– Press Release

Just six weeks into the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands 9, over 6,600 bands have signed up, all vying for an enviable spot on the 2005 Vans Warped Tour. In addition to playing live in their hometown on the Vans Warped Tour ‘05, bands will have limitless opportunities to gain exposure. The sold out Hollywood showcase of 2004 saw the band My American Heart win a spot on the entire Taste of Chaos tour and the full upcoming leg of the 2005 Vans Warped Tour ‘05.

“This year’s Warped Tour is shaping up to be the best yet, hearing these great MP3’s makes me very eager to see them perform live,” says Brian Ball of The Ernie Ball Company. With seven weeks remaining to enter the Battle, the company is expecting over 10,000 bands to sign up, up from 4,600 in 2004, and 2,800 in 2003.

“Our panel of judges has been blown away with the quality and musicianship of many of the bands signing up,” said Ball. “This year more than ever will be tough to select the bands to play on the Vans Warped Tour.” Ball attributed the rise in bands signing up to the word of mouth momentum of the contest, co-promotions with Pure Volume and Smartpunk, and the continuing success of the Vans Warped Tour.

Ball also gave a full list of bands confirmed to play outside of the Battle of the Bands competition. Bands include: Big D & The Kids Table, Circa Survive, My American Heart, Kane Hodder,The Receiving End of Sirens, Punchline, The Silence, A Thorn for Every Heart, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Moments In Grace, A Wilhem Scream, Nonpoint and more. Bands will be on select dates, with a full schedule to be announced shortly.

Now in its ninth year, the Battle gives bands a chance to play live on the Ernie Ball Local Heroes Stage at the Vans Warped Tour. With 47 stops across North America, the Battle will showcase four selected bands at each stop this summer. Bands that enter also have the chance to win an online competition and a berth at the Hollywood Showcase event, where they will play in front of influential music industry executives, along with fans.

To take part in this year’s Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands competition, bands must upload photos, a band biography, and two MP3 audio files to the Battle of the Bands 9 site by May 13. For more details on sign-ups, please visit the Battle of the Bands 9 website at http://battle.ernieball.com/bb9/signup.php

Since its debut nine years ago, the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands has given the best local bands from North America the opportunity to showcase their talents in the world’s longest running and largest live music promotion in the music industry.

The Vans Warped Tour, the most prominent live music festival in North America, will hit 47 major venues in the United States and Canada and will feature, among others, My Chemical Romance, Thrice, Hawthorne Heights, Atreyu, and The Offspring.