10 bands to kicks off Sunday’s ‘Summer Jam’

Music lovers of all ages on island are in for a treat as the Saipan Summer Jam goes on stage on Sunday, Aug. 24 at the Club V of Saipan Grand Hotel.

Ten amateur local bands will be competing in the biggest musical event on Saipan.

The event starts promptly at 4pm. Admission tickets at $5 each inclusive of a drink are available at the Beach Road Magazine office located on the second floor of the Transpac Business Center on Middle Road in Gualo Rai. Tickets will also be available at Club V on the day of the event.

Exciting prizes from various sponsors await the 10 participating bands, with $150 cash and Shell gas gift certificates worth $100 going to the first place winner, according to Susan Marchitti, Beach Road Magazine account manager.

Second place winner will receive $75 worth of Shell gas gift certificates; while the third place winner will receive $50 worth of Shell gas gift certificates, Marchitti said.

The top three winners will also be invited to perform at Palms Resort Saipan’s “Back-to-School Summer Bash” on Aug. 30.

Other bands will receive exciting giveaways including 14 Coca-Cola cooler bags; Boarderline T-shirts, wallet, and CD case; computer games software from PC Outlet; and car seat cover and wall clock from Taro Sue.

Light refreshments during the two-day rehearsal on Aug. 20 and Aug. 21 were provided by Subway and Foremost.

The 10 competing bands are Past & Present, J2, Rated R, D is for Dangerous, High Pitch Band, Channel B, The Burning Bush, Project X, Fritada and Frozen Nipple.

At least three more bands had wanted to join but organizers had to cut down the number of participants to 10 to ensure an orderly competition.

The bands will be scored on the basis of showmanship, which comprises 25 percent of the total points, and pertains to the manner in which the band executed its performance; originality, which also constitutes 25 percent of the total points, and refers to the uniqueness of the performance; overall performance, which encompasses 30 percent of the total points, and refers to the entire sound and look of the band; and audience impact, which accounts for 20 percent of the total score, and will be determined through text votes. Text voting started at 8am on Aug. 1, and will end at 8pm on Aug. 24. Texters will be charged 10 cents per text regardless of their plan.

Adding another layer of excitement to the biggest gig in town is the performance of the Big Beats.

“We thought of livening up the Saipan Summer Jam even more and so we invited the Big Beats, which agreed to perform in support of the participating musicians,” Marchitti said.

The Big Beats, widely held to be the most popular band on island, is among the pioneering group of musicians that have dominated the local music scene.

The Saipan Summer Jam is made possible through the generous sponsorship by Coca-Cola Beverage Company (Micronesia), Inc., PTI, Northern Marianas College and Budget Car Rental. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]