Troy Band Battles for Chance to Share Stage with Bruce Springsteen

Hard Rock Rising, the global battle of the bands, is giving one local Detroit-area band the chance of a lifetime: to be on the bill with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and additional headlining performers at the 2012 Hard Rock Calling music festival in London’s Hyde Park. 

Beginning last Thursday, the area’s greatest undiscovered bands, as chosen by Hard Rock Cafe Detroit’s Facebook fans, have been taking the stage at Hard Rock Cafe Detroit to battle it out live at multiple qualifying events.

Troy-based Something Utopic played – and won – on Thursday, and other bands are set to battle it out March 15 and 22.

"WE WON!" the band posted on its Facebook timeline on Friday. "Thank you SO MUCH to all those who came out tonight and supported all the bands competing to play at Hard Rock in London!! We're one step closer! See you all March 29th at the finals!!"

Something Utopic band members Mark Pierce, Ben Cummings, Mike Motherwell and Keith Lambert will battle two other bands on March 29 for a chance to advance to the next round, according to Genna Young, spokesperson for Hard Rock Cafe.

Other bands performing include the Clay Adams Band, Fusion Records Entertainment, alchalant, Tone and Niche, Armour the Lion, Stealing Betty, Nathan Roberts and Essential Side Project.

Each round is hosted by Gynp, mid-day on-air host at 93.9 The River, and bands are being judged by a panel of local industry experts, including Kirk Rukenbrod of MOTORCITYBLOG, Robert Enell of Hell City Records, Todd Glass and Tony DeNardo of the Muggs, BJ Hammerstein of Detroit Free Press, Travis Wright of WDET, Mark Kurlyandchik of HOUR Detroit and Casey Schwochow, originator and owner of Rock and Rummage and Ambervillain Films and participating bands’ representatives.

A final round featuring each of the preliminary winners will be held on March 29 with one winner being selected to move on.

Hard Rock Cafe Detroit’s local winners will then be pitted against eighty-six other Hard Rock Cafe local winners from across the globe. These local winners will be narrowed down to the top ten bands worldwide via fan voting on participating Hard Rock Facebook pages. A panel of celebrity judges and music industry professionals will select the top three winners.

The first place winner will be flown to London for the ultimate rock star treatment, including a spot on the bill at Hard Rock Calling 2012. Second and third prize winners will receive $5,000 and $2,500, respectively, in ReverbNation PROMOTE IT credits, a revolutionary tool that creates targeted, highly effective Facebook advertising campaigns for musicians and venues promoting songs, Facebook pages and concerts. For full rules and a list of participating locations visit www.hardrock.com/Detroit.