New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ NAMM) Get ready to see executives strumming guitars and belting out lyrics to an audience of hundreds of rock enthusiasts. Rock and roll bands comprised of employees from eight FORTUNE 500 companies have advanced to the finals round in the 12th annualFORTUNE
Battle of the Corporate Bands. On Oct. 6, these bands will take center stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio where they will compete for the title of 'Best Corporate Band in North America.' Event proceeds will benefit the Rock Hall's educational activities.
The
Battle of the Corporate Bands is held each year to salute the best amateur, company-sponsored bands. The goal of the national competition is to promote the benefits of making music, which have been shown to increase employee morale and improve productivity in the workplace. The program is presented through a partnership with FORTUNE magazine, the
National Association of
Music Merchants (NAMM), and the Rock Hall, and is sponsored by Gibson Guitars, Chancellor University and Panasonic Automotive.
More than 30 bands across North
America entered this year's competition. A total of eighteen bands were chosen to participate in three semifinal regional competitions, where a panel of judges selected the eight finalists who will compete in the live battle of the bands competition. At the finals event, a panel of judges comprised of musicians from .38 Special, the
Billy Joel Band, and
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts will choose the winning band and decide the fate of these corporate rock stars.
The finalists include:
"Cassius King" of Mesirow Financial (MFPE) - Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.
"The Cordovans" of The MIL Corporation-
Goose Creek, S.C.
"The Dealmakers" of BTI Systems - Ottawa, Ont.
"The Grove Valve Orchestra" of Clif Bar - Emeryville, Calif.
"Roi" of Mainline Information Systems - Tallahassee, Fla.
"The Messengers" of Progressive (PGR) - Cleveland, Ohio
"The Teachers" of DeVry (DV) - Downers Grove, Ill.
"The Toys" of Mattel (MAT) - El Segundo, Calif.
The judges panel includes:
Rob Arthur (Multi-instrumentalist with
Peter Frampton)
Ricky Byrd (Guitarist with
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts)
Jeff Carlisi (Founding member and guitarist for .38 Special)
Liberty Devitto (Drummer for over 30 years with Billy Joel)
Antoinette Follet (Editor of Making
Music magazine)
All proceeds from the FORTUNE
Battle of the Corporate Bands competition will benefit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's education activities. With the Rock Hall's increased focus on bringing music into the classroom, the Museum's educational offerings have become one of the most celebrated and award-winning activities from a fine arts museum in the nation. The Museum hosts a variety of events including year-round concerts and the Hall of Fame series featuring evenings with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. In addition, there are award-winning education programs for everyone from toddlers to college students, to teachers and adults.
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