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Bipolar Echo wins Mosaic's Battle of the Bands
Published 6/28/2010 in Local News
By MONICA SPRINGER
Bipolar Echo will be the opening act for Foghat and Creedence Clearwater Revisited on Aug. 28 at the Finney County Fairgrounds.
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram Members of Bipolar Echo, a Guymon, Okla.-based band performs enroute to a victory in the Battle of the Bands on Saturday night at thre Clarion Inn. From the left: Amber Fesmine, Tiny Rosalez, Jr. and Jacob Whiteley.
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram Guitarist Rick Ramirez, of the Garden City-based band Trained Monkey, performs for the crowd on Saturday night at the Clarion Inn during MosaicÕs Battle of the Bands.
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Tiny Rosalez Jr. plays bass during his band, Bipolar EchoÕs set on Saturday night.
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Trained Monkey lead vocalist Terri Sutherlin performs a number on Saturday night during the Battle of the Bands.
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Josh Cherry, drummer for the Springfield, Colo.-based band Brethren Flow, plays during his bandÕs set on Saturday night.
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Bonnie Peters, lead vocalist for Mad Jack, a Dodge City-based band, sings on Saturday night during the Battle of the Bands.
Bipolar Echo, from Guymon, Okla., won the 2010 Mosaic Run, Rock and Rally Battle of the Bands on Saturday night at the Clarion Inn.
Brown Bag special, a band from Hays, placed second and will play during the VIP party prior to the opening act on Aug. 28.
Six bands performed for 20 minutes each in the parking lot of the Clarion Inn, and the winners were announced inside the hotel lobby due to rainy weather conditions.
When Debbie Reynolds, executive director of Mosaic, announced the winner, members of Bipolar Echo held their hands over their mouths in shock.
"This proves that there's something special going on here," Ramiro 'Tiny' Rosalez Jr., the band's bassist, told the other members of the band after the winners were announced. "That was unbelievable. It was better than last year."
Bipolar Echo won last year's contest also and opened for R.E.O. Speedwagon.
The band has been together for three years and started when one of its members booked a gig, and then had to get a band together to play the gig.
They've been playing ever since, and have played shows in Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas.
Bipolar Echo was the first band to play on Saturday night, and members of the band said that made them nervous.
"The talent kept getting better and better," as the night went on, said Amber Fesmine, keyboards and vocalist.
Rosalez added: "We're very honored to be opening for the guys that have been our hero for years."
Rosalez said he wanted to thank the audience for sticking around after the show in the light rain to vote for them.
Other band members include Jacob Whiteley, rhythm guitar, Kevin Wale, guitar, and Brad Duren, drums. In addition, all members of the band provide backup vocals.
The band said their name, Bipolar Echo, comes from the variety of songs they like to play. On Saturday, they played an Evanescence song and a Journey song.
The music that was played on Saturday night was a mix of cover songs and original rock songs, with the crowd dancing together and clapping to the beat of the songs.
The winners were decided by a panel of local judges, which counted as half the vote. The crowd also voted for their favorite band, making up the other half of the vote.
Joanie Weigel, who listened to each band on Saturday, said she voted for Brown Bag Special because of their stage presence.
"I thought they entertained the crowd," Weigel said, adding that she appreciates Mosaic putting on the event to help people with disabilities.
Brown Bag Special, consisting of brothers Blake Ruder, 15, Mason Ruder, 17, and Braden Dreiling, 18, came in second place in the competition.
They've been playing together for one year and played cover songs on Saturday including Green Day's "Holiday" and The Ramones' "Hey! Ho! Let's Go."
"Playing in front of a huge group of people like this is pretty cool," said Blake Ruder. "It's awesome."
Mason Ruder said that each crowd the band encounters is different and added that he enjoyed the crowd on Saturday night.
Brown Bag Special currently is recording original material in the studio and is preparing a demo tape, Mason Ruder said.
Several hundred people attended the Battle of the Bands event.
Brian Schwindt, community relations manager for Mosaic, said the money raised from the event will go to assist Mosaic clients with needs that aren't covered by Medicaid.
With the money raised, Mosaic will buy items such as wheelchairs and also will buy its clients Christmas presents.
Schwindt said the total amount raised at the Battle of the Bands will be available later this week, as well as a final head count of how many people attended.
Other bands that performed were Mad Jack of Dodge City, Brethren Flow of Syracuse and Springfield, Colo., Thief from Dodge City, and Trained Monkey from Garden City.
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