Battle of the Bands: DeKalb’s Fargo Skatepark, Pushing Together NFP to showcase 10 bands

DeKALB – The relationship among the sound of rock, metal and alternative bands are synonymous with skate culture, and soon the sounds of 10 bands will meet in DeKalb for one of the biggest battles around.

Fargo Skatepark and Pushing Together Not-for-Profit are inviting people of all ages to attend their inaugural Battle of the Bands set for 7 p.m. Friday at Fargo Skatepark, 641 E. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb. Doors will open to the public at 6 p.m.

The event will serve not only as a band competition but as a way to celebrate skate culture.

“The skate culture is intertwined with music and art and that’s part of the backbone of our NFP is that whole culture,” Pushing Together NFP board member Geoff Livengood said. “It’s not just getting on a skateboard and riding down the street. It’s the whole social aspect of it. It’s practice that it takes for kids to be able do that, the kind of mental toughness you need and falling down and getting back up. It really is a pro-social culture. It’s really a good thing for kids to get involved with and it keeps them out of trouble, I think.”

Livengood said they are excited to showcase the talents of 10 great bands.

“We had a few here from DeKalb County,” Livengood said. “We got bands from as far as Chicago. We’ve got bands from up in the Rockford area. We’ve got a few bands from the suburbs. We’ve got a couple bands from here in town. They’re really all over northern Illinois.”

The 10 participating bands in the show include: Witch Hammer, Soaking Up Sandcastles, Invent Horizon, Spectra, The Nova Certainty Project, Ric Harris and the Heat Merchants, The Stach Brothers, Of Brooks and Blues, Electric Hearts and The Scared Crows.

Livengood said the idea behind putting on a Battle of the Bands makes sense on many levels.

“We were kind of thinking about what is something that hasn’t been done in a long time,” Livengood said. “I think there were some battles that [were] set to get off the ground back around at the beginning of COVID that didn’t take off because of that. Since then, no one has heard of any of this kind of thing happening. We thought it was a great opportunity for us to bring everyone out to DeKalb.”

The Battle of the Bands will be presided over by local music experts standing in as judges, one from Music Connection in Sycamore and two from Aurora Music Company in DeKalb, organizers said.

“They have score sheets and will score them based on a number of criteria,” Livengood said.

The top performing bands will earn a chance for stage time at area bar and music venues, organizers said. Those include La Calle Bar and Music Venue, Hometown Sports Bar and Grill/Stage Left Cafe, Fatty’s Pub and Grille and The Warehouse on Park.

Livengood stressed, however, that no band will go home empty-handed.

Admission is $15 at the door, organizers said. But there’s a $5 discount for anyone who donates an unopened personal hygiene product to benefit the “Keepin’ It Fresh” Drive for local youth.

Livengood said he is excited after months of planning to see the Battle of the Bands becoming a reality.

“I know that we are totally stoked about it,” he said. “We cannot wait for it to finally get here. We’ve been putting in months and months and months of hard work and planning into this, gathering bands, getting sponsorship, trying to organize everything, getting everything set up. We’ve never done anything like this. I’m not a guy who would do this kind of thing normally. It’s all been a great learning experience. It’s been very, very cool. We’re totally pumped. We cannot wait to see everyone come out. We are really hoping that DeKalb shows up.”

The event’s top sponsors include Eggtoy Studios, Fitzgerald Equipment, Siwy Real Estate and Mill Means More Real Estate.