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Faulking Around - Jul 9, 2007 - Printable Version
- Aranda in Final 20 of Lollapalooza Last Band Standing 2007
by Mark Faulk
ARANDA ENDS UP #1 IN THE VOTING!!! Thank you to everyone who helped to make it happen...now, on to Chicago on August 1st for the finals!!!
Aranda, an original band from Oklahoma City who has been rocking the U.S. for years, has been named one of the top twenty bands in the Lollapalooza Last Band Standing 2007 contest. After their fans rallied them into the top 100 in the popular vote out of over a thousand bands that entered (leaping from 131st to 62nd in a twenty-four hour time period), they were selected for the top 20 by a panel of music industry judges.
Now they move on to Round 3, where the top five bands will be chosen by another popular vote from fans...this time with a voting period of only 11 days, ending on July 20th. Voters can vote once per day, and the top 5 bands will be invited to Chicago to compete live for a chance to play at Lollapalooza 2007. One band will be chosen by audience vote and the second band will be chosen by a celebrity judging panel including Perry Farrell and members of The Recording Academy.
Aranda is without a doubt the best "unknown" band in America, but their fame, and their audiences, have been growing daily since they signed with Astonish Records last year. Their first album for Astonish Records is due out in late 2007. Their bio on the record label's website says:
Is it possible to hear classic rock you've never heard before? Can you ignore the powerhouse force of brothers Gabe and Dameon Aranda? Listening to their music is like hearing an explosive hybrid of the atom bomb and all of Woodstock combined.
"We made each other better by having that competitive spirit," Gabe says. "We don't think about who's the better singer. We think about who is going to sound better on this part, whether this song is screaming for a wailer, a rock singer, or maybe a more soulful voice."
Guitarist Dameon says that every time he learned a few new chords, he would use them to write a song. "We want to go out there with high energy, keep rocking, keep everybody entertained. We want to involve the audience and make it fun for them," he says. "Our hope is that you'll keep coming back for more."
What the bio doesn't say is that these rockers are more than just great musicians. When this writer/activist helped to organize a benefit for victims in the massive May 3, 1999 tornado that ravaged central Oklahoma, Aranda was the headline act for the concert, donating their talents to help our community in a time of crisis. They also played at two benefit concerts for Toby Keith's Ally's House charity that helps children with cancer and their families, opening for Toby Keith and a host of other musical icons. They continue to give back to their community, using their music to help others in a number of good causes...in between blowing the roof off of every venue where they perform. Unfortunately, they recently made the news when their trailer containing over $40 thousand worth of music equipment was stolen after a concert in Sacramento, California....but they were back performing live less than two weeks later. They are also the featured band at www.toginet.com, where their song "Superficial Girl" plays continually on the homepage of the website.
TO VOTE FOR ARANDA IN THE LOLLAPALOOZA LAST BAND STANDING 2007 CONTEST, GO TO:
http://lollapalooza.mp3.com/feature/2007lollapalooza/?band=ARANDA
YOU CAN VOTE ONCE A DAY UNTIL JULY 20, 2007!!!!
To read more about Aranda, and to listen to their music, go to:
http://www.myspace.com/aranda
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