Congratulations to the Final Five in the 3rd Annual Battle of the Bands Contest!!

1. Brothers and Sisters - People's Choice Award Winners
2. Clint Sansing
3. Nosecone Prophets
4. Shawn Aris
5. Five 40

Come out and cheer on your favorite band as they battle it out for the top spot at the Cedartown Performing Arts Center on March 31, 2012. The event will begin at 6:30 PM and admission is $10.00 general admission.

3rd Annual 95.7 The Ridge/Rome News-Tribune “Battle of the Bands” Contest to benefit Magnolia Foundation

95.7 The Ridge and the Rome News-Tribune, in partnership with the Cedartown Performing Arts Center, announces a call for entries for the 3rd Annual 95.7 The Ridge/Rome News-Tribune “Battle of the Bands” Contest.

The proceeds from the Battle of the Bands will benefit the Magnolia Foundation, a non-profit organization based out of Rome, under the umbrella of the Rome-Floyd Cancer Initiative. The function of this charitable organization is to fund colonoscopies, for high risk for colon cancer (due to family history), underserved, and uninsured clients in Chattooga, Floyd and Polk counties.

Tickets for the event will go on sale March 19th, 2102. You can purchase your tickets online at www.cedartownshows.com, by phone at 770-748-4168, or by going to the box office at the Cedartown Performing Arts Center located at 205 East Avenue in Cedartown.

To enter, bands or artists need to submit an mp3, short bio, and contact information to mattd@theridge957.com. The deadline for entries is February 24th, 2012. Bands of all genres are encouraged to enter the contest. After band submissions have been received, contest judges will listen to all entries and select 20 bands to participate in the live, on-air contest. The “top 20” bands will be announced during The Ridge’s morning show “Matt D and Mullins in the Morning” on February 27th. The bands selected for the on-air contest will have their song played on-air during the morning show, as well as during the NWGA Music Hour. Fans will be directed to go online and vote for their favorite band from February 27th – March 16th.

The “top 5” bands receiving the most online votes will perform at the Cedartown Performing Arts Center on March 31st before a Judge’s panel and a live audience. There will be a People’s Choice Award, which will be awarded to the band that receives the most online votes. The overall winner of the contest will be decided by the Judge’s panel the night of the event. The People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice winners will receive an “Evening Recording Session with Shane West,” courtesy of Stephens’ Music Company of Rome, as well as the opportunity to be the “opening act” for one of the Cedartown Performing Arts Center’s “Legends in Concert Series.”

“It is very simple – we want to help bands and musicians bring their talents to perhaps a different audience than they’ve been able to reach, and we want to offer our listeners the opportunity to hear great local bands that they might not be exposed to otherwise. What better way to do all of that than to have a really fun contest and event? More importantly, the proceeds go to support a very worthy and crucial local charity, which this year will be the Magnolia Foundation out of Rome.” says Matt Davis, co-host of Matt D and Mullins in the Morning on 95.7 FM The Ridge.

WHY EARLY DETECTION IS IMPORTANT

Research shows that early diagnosis of colon and colorectal cancer is directly linked to better 5-and 10-year survival rates. Unfortunately, between the years of 2000 and 2004, only 41% of colorectal cancers in Georgia were diagnosed at an early stage. This statistic is thought to be due to suboptimal screening in vulnerable populations. During this same time period, only 21% of adults over age 59 reported having a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) in the previous three years, while only 41% reported having a sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy.

Magnolia Foundation was formed to benefit under-served women and men in Floyd, Chattooga and Polk County, Georgia who are at high-risk for colon and colorectal cancer. The foundation's mission is to raise awareness of the disease, increase screening rates, and be an advocate for coverage of colonoscopy testing through insurance companies.

Find out more about Magnolia Foundation>
Find out if you qualify>