The Battle Of The Basement Bands is a local tradition that has carried on for eight of the last seven years, making this one the Lucky 7th. For those not yet familiar, once a year, local bands from South Orange and Maplewood, NJ, get together for a mock battle, and rock the house to throngs of local folks dancing and partying, with proceeds benefiting of the Habitat For Humanity Newark. Food, beer and wine is included with the price of each tax-deductible ticket, and dancing is mandatory. Bands also get their own live applause-o-meter after each performance for the crowd to rank them, with ratings ranging from 'you stink' to 'wicked'.

This year was another great success, with five talented bands putting on their best to over 500 people. The music was diverse, and there were also a few surprises. All in all, a very fun time was had by all. Emotional Rex walked away with the title this year, but all bands deserve a special thanks for giving their time and effort and contributing to the evening. The other bands include 3rd Gear, Nightmares, Big Train and Walk the Dog. The evening ended with a jam with all bands joining in to perform We're Havin' a Party. Also, many thanks to Chris Dickson and Gary Shippy for magnificently pulling this off once again.

Each band has two videos below, and you can also see the all-band jam. Don't forget to take a look at the Slideshow. Click around, have fun, and most of all, enjoy. And thanks for browsing! Feedback welcome: mark@localconnection.net