Back in the early ’90s, it seemed like rock and roll was set to become old people’s music, trapped in classic rock amber. If you looked around at concerts, you saw everyone was over 25 — usually quite a bit older.
And then things changed. Credit Nirvana, and the new generation of bands that flowed into the mainstream in their wake.
In 1997, the concert promotion company that’s now Live Nation launched the High School Rock Offto fill some dead winter dates.
The annual competition — the 2014 event will be its 18th — has burgeoned to the point where it gets many more applicants than the 72 it can accept for the event, which includes a series of semi-finals at the House if Blues, leading up to the Final Exam.
In 2014, the semis will take place January 10, 17, 18, 19, 24 and 25, with the Final Exam February 1.
And it’s accepting applications now through December 5. All band members must be at least in high school, although bands may include junior high schoolers as well. They can be any genre, and solo artists are eligible too.
To get more information on the guidelines and prizes and to download an application, go here.
Kent trio Goodnight Tonight, then called Noize From the Basement (pictured), won this past February. Who is next?
www.facebook.com/HighSchoolRockOff