Competition for high school age musicians who are in their own bands will be held May 31 in Vancouver, and organizers are seeking more bands to fill up the lineup

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

It is a battle.

Prizes are on the line.

There will be winners.

But more than a competition, it is a celebration, a celebration of music and, more importantly, the artists behind the music.

The Clark County Battle of the Bands is coming May 31, a competition for high school students who have formed their own bands to showcase their talents.

“This is pretty awesome. We try to jump on as many gigs as we can,” said Mia Knesal-Walker, a student from Camas High School, who is looking forward to performing in the Battle of the Bands.

Knesal-Walker and Viv Lovell, also from Camas, make up the two-person band Poorly Executed. 

“We really like to grow as a band. Having an opportunity like this is amazing. Having a live performance opportunity is super exciting for us,” Knesal-Walker said.

Another band that will be competing is Cane Corso — made up of four friends from Seton Catholic High School.

“It’s something I’ve always been interested in but I never had this opportunity to actually explore it seriously,” said vocalist Benjamin Knudson Vasquez.

He, along with Liam Brotheron, guitar, Collin McMaken, drums, and Stephen Samwell, bass,  started a band when the school asked for volunteers to help bring a vibe to sporting events. 

Together, they mix their favorite styles of music. They love metal, but they also have a passion for jazz. So, yes, Cane Corso does metal and jazz in its sets, along with classic rock.

“We all had different music tastes. We just wanted to find a place to put that somewhere,” McMaken said.

They created their own space, and now a new space has opened up for as many as 10 bands for the initial competition.

The Clark County Battle of the Bands will be held May 31 at the amphitheater at the Columbia Tech Center Nature Park in east Vancouver.

The event was created by Owen Kortz, a local professional musician and music teacher, and Ryan Messling, the band director at Prairie High School.

“It’s a passion project,” Messling said. “As music educators, we found there is no space for this to exist, no place for high school age students to showcase their craft and be able to do something for their community. It’s our Field of Dreams moment. We’re also inspiring and trying to create opportunities for people to form a band.”

Kortz noted that high schools have opportunities for musicians to represent their schools, and the county has several well known traditional high school bands. But this event is for the students going out on their own, forming their own bands, creating their styles, their brands.

Each band will play three songs, and at least one song must be an original.

Poorly Executed, in fact, has posted its demo of “Adrianna” on many digital streaming platforms.

“I’ve been singing since I could talk. I was in the church choir, choir all through school. I’ve always loved music,” Lovell said. “I’ve especially love the intricacies of harmonizing and vocal techniques.”

Poorly Executed prefers indie folk or alternative folk music. Inspirations include Adrianne Lenker and Odie Leigh.

Cane Corso members noted a number of influences, including Metallica, Megadeth, Exodus and more metal. But they also mix in music from the Japanese jazz band Casiopea.

That is, well, music to the ears of the creators of Battle of the Bands.

“It’s an opportunity to come together, collaborate, and have a community event around that and provide that stage for high school students who need it,” Kortz said.

Organizers say there is roughly $2,500 in prizes for the competition. That includes scholarships for the School of Rock, gift cards to Music World, a $1,000 scholarship to LYNX National Arts and Media Camp in Colorado, plus recording studio time at Fairy Dust Studio in Camas and Kingsley Garden Music in Vancouver. 

The Clark County Family YMCA is a major partner for the Battle of the Bands. The deadline to apply for a spot in the battle is April 27. To apply and for a list of competition rules, go to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd8MmCWw-V9tUsPfNOSwT0zDI-r6x6MYnXbL59kWpBVAcws2A/viewform