Fri 1/10 @ 6PM
Back when the High School Rock Off started in 1997, partly as a way to fill some evenings during the slow winter months at the old Odeon in the Flats, teenagers were just getting back into the idea of forming bands. Now the event gets way more applications than there are slots to fill, and the talent on display is largely impressive.
Winners of the Rock Off — and non-winners as well — have gone on to become prominent in the local scene.
For instance, 2008 yielded third place winners the Modern Electric whose popularity has continued to surge, as well as first-place winners Thee TV Oh Dees, two-thirds of whom are now in Library Time. And last year’s winner, a trio called Noize From the Basement (pictured), are busy establishing themselves on the local scene under a new name, Goodnight Tonight. (Apparently taste in band names changes as you mature!)
The semi-finalists for the 18th Annual High School Rock Off, selected from a pool of hundreds of applications, begin competing for a spot in the finals aka The Final Exam this week Fri 1/11 at 6 pm.
Semi-finals continue Fri 1/17 @ 6pm, Sat 1/18 @ 3:30pm, Sun 1/19 @ 3pm, and Sat 1/25@4pm. Various people from the music industry will be judging the three bands each night who get to move on to the Final Exam, taking place Sat 2/1 @ 4pm.
All showcases are at the House of Blues.
Admission to each show is $10.
facebook.com/HighSchoolRockOff
Cleveland, OH 44114