On the Road with Bodog Battle

Texas band Squarewheel at the regional finals in Chicago. (Bodog File Photo)

March 8-9

Toronto, Ontario— Snow Day! Well, that doesn't happen in the real world, does it now? We got into Toronto on Thursday afternoon from New York City after hours of delay, only to find out that we had entered the war zone of storms to hit the Toronto area. The next two days were going to be cold, full of blizzards and ridiculous. And they were. It didn't help that the big event was on Saturday night, the worst night of the blizzard. The snow was coming down so heavy at one point with the wind blowing that we couldn ¹t even see out of the hotel room windows. Anyhow, we got to check out Canadian Music Week performances and shoot b-roll of Toronto. On Saturday, Paul and Kirk got to the venue early (which was only one block away, thank you) and set everything up. Jeff Healey's Roadhouse Bar & Grill was lined with flowers and candles in memoriam of its namesake, who passed away at the beginning of the week. (It was a beautiful gesture and a great way to remember him.)

This night was one of the longest nights in this entire trip, as there were 14 bands selected to be finalists. We got to the show at 1 p.m. and left at 2 a.m. Next day's wake-up call was at 7 a.m., so I was cranky. But overall, the music, the bands and the staff were so awesome that it really made up for the tiredness. I loved Whitfield from Vancouver, who were like an edgier Coldplay.

And Toronto's A&R were also one of my faves. The group was formed after the "original" two-piece realized that they needed three people to enter Bodog Battle. So he randomly called his friend who played base and asked her to fill in for the night. They won all the rounds and kept advancing. They also were the only band without an electric guitar and a drum set. Cool!

March 9

Chicago, Ill.— It’s 3 p.m. We've just arrived in Chicago, and I love our hotel. I'm exhausted and need a coffee, but I’ve got to go do interviews now.

It’s 2:30 a.m. Oh, my! What an awesome night. I got to co-MC again, this time from the stage of the House of Blues!! I know. The art and decorations in this place are out of this world. If you ever get a chance to check out Chicago or this venue, you must. There are a bunch of secluded private balconies that you can rent and watch concerts from. The Foundation Room is also incredible.

It's a non-profit club on the fourth floor of the HOB that donates its revenue to keeping music alive in schools. One of the bouncers said that all the celebrities hang out there when they come. Anyhow, it's a dimly lit, really cozy and super posh room filled with Buddhist statues, candles and fireplaces.

OK, down to the nitty-gritty. Copperview wins it! The guys were so much fun. I did the interview lying down across their laps as there was no room to sit, and I accidentally kicked one of them in the jaw with my boots.

Oops. Their sound is alt-rock, lots of guitar and base. They were not expecting to win at all and I think really wanted to get wasted after the show. They mentioned something about strippers, but maybe we should not get into that. Other than that, everything was great. I got to chat with Sunshine Behavior's Harley Wood who is the coolest cat around. And that is his real name: Harley Wood. He said that his mom named him that, as she had him when she was 15 and smoked a lot of drugs. (Ha!) Paul worked really hard and totally rocked the camera all night long. The fan interviews were great. Kirk took care of the rest of the video and audio logistics and organized the band interviews. Thanks, Kirk! Oh, and he picked up food, which was awesome. Right now I am ready to die from fatigue so I’m off to bed.

Victoria Revay is a host for Bodog TV and is currently traveling across the country to interview bands for the Bodog Battle competition.