The Black Light District

It was the Battle of the Bands at the Manette Saloon, but it happened on the establishment’s stage in the back with musical instruments.

There weren’t any angry possés with knives, pepper spray incidents or threats of vengeance Saturday night in Manette.

Black Light District and Axiom Infusion, the two bands on tap last Saturday, were in the room for exposure, not to go at each other’s throats.

"It’d be cool to win ... I won’t give it a second thought," Eric Appolonia, keyboardist/vocalist in Seattle’s Axiom Infusion, said. "Right now we’re basically trying to get heard a little bit more."

Kimm Heydel-Anderson wasn’t picky when she sent out a cattle call for the Battle’s fourth year, inviting bands to duke it out at her watering hole for a $1,500 first prize and a $500 second. She wasn’t without her standards, either. Not with drinks to sell.

"If they’re terrible, of course, it’s not going to work," she said. "We don’t want the crowd to leave."

To avoid such as scene, Heydel-Anderson and her staff screened would-be participants for the musically impaired. If the band could play — and it wasn’t rap or heavy metal — they were issued a slot, first-come, first-served.

"It’s open except for the Manette does not play heavy metal and does not play hip-hop," she said. "It’s not what the Manette’s about."

Previous winners include last year’s Rocky Point All Stars, Bus 17 and Fifty/50, a band Heydel-Anderson said was in the process of signing a record deal when it split up.

"Bands break up just as often as marriages do," she said. "We’ve had amazing winners."

Cone bested Gladys on Oct. 19, the first evening of the head-to-head first round, which runs every Saturday through Dec. 3.

Bands are critiqued by a panel of three judges who rate bands on how they look, relate to the audience, perform together and if they’re unique and musically appealing. Bar patrons also vote for their favorite band. The judges account for 75 percent of the vote, and the audience for the rest.

First-round winners compete against each other in the semifinals on Dec. 8 and 9. One band eliminated in the first round will be asked back for a shot at the final. Finalists face off on Dec. 10.

Matt Dotterweich, Black Light District’s bassist, has been bumming around the Kitsap music scene for 10 years, but Saturday was his first gig at the Manette, a venue he’s been eyeballing since he got into town.

"I think we nailed everything we needed to nail," he said of the band’s set.

Judges agreed, and the band will be back at the saloon for the semis.

"They interacted better with the crowd," Cain Hollowbone, a judge and employee of Heydel-Anderson, said. "The other band ... it was a little more of a jam."

The Moriartys and Ruxton Towers take the stage Nov. 12. There is a $5 cover and music starts after 9 p.m. for each competition date.
- The Kitsap Sun