Battle of the Bands Rocks Grand Saline Main Street

SETTING THE STAGE

  Grand Saline came alive on Saturday night, as guitars screeched through the air and the pounding beat of drums echoed down Main Street.

7 p.m. marked the start of the Battle of the Bands, and this town couldn’t have been more ready.

  Food vendors, staff members, musicians, and a growing crowd lined the street, some bbq and cold beer in hand, while others folded out their lawn chairs and braced for the music.. The energy was all there and the air was thick with anticipation from the growing crowd.

THE BANDS

  First to hit the stage was Reverend Dirt, a Christian hard rock band out of Dallas. Their set was all about glory and redemption, closing with the debut of their newest member, an unannounced surprise who stepped up to the mic with confidence and left the crowd in applause.

  GoodCo followed, bringing a genre-bending fusion of funk, soul, and psychedelic groove. The Tyler-based band was predicted to win by industry professionals, and while they inevitably fell short of this, they didn’t disappoint by any means. Clean transitions, funky Zappa influenced rhythms, and a very peculiar stage presence made them one of the more unique acts of the night.

  Then came CW Outlaws, a country cover band from the Elmo area, known by many Grand Saline locals through their performances at the Caney Creek Cowboy Church.

  Closing the night was Front Row Sinners, a southern rock band out of Van, Texas. With a hard-edged sound reminiscent of Blackberry Smoke, they brought a solid mixture of covers and originals to the stage.

There was something different about this night, something that couldn’t really be replicated. Fans standing up for Reverend Dirt, couples dancing as CW Outlaws perform a Turnpike Troubadours song, the clinking of beer cans as FRS encouraged the crowds participation. It all created an atmosphere that was undeniable. 

For a few hours, Main Street embraced it all, the mood, the sound and the soul. It was loud. It was proud. And it was exactly what Grand Saline needed on a a Saturday night.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

  By 10:30 p.m. the night was winding to a close.

The vocalists from each band took to the north stage to see who would be declared winner. 

  The winner was to be determined by the sound levels from the audience, who would cheer the loudest for the band they wanted to win. 

  First up was Reverend Dirt, scoring in at 95.

  Then was GoodCo, who came in above at a 110.

  Up next was CW Outlaws, with a 115

  And finally, there was Front Row Sinners, also scoring at 115, resulting in a tie. 

  The crowd was then asked to once again cheer for the Front Row Sinners  and CW Outlaws, with the former coming in at 114, and the latter remaining at 115, thus announcing the victory for CW Outlaws.

Upon walking away, CW Outlaws was awarded a $2,000 cash prize for the win.

  Shortly after the event, The Sun reached out to CW Outlaws to discuss the win.

Joey Toland, banjo and guitar, had this to say. 

  “We would like to thank everyone who came out to cheer for us and support us. All the bands played their heart out, and the competition was very close. This is a tremendous honor for us to win. Thank you again to all ours fans! CW Outlaws”

  It was an enjoyable evening, with lots of raw talent flowing on Main Street. Between the bands, the food, and just the atmosphere of being out in Grand Saline on a Saturday night, this was an event attendees and locals alike will  remember for months to come.