Welcome to the U.S. Open Rock -n- Ribs Event! 3rd Annual Battle of the Bands and Rib Burn Off

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008 from 2pm - 11pm

Stage Sponsors

The Prize

Winner of the Battle of the Bands gets 10 hours of recording time at Jester's Court Recording Studio, $250 cash, and will be asked to return as next year's co-headliner in the Battle.

The Headliner - Mojo Risin
(presented by StreetWise Motors)

The 3rd Annual Rock-N-Ribs Fest will feature a blast from the psychedelic past on August 2nd. Mojo Risin, one the nation’s most renowned Doors tribute bands, will take the stage to close the show at the battle of the bands.

Mojo Risin was born in April 1995 in a suburban Cleveland basement when four devout Doors fans came together for one purpose: to take the idea of a Doors tribute band further than anyone had ever thought possible.

Although only two of the members had ever met before, it was immediately obvious that they shared two things: a fanatical devotion to The Doors, and a disappointment with the Doors tribute bands that they had seen.

That devotion includes a set list consisting of everything the Doors recorded between 1968 and 1971 as well as all stage equipment from 1968 to provide a more authentic sound.

“Its amazing how close they are to the real thing,” event coordinator Rob Whalen said. “From the look to the sound, it’s like a trip back in time to a concert in 1968. The public won’t be disappointed in them.”

The band is comprised of Jay Zirkle doing the vocals, Justin Johnson on guitar, Steve Zavesky on drums, and Mark Jamieson on keyboard.

Mojo Risin will take the stage at 9:30 PM.

The Bands

The Celebration Christian Church Worship Band is comprised of Wes Burris, Mindy Schwartz, Ben Zucker and Matt Brent. We are a rock band playing music that spreads the positive message of God’s hope and love for all.

Matt Brent can’t remember a time he wasn’t singing. He became the lead singer of a garage band when he was 15 and hasn’t quit singing in front of people yet. From leading worship in small church services to the time he sang for millions on network TV, it just feels natural to him. He’s passionate about seeing music affect people’s lives in a positive way and travels the country to pursue that passion. Matt’s influences are all over the board from Christian to secular, classic to contemporary, metal to opera and most points in between. As a songwriter, Matt’s songs have been recorded and highlighted on regional radio both here in Marion and in Florida. Matt plays the acoustic guitar, electric guitar and piano. He is currently the Worship Minister at the Celebration Christian Church (celebrationchristian.org).

Wes Burris has been the bassist for Celebration Christian Church for the past four years where his stage presence is unique and energetic. His strong musical inspirations throughout his nine years of playing have been guitarists Joe Satriani and Kirk Hammett and bassists Adam Clayton and Matt Tennikoff. Wes loves worshiping and playing Christian music and accepts whatever opportunities arise, large or small.

Mindy Schwartz (but you can call her Bam Bam or Stix) has been teaching herself to play the drums since age ten. She was highly involved with music programs in high school including, concert, pep, jazz, symphonic and marching bands. During her studies at Berea College she enjoyed traveling with the jazz band. Mindy graduated from Eastern Kentucky University, where she proudly performed as a member with the Marching Colonels drum line. She is a nurse by day and drummer by night. Through playing she shows her passion in the midst of quirky facial expressions. She has many influences but the standouts are Carter Beauford, John Bonham, Alex VanHalen.

Ben Zucker has been playing the guitar for nine years for various bands, groups and events all across the country. In every free moment of time he can be found picking on any guitar he can get his hands on. Heavily influenced by the sounds of ska and late 90's rock, Ben tries to blend sounds from all over the music spectrum into his music. Whether it is playing loud in front of several thousand people or by himself in the bedroom, Ben puts his heart and soul into his music.

There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live."

“Chuck Norris’ hand is the only hand that can beat a Royal Flush.”

Chuck Norris jokes are a true internet phenomena, becoming a hilarious part of today’s pop culture.

Chukknorus takes their name from this world renown running joke, but when it comes to music, there’s no joking around. There’s just serious musicians playing some serious tunes.

Aaron “Chico” Delorenzo provides the vocals, Gerald “Foam” Ammons plays guitar, Jeremy Childers thumps the bass, and Casey Green rattles the skins.

The Lawngnomes formed in the spring of 2005, when Mike Ritter of Fostoria and Ted Reinhart of Carey met at the Ohio District Jazz Summit in Tiffin. The two quickly realized that their fathers had played in a band together in the 80's, and both were looking to find musicians for a new project. Ritter and Reinhart decided to combine forces with Dylan Kromer of Carey, (son of another former bandmate of Ritter's
father). At this point the group had a drummer (Reinhart), a guitarist (Ritter), and a keyboardist/bassist (Kromer). When they joined forces guitarist Lewis Walter, the group's lineup was complete, and has remained that way ever since.

The Lawngnomes took much early inspiration from the classic rock music their fathers had played together. Other genres that played a large role in forming the band's collective musical conscience were underground punk - introduced to them by the local high school custodian - and the jazz, blues, and old-school hip-hop that made up their private hand-me-down collections of CDs and vinyl.

Today the Lawngnomes play a variety of shows around the Findlay Ohio area, ranging from weddings to bachelor parties to music festivals. While much of their setlist is comprised of covers, the Lawngnomes have a growing repertoire of originals that is increasingly becoming a focus of their performances. Combined with a quirky sense of humor and energetic stage presence, the Lawngnomes put on a show you won't want to miss.

Hailing from the small town of Upper Sandusky, OH, is the hard-rockin' quartet known as Remaining Grey. The band started in 2007 when bassist Ben Ziessler and singer and guitarist Josh Anderson, who had been in a previous band together, sat down and started writing tunes. After a few line-up changes, Remaining Grey added Scott Parsell on guitar and Jordan Vaughn on drums to complete the unit. After recording rough versions of several original songs, Remaining Grey is now in the studio working on their debut album. With a wide range of influences, and an awesome live set, Remaining Grey brings to the table a style of rock that is appreciated by all fans of good Rock music.

When the members of Scene of the Crime first banded together, the goal was to make music with intensity and melody beyond that of the common metal market. That they did.

In the summer of 2007, S.O.T.C. released, independently, their first
record "Prelude..." giving everyone in earshot an overview of the complex lyrical story that is portrayed in the music. They are still hitting every stage they can to bring this album to the masses.

Now 3 years after becoming a band, they are still running strong on the
original lineup that worked diligently to create this sound. While many of
their fellow bands have come and gone, S.O.T.C. feels that sticking together has been a testament to their musical chemistry.

SetBack is a five piece band whose members grew up in the West Lafayette-Newcomerstown area. Chuck Wheeler and Jason Ribble began jamming together with a band known as Blank Stare in the winter of 2002. Blank Stare never really got off the ground due to a lack of commitment. The band would ultimately break up in May of 2004 after half of the band moved out of state. After the break up, the remaining members of the band would occasionally get together for a jam session, but nothing would materialize from it. Wanting to get another band started, Chuck and Jason began jamming with drummer Dusty Clements in the spring of 2006 and decided to form SetBack. They then began their search for a bassist and a second guitar player, the latter of which would later be abandoned. SetBack went through several lineup changes over the next eight months before Ryan Lawrence joined the group in January 2007 as their bass player. In April of 2008, guitarist Dan Rainwater joined the group to solidify the lineup.

SetBack’s current lineup is:

Chuck Wheeler – Lead Vocals: Chuck’s vocals really aren’t that good, but he is a lot better at singing than the rest of the band.

Jason Ribble – Guitar & Backing Vocals: Jason is an awesome guitarist who sometimes forgets his parts.

Dan Rainwater - Guitar: Dan is the band's newest member and brings his own style to our hard rock sound.

Ryan Lawrence – Bass: Ryan is solid on the bass but don’t expect anything spectacular.

Dusty Clements – Drums: Dusty is a Drum God who is held back by the inadequacies of the rest of the group.

A local band full of attitude and talent who deliver a high energy show while playing some of the greatest tunes in the history of rock is the best way to describe this quartet.

Sin city is made up of Dave Delauder doing vocals, Dan Richardson on bass, Brian Clarke on guitar and vocals, and Jason Delauder on drums.

"We are all fired up about putting on the best performance ever and winning that title. Most important though is the chance to showcase our talent and show people that music is made for fun."

The band cites AC/DC, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Creedance Clearwater Revival, and the Blues Brothers as their influences.

Stryck9 is a 4 piece band citing acts like Black Label Society, early Alice in Chains, and Black Stone Cherry as influences.

The band consists of Adam Tong on lead guitar and vocals, Tony Ogg on bass, Rob Rodabaugh on rythym guitar and vocals, Todd Roth on drums.

As well as the aforementioned bands, the hard-rocking quartet cites Creed,Metallica,Sevendust,COC, as their influences, amongst others.

After selling out their first release inside of six months, Stryck9 has begun recording a new release to bring with them on the road. Expect to hear new versions of fan favorites like Swallowed and Consequences as well as brand new songs such as Last Page.

Stryck9’s live show has always been up to par with a national act. Every time the band takes the stage their goal is not to be the best band up there, but the one that everyone is talking about at the end of the night.

Adam's musical influences are Metallica, Alice in Chains, Black Label Society, Jimi Hendrix, Lynard Skynrd, Pearl Jam, Black Sabbath, the Cranberry's, and Sevendust. He has been playing guitar for 17 years and singing for 10. He has been playing rock covers and originals in various bands for the past 7 years.
Adam is 23 years old and has not pursued any other career other than music. His only wish is for the whole world to experience his music.

Tony's musical influences are Metallica, Shinedown, Aeorsmith, and Black Label Society. He has been playing bass guitar for 3 years. The only band that Tony has ever been in is Stryck9.

Tony is 29 years old. He is married with two children. Although he has worked construction for the past 11 years, his real passion is with Stryck9.

Rob's quenchless thirst for heavy grooves and melody have been influenced
by the likes of White Zombie, Slash, and Sevendust over the years. He has
been playing and writing in original and cover bands off and on for the
last 17 years. His fever to perform has found a natural chemistry with
Stryck9 that has surpassed any of his other projects.

Todd's musical influences are very broad on the rock spectrum. His playing has been influenced by bands like Dream Theater all the way to Bad Company. He has been playing drums in cover and original bands for 17 years. Todd’s entire life has been in pursuit of music.

The Cold Shot features CC Vance on lead guitar and vocals, Kyle Looney on bass and vocals, and Luke Powell on the drums.

This collection of youngsters cites a vast array of influences including Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Robert Johnson, Robert Cray, T-Bone Walker among many others.

This will be the third time the group has competed in the contests, improving in points each year.

The Cold Shot originated in Marion about 2 years ago at a party. The three members have known each other since elementary school as far back as 2nd grade.

Luke and Kyle live in Marion and C.C. was once a Marionite, but has since moved to Hilliard.

The range of styles of music for the band ranges greatly - everything from Mozart to death metal, but they most enjoy writing and playing blues mixed with classic rock.

The Shady Dragons Formed in 2006, The Shady Dragons are a group of friends consisting of Scott Kessleron vocals and rythym guitar, Rod Weaver on Drums, Odell Daniel playing lead guitar and Josh Woodrum on bass.

The band lists a wide variety of influences, including Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, and Sublime.

They are also working on a new CD due out sometime in 2008.

For the battle, they will play a mix of covers and originals.