Emerging musicians, turn on your amps and start your engines. The search for the city’s best new artist has begun.
The Battle of the Boroughs, a city-wide competition, spotlights unknown musicians in the hopes of giving one his break.
Every fall, local musicians submit original pieces of work for consideration for a spot in the competition. Acts, spanning various genres and performance styles, are then selected to contend in the Battle of the Boroughs.
Musicians from Queens have won top honors in the past two years.
This year’s Queens segment took place at The Greene Space on Friday, March 2. The venue, which has hosted the event for the past three years, filled with music lovers eager to catch an earful of budding talent.
This year’s contenders included Jefferson Thomas, The Great Apes, SWEET Fix, Shelly Bhushan, Predestined, Sinner Man, Cate Song, Jason Waters, Una Via, SisterMonk and Tatiana Kochkareva.
Award-winning WQXR personality Terrance McKnight emceed the competition, interviewing contestants after they each performed a song.
“The Battle of the Boroughs experience is as eclectic as walking down a New York City street — the diverse soundscape is a musical potpourri, with a wide range of melodies and rhythms representing every corner of the city,” said McKnight. “The most exciting part for me is seeing a community of listeners having a great time, discovering music together, and coming back for more.”
Artists compete for the chance to win their dream prize — their own featured concert at a New York City venue.
Attendees voted for their favorite acts at the end of the evening, and five finalists emerged — The Great Apes, Shelly Bhushan, Cate Song, Sinner Man and SWEET FIX.
Those who were not able to attend the show can still vote for their favorite act up until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 18. For the chance to weigh in, visit thegreenespace.org/battle2012.
The Queens winner will be announced on Monday, March 19.
The ultimate battle, pitting the winners from each borough against each other, will take place on June 29.
