Taking their second consecutive title, the band Gilbert from Katonah, NY claimed first place in the high school division of BandJam 2018, held Sunday, April 22nd at The Ridgefield Playhouse. The show was presented by Mountain Dew with musical direction by The Music Shed and powered by Guitar Center, and partially underwritten by Bach to Rock, with support from i95fm, Hal Prince Music & Entertainment, Ridgefield Music and The Hideaway. Top middle school division honors went to first-timers The 7’s from Orange, CT. They, along with six other area bands—2 Minute Minors (Ridgefield), Band2 (West Hartford), Skybandits (Stamford), Abby & the Roadsters (South Salem, NY), Orbit (Weston) and Sound Beacon (Wingdale, NY) lit up the Playhouse stage, performing for family, friends and fans as well as three celebrity judges. On hand to critique each performance were judges Living Colour bass player Doug Wimbish, Tony Award-winner Debbie Gravitte and i95 FM morning show DJ Ethan Carey. The show was co-hosted by comedian Christine O’Leary and Jay Prince.
In the high school division, winners Gilbert performed “Proud Mary” by John Fogerty (Tina Turner version) and the original song “Way Back When.” Gilbert band members are Westchester students Tara Curran, 15, Justin Giacchetto, 18, Wilson Yarnall, 16, Owen Hughes, 14, and Eddie Fiscella, 16.
Each Grand Prize-winning band took home a prize package including a $500 gift certificate and Rock Show Membership from the Guitar Center, a $50 gift certificate from Ridgefield Music, and two hours of rehearsal time in Bach to Rock’s Performance Room plus two hours of studio recording time in Bach to Rock’s state-of-the-art studio with an engineer on hand to assist, mix and record music to CD. Grand Prize winning bands will also have their names inscribed on the Ridgefield BandJam plaque displayed in the lobby of The Playhouse.
An annual fundraiser for The Ridgefield Playhouse created by kids, BandJam has raised more than $120,000 since it first began in 2010.
For more information on this event or upcoming shows, call the box office at 203-438-5795, or visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT.