Region winners Old Abram Brown (Emerson College); West Region winners Land of Pines (University of Washington); Southeast Region winners The John King Band (University of Georgia); and the National Wild Card winner Rozzi Crane (University of Southern California). The National Finale was hosted by college favorite hype-man Flula Borg.

The College Battle of the Bands annual competition is open to any student band or music artist of any genre currently enrolled in an undergraduate program. Presented by Chegg, with partners GRAMMY U, AT&T, SESAC, and the Elfenworks Foundation, College Battle of the Bands has awarded more than $250,000 in prizing in its first three years. The series began during the 2008-2009 school year and has featured notable participants including: The Local Natives, Mike Posner, Apple Trees & Tangerines (now known as Power), and many more.

Land of Pines' journey included winning their local battle, a regional finale recording session, and now the national finale title. They have collected prizing, including:

• Cash prizing from College Battle of the Bands, Chegg, and SESAC
• An opening slot on the upcoming Textbooks & Tickets Tour with Live Nation
• An Apple iMac, Final Cut Studio, and iPod Touches
• A full-year of textbooks from Chegg
• Microphones from AKG
• Chipotle party for 25
• National trophy prize guitar, with Glovely custom guitar strap
• Annual Membership to GRAMMY U
• Jawbone JAMBOX

"After we finished our set in the finale, so many people came up to congratulate us. I've never felt so good about being a musician. For once it's not my parent's patting me on the back. When an audience acknowledges you and genuinely enjoys your art...and you can actually observe (while on stage) their transformation from some random person to a fan...there is nothing more rewarding," said Kessiah Gordon, lead vocalist and guitarist for Land of Pines.

Rob Accatino, Sr. Director of GRAMMY U said, "This year's CBOB was one of the most eclectic and genre diverse tours ever. Choosing a winner among five different and very talented artists was a serious challenge. In the end, Land of Pines surprised me with their musicality, strong songwriting and electric stage presence."

Additionally, during the event, the Elfenworks Foundation awarded $5,000 in cash grants to the top artists that submitted songs relating to a theme of social justice, during the 2010-2011 school year. First place honors went to A Moment's Worth from Fordham University, with co-runner up honors going to Phonetic One from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Lunic from The New School in New York.

The national finale event ran as part of the International Grand Finale with Campus MovieFest, the premier event for student film and music makers from across the globe, which took place from Thursday, June 23 through Sunday, June 26 in Hollywood, California.
To hear music from all of the 2011 College Battle of the Bands artists, and to see the year of NCAA bracket-style battle results, visit https://www.collegebattleofthebands.com/bracket-2011