The tunes were sweet and the crowd rocked to the beat of the Butter Tart Syndicate and three other participants in the annual Battle of the Bands, put on by the Pacific Rim Arts Society.
Four bands gathered at the Army, Navy, Airforce Veterans' Club (ANAF) in Ucluelet on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025 for the annual event.
This year's event ran a little differently than previous years, said PRAS executive director Kelly Deakin. The event maxes out at eight bands and usually runs over two successive weekends; this year four bands pulled out, including two at the last minute.
"Normally we do round one and round two," Deakin explained. "Normally we get an overflow (of entrants). The night before (round one) two of the bands dropped out and we had to make a really quick decision."
Organizers were faced with either cancelling the event entirely or modifying the format and shortening it to one weekend. "We made the decision to move forward and do it as a sudden death (round)."
The four bands performed and three were chosen for first, second and third place.
For winning the Battle of the Bands, the Butter Tart Syndicate earned $1,000, four hours' of studio time with Ukee Sound Recording Studio and a spot in the Pacific Rim Arts Summer Festival lineup. Their name will also be engraved on the perpetual plaque that hangs at the Orange Door Gallery.
Flowdelha won second place, earning $400 and two hours of studio time with Ukee Sound. Khawchi finished in third and won $200 and one hour of studio time with Ukee Sound.
Battle of the Bands is a precursor to the Pacific Rim Arts Summer Festival, with the winner receiving an invitation to perform at Summer Fest. This year's event will take place June 30 to July 2 in Ucluelet.
Battling bands also received a surprise. "This year they had an extra perk because Ukee Sound offered up studio time," Deakin said. Studio owners Denise and Brent Halfyard agreed to work with the bands with some free studio time.
