Hard Rock Announces Top 6 Finalists In World's Largest Battle Of The Bands Competition

Local Bands Move on to Final Live Battle Round and Compete for the Chance to Perform at Hard Rock Rising Barcelona Global Music Festival

News provided by

Hard Rock International

May 19, 2015, 09:17 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The results are in and six talented bands are one step closer to taking the top spot for the 2015 Hard Rock Rising Battle of the Bands competition! In association with ReverbNation, Hard Rock's global battle saw more than 13,000 bands enter, with hundreds of bands competing live on Hard Rock stages around the world, but only six bands have made it to the final live battle round, held in Barcelona on Thursday, July 23. The six remaining finalists will compete to win a spot on the main stage at the first-ever Hard Rock Rising Barcelona global music festival this summer, and will be considered for a development deal by Island Records. The weekend-long festival will take place at the Platja del Forum in Barcelona, Spain on Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25, 2015.

Hard Rock Announces Top 6 Finalists In World's Largest Battle Of The Bands Competition

Following several qualifying battle rounds and evaluation by Hard Rock's panel of celebrity judges and music industry professionals, Wolf Colony from New York, Enemy Planes from Minneapolis, Chanson Calhoun from Louisville, Ky., Break the Butterfly from Edinburgh, Blazer from Buenos Aires and DOROTHY from Osaka, Japan, will receive an expenses paid trip to Barcelona, Spain for the final live battle round at Hard Rock Cafe Barcelona on Thursday, July 23. In addition to being considered for a development deal with Island Records, finalists will compete for a spot on the bill at the Hard Rock Rising Barcelona global music festival, featuring headline performances by Kings of Leon, Avicii, Lenny Kravitz, Juanes, Robbie Williams and more!

This year's celebrity judging panel included the E Street Band's Steven Van Zandt, legendary rocker and Poison frontman, Bret Michaels; Mumford & Sons' bassist, Ted Dwane; Panic! at the Disco's Brendon Urie; lead vocalist and guitarist for Frightened Rabbit, Scott Hutchinson; Canadian pop multi-instrumentalist, Lights; bassist of the Taiwanese band Mayday, Masa; and Maps & Atlases' Shiraz Dada.

"The competition was tough this year, but in the end we know we have chosen six incredible and unique bands to represent this year's Hard Rock Rising Battle of the Bands competition," said James Buell, Senior Director of Music and Marketing for Hard Rock International. "We are looking forward to seeing who makes it to the main stage in Barcelona!"

Committed to supporting music and emerging artists around the globe, Hard Rock International hosted more than 28,000 live music events worldwide in 2014. The brand continues its dedication to support of up-and-coming artists in 2015 with Hard Rock Rising concert events in the United States and Europe, providing a forum for music icons and today's hottest new talent to connect with music fans around the world.

Hard Rock Rising Barcelona Lineup
Multi GRAMMY® and BRIT award winning American Rock band, Kings of Leon have headlined the world's biggest festivals over the last seven years and will perform songs from their six multi-platinum albums at Hard Rock Rising Barcelona. Also performing will be Colombian musician and multiple Grammy® and Latin Grammy®-winning superstar, Juanes, whose unique blend of heavy metal and Colombian folk music resonates through capacity stadiums worldwide. In addition, rock legend and multi-award winning singer/songwriter, Lenny Kravitz, will perform at the festival and bring his retro sound that incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk and reggae to the stage. Avicii has gone almost overnight from being a club DJ in Sweden to a global artist who plays in the world's biggest arenas and now, the 25-year-old electric dance music DJ will become part of the star-studded lineup at Hard Rock Rising Barcelona.

From boy-band singer to solo megastar, British pop idol Robbie Williams will jet in fresh from his international tour and take the stage at Hard Rock Rising Barcelona, performing his greatest hits such as Let Me Entertain You, Angels, Feel and Come Undone. Steve Angello, former member of the electronic supergroup Swedish House Mafia, will also perform and showcase his notorious blend of pop, dance and electronica. Additionally, Hard Rock Rising Barcelona will feature an exciting lineup of international talent including Spanish rock-alternative band, Vetusta Morla and Barcelona local band Thalab.

Tickets for the general public are available at www.livenation.es, ticketmaster, El Corte Ingles and entradas.com. Visit www.hardrockrisingbarcelona.es for additional talent announcements and event details.

About Island Records
Island Records, which celebrated its 55th anniversary in 2014, maintains its position as one of the world's legendary record labels, a coveted destination for new and established artists of every description. Island staked its claim at the beginning of the musical revolution that shook the 1960s and '70s, and continues that trend-spotting spirit of adventure. Today's Island is home to a varied roster that ranges from Bon Jovi, Avicii, Fall Out Boy, The Killers, to The Gaslight Anthem, American Authors, Jake Bugg, Tove Lo, Kiesza, and many more. Island Records is a division of Universal Music Group, the undisputed global music leader, with wholly owned operations in 60 territories. Universal Music Group is a fully owned subsidiary of Vivendi. For more information, visit www.islandrecords.com.

About ReverbNation
Independent Artists turn to ReverbNation for music industry connections, worldwide audience exposure and the powerful promotional tools necessary to advance their careers in today's digital music ecosystem. Driven by its mission to put Artists First, the company has grown since its 2006 launch to serve nearly 4 million musicians worldwide. In 2014 ReverbNation developed its proprietary curation-at-scale methodology to identify the world's most promising Artists early in their careers. This capability, coupled with its global audience, allows ReverbNation to bring the world's best emerging Artists unrivaled access to opportunity. For more information, visit ReverbNation.com and follow ReverbNation on Twitter @ReverbNation.

About Hard Rock International
With a total of 199 venues in 63 countries, including 153 cafes, 21 hotels and 10 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. HRI owns the global trademark for all Hard Rock brands. The company owns, operates and franchises Cafes in iconic cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also owns, licenses and/or manages hotel/casino properties worldwide. Destinations include the company's two most successful Hotel and Casino properties in Tampa and Hollywood, Fl., both owned and operated by HRI parent company The Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as other exciting locations including Bali, Chicago, Cancun, Ibiza, Las Vegas, Macau and San Diego. Upcoming new Hard Rock Cafe locations include San Juan, Rio de Janeiro and Marrakech. New Hard Rock Hotel projects include Daytona Beach, Dubai, Los Cabos, Tenerife, Abu Dhabi, and Shenzhen and Haikou in China. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com.