Tin and aluminum are the traditional gifts for a 10-year anniversary, but Your Music Magazine is seeing gold, silver and bronze. For a decade now, YMM has been sponsoring Your Music Olympicks, a battle of the bands bringing out some of the hardest hitting unsigned local musicians from the Bay and Sacramento. Each year bands compete to earn the title of “best band” not only by earning points at specific YMO events based on audience vote, but individual members can also raise their band’s standing by winning in categories such as Best Vocals, Best Guitar Solo, and more. Each event brings bands closer to performing in the Finals, which boasts a rich booty of $2,000 cash, Epiphone guitars, promotion in the magazine, and free recording time to bronze, silver and gold winners. With the Expendables, Chop Tops, and Ribsy’s Nickel serving as previous Olympicks champions, the stakes are high this year for “King of the Cruz.” This Friday, May 21, audiences will get to see the newest batch of bands compete on the coveted Catalyst mainstage for this year’s YMO Finals. Along with metal favorites A Band Of Orcs, Cylinder, Mordor and Pariah Faction, Eliquate will brandish a unique flavor of hip-hop flowed over live music, while the surprisingly young and impressively talented Almost Chaos will bring down the house with classic rock and blues riffs. Also performing are newcomers Hollywood Scars, with their crowd-pleasing niche of “sleaze glam rock,” complete with wailing vocals, big hair and more than enough love for all their fans. So thank you to YMO for a great decade of music, and here’s to another 10; at least the big 2-0 will be a platinum anniversary. But for now, I have a bunch of aluminum cans waiting for you.
INFO: 8 p.m. Friday, May 21, Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz. $12/adv, $15/door. 423-1338 or Yourmusicmagazine.com.
