FIRST ANNUAL INDIE COYOTE BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Indie Fest USA International Film and Music Festival of Garden Grove added a fun and exciting event to the lineup of Great Independent Films in 2014. The Festival has always made music a part of their entertainment lineup for the Filmmakers and Public attendees, but decided to up the ante this year.

The organizers thought about what could add value to the Festival, and give the added umph to give the Bands and Artists a goal to make their performance the best that it could possibly be. It also gave them the incentive to promote their performance as the winners were chosen by Audience Choice.

As the Festival did with the Judging panel for the Film Awards, they had an expert put together a panel that watched the performances of all of the Bands not only at the Festival, but at performances prior to the Festivals start.

The Judging criteria are:

• Following - are they personable enough that they have created a following.
• Audience Interaction - how well do they work the audience, do they get them involved, do they interact between numbers, do they tell the stories that made the songs.
• Performance - do they have a show or do they just get on stage and sing and play
• Cohesiveness - do they work together, do they have fun with each other on stage
• And of course How good are they

This year we had Five great bands perform and compete, and all enjoyed the shows.

This years winners were:

First place went to: Moxy and the Influence, a rock 'n roll band fronted by vocalist Moxy Anne (17), with band members Sydney Ellen (19) on Lead Guitar and backup vocals, Ignacio (21) on Drums, and Carly (17) on Bass and backup vocals together they have a sound that defies their ages.

One year ago, shortly after forming, Moxy and the Influence entered a contest online at www.BigAndFamous.com and won with over 77,000 votes; the prize was a $100,000.00 Music Video Shoot in Miami, Florida. Since that time, they have kept busy on stages around Southern California, such as the Whiskey A Go-Go, the House of Blues, and the OC Fair. Their performance at Indie Coyote Battle of the Bands was their second performance back after a two month hiatus, during which time they wrote and recorded three new songs and worked on the tightening up their performance.

Second place went to Almost Anywhere, an all girl Hard Rock / Metal Band from the Inland Empire and winner of many awards. Almost Anywhere consists of Emily Patterson on lead Vocals and Bass, Jackie Parry on Lead Guitar and Backup Vocals, and Jackie's twin sister Jessica Parry on Drums. Almost Anywhere has performed on stages throughout Southern California such as the Whiskey A Go-Go in Hollywood, Southern California Fair, Orange County Fair, and the Glass House in Pomona, to name but a few. Some bands that have inspired the Girls include, "Evanescence," "Black Veil Brides," and "My Chemical Romance."

Third place went to Yukon Gold, an Original Rock Band from the OC with a passion for music. Yukon Gold works very hard at perfecting their craft so that they can bring the best music they have to offer to their shows. Their ultimate goal is to make music, their full time jobs. They are aware that this is a difficult task to accomplish, and that is why they have not quit their day jobs, as they perfect their Music and Show.

Every opportunity they have to play for people is another step toward their ultimate goal of making music full time. They want to expose as many people as possible as they can so that together they can enjoy a great musical experience.

So keep your eyes on the official website at http://www.indiefestusa.com as the festival transitions from 2014 into 2015 for details from the exciting plans for 2015.

Indie Fest USA's plans for 2015 will bring competitions throughout the year, with the top finalists competing at the 2015 festival.