am/fm: At the coffee house

At the coffee house

Last night I was a judge at the Starbucks Avant-Grande music competition, a sort of battle of the bands for employees. I don't drink coffee, so I can't make any comment on their product (and leaving aside for the moment their ubiquity in the city), but that company is good to their employees. In addition to benefits and above minimum wage salaries, they also provide an outlet for their workers' creative talents, in the form of art shows and, yes, music competitions. That's pretty cool. </soapbox>

Anyway, six bands competed for two winning slots. The winners were offered an opening slot at a Celebrate Brooklyn and SummerStage concert.

There was an impressive array of talent on display, but in the end, my two favorites won (ah, the power of being a judge). Preston Edmonds' band, a stylish indie rock ensemble, will be opening for Alloy Orchestra on July 19 in Prospect Park. Their high energy on stage may have derived from the fact that they seemed to have brought their entire fan club, but their set showed promise. I especially liked their last song, the name of which I failed to write down. The band doesn't seem to have an internet presence yet, so we may never know just what song that was. You'll just have to go to the show and check them out.
The second winner was jazz combo Luma. They'll open the July 28th show at SummerStage. This group seems to have already attained some measure of local stardom, with profiles in different Long Island papers. I have to say, they're worth checking out. Their playing is super tight, and they give off a good energy.

All the kids were pretty talented, but I thought John Biz and the Rolling Stallones deserved an honorable mention, so I'll give that to them here. As one of my judging partners said, they're less goofy than their name suggests. According to their MySpace, they have an upcoming show at Luna Lounge July 7.

eh, www.amNY.com