Submissions open for Battle of the Bands at Raue Center

The Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake is accepting submissions until June 2 for its Battle of the Bands competition from bands that are unsigned, not touring and are from the greater Chicago area.

Eight semifinalists will perform in August at the Raue, and the winning band will receive $1,000 and the opportunity to perform its own show on the Raue Center stage, according to a news release.

The submission deadline is 11:55 p.m. June 2. Any genre of music is accepted.

A panel will review all submissions, and the semifinalists will be announced on or around July 10. The semifinalists will battle it out at the Raue Center on Aug. 17 and 18, with the final round on Aug. 19.

Submit one sample of work by visiting rauecenter.org/battle-of-the-bands. Videos must be produced for the purpose of this contest and cannot be from previous engagements or contests.

Bands will be judged by a panel including local and national industry professionals. Bands are asked to submit one original song and/or one cover song.

Semifinalist performers must bring their own instruments, cables and stands. Lyrics cannot include profanity, derogatory remarks, sexually explicit content or violence. Bands will have 25 minutes on stage, which includes setup, playing the set and leaving the stage. Effective use of this time is part of the judging criteria.