Andrew Cullen ‘14| Staff Writer

To raise money and give young local musicians an outlet for their talent, Battle of the Bands will be hosted at the Grosse Pointe Congregational Church this Saturday at 7 p.m., said Reverend Richard Yeager-Stiver, who is organizing the event.

Performances will be entirely Grosse Pointe-based bands, Yeager-Stiver said. The genres of music played will range from a solo piano piece to a heavy metal band and everything in between. This mix of genres will hopefully bring a lot of people in, he added.

“You can have a band or play by yourself,” said Laurie Strachan, who is also helping to organize it. “Let’s say you just want to play guitar or piano, you can do that. You don’t have to be a band to sign up.”

The point of the event is to provide a venue for local teen musicians, Strachan said. She also added that students who performed in the recent talent show at South should consider joining the competition.

“The church likes to provide fun activities for local teens and they like to give uplift for local musicians to perform,” said Strachan. “High school students can hear live bands perform that are made up of people they know. It’s a great opportunity for the musicians to perform in front of an audience.”

Another reason the church is doing this event is to raise money for their summer mission trip to Battle Creek, Yeager-Stiver said. Funds will go towards paying the costs of this trip for the people who are going.

“This year all of the funds raised will go towards our summer mission trip for seventh grade and up, Said Yeager-Stiver.“Whatever we can raise will immensely help defer costs of the trip.”

In contrast to previous years, there will be no dedicated panel of judges, Yeager-Stiver said. Instead, a new approach is being taken where everyone in the audience is a judge and can vote for their favorite band.

“We have really revamped the competition,” Said Yeager-Stiver. “The way votes are cast will also raise funds for the mission trip.”

Food and drinks will be sold during the affair, Strachan said. Money from these sales will also go towards costs for the mission trip.

There are no auditions required to enter, Strachan said. The church is looking for six musicians to perform, and is taking acts on a first come-first serve basis. Strachan said they might go above six acts if enough musicians sign up and if there is enough time.

Tickets will be sold at the door for $8. They can be bought ahead of time through the church, but it is only open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Strachan assured that there will be no shortage of tickets.