School of Rock

THE RTE 2FM SCHOOL OF ROCK IS BACK!!!!RTÉ 2fm’s Larry Gogan revealed details of the RTÉ 2fm School of Rock 2009 – Battle of the Bands competition for secondary school students on Sunday 14th September. Larry broadcasted his show live from Studio One in front of a live studio audience with special guests The Coronas and Future Chaser (Winners of School of Rock 2008).Speaking at the launch, Future Chaser reflected on what winning the competition meant to them: "Winning the 2fm School of Rock was a great experience for us as a band. The efforts and commitment of the people involved brought us the opportunity to play at 2008's Oxegen Festival, record in a professional studio and countless other things that have stood to increase our fan base. For young bands the competition is a phenomenal opportunity and well worth taking part in." RTÉ 2fm’s School of Rock is inviting bands to send in demos now for consideration for the next season. Five bands will be chosen to compete at five regional heats .The judges will then choose one band from each heat to go forward to the final.The School of Rock judges for the regional heats include; Cormac Battle of RTÉ 2fm, Ken Allen of Faction Records and musician Mark Greaney of Concerto for Constantine (formerly of JJ72). For the live final, the panel will be expanded to include Chairperson Larry Gogan, Stuart Clark of Hot Press, Noel Mc Hale from MCD, Emma Harney of Entertainment Architects, a representative from Everest Music, Bray and Dun Laoghaire and Tony Perry, Director of Pulse Recording Studios.Speaking at the launch Cormac Battle said: “It’s always a major buzz to see be the first to see a group before they explode onto the scene and being a part of the 2fm School of Rock one could encounter such a band…I can’t wait for the action to kick off…let’s ‘ave it”Mark Greaney agreed: “It's an honour to partake in the 2fm School of Rock and to be involved in helping young bands progress and develop, and to hopefully bring step one of their dreams to fruition. The 2fm School of Rock platform is ideal, as bands get the opportunity to hone their live performance skills and to articulate their songwriting abilities in great venues, and for the lucky finalists, on national radio. There is immense musical talent in schools throughout Ireland.The winner of the RTÉ 2fm School of Rock will win: -10,000 euro gift voucher redeemable against musical instruments, pianos and accessories from our huge range at Everest Music & Piano Centre, Bray and Dun Laoghaire with brands including Pearl, Marshall, Fender, Gibson & Taylor. (www.everestmusic.com-5 days recording time in Pulse Recording Studios Dublin’s most internationally renowned recording studio.-An interview with Hot Press magazine-A support slot at an upcoming MCD music event.-A photo shoot with music photographer Enda Casey-A Pure Marshall DAB Digital radio for each band member-An engraved Mario Cioni Kono Blue Crystal Award for their school.In addition to this, the four runner-up bands at the live final will receive a €1000 gift voucher redemeemable against musical instruments, pianos and accessories from the massive selection at Everest Music & Piano Centre. www.everestmusic.com "Everest Music is thrilled to join RTE 2FM in supporting young Irish talent. We feel the future development of music and music education is especially important to us and it’s something we are very happy to encourage and promote."All the regional heats are All-Ages gigs and tickets are available for free from the RTÉ 2fm website. Some very special guests will perform at each of the regional heats while the judges are adjudicating. The final will be broadcast live on RTÉ 2fm at 8pm on January 10th 2009 with presenters Ruth Scott and Dan HegartyEach of the finalists will be invited to RTE 2fm Recording Studios to record their chosen song that they will perform at the final. This recording will then be received by the full panel of judges in advance of the final for their consideration.The dates of the regional heats and the special guests announced are as follows: 1)Thursday 30th October: Ulster regional final in Abbey Centre, Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal with special guests Future Chaser (Winners of School of Rock 2009) 8pm.2) Sunday 2nd November: Dublin regional final- Whelan’s, Dublin from 1-4pm with special guest Boss Volenti3) Saturday 29th November: Connacht regional final: Roisin Dubh, Galway from 3-7pm with special guests Juno Falls4) Saturday 6th December: Munster regional final: Cypress Avenue, Cork from 2-6pm with special guests Giveamanakick5) Saturday 13th December: Leinster Regional Final, Sky Venue, Portlaoise from 3-7pm with special guests Future Kings of SpainThe Final will be broadcast on RTE 2fm on Saturday 10th January from 8-9pm with special guests The Coronas and Dan Hegarty and Ruth Scott presenting.The closing date for applications is Saturday 10th October.Application forms and the full list of rules and regulations are available from this Saturday on the RTÉ 2fm website. www.rte.ie/2fm/schoolofrock