CHANHASSEN, MN. (August 22, 2017) – Prince’s Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota has announced the nine finalists for the special four-day Battle of the Bands event, titled MUSICOLOGY – Summer 2017, to be held August 31st through September 3rd at Paisley Park. The unique live performance event will highlight “Real Music By Real Musicians” – an ethos Prince consistently championed through his life, creative works and incendiary live performances. The finalists are: Cosmos (Seattle, WA), iLLism (Minneapolis, MN), Pho (Minneapolis. MN), The Nightowls (Austin, TX), Black Alley (Washington, DC), Le’Asha Julius (New York, NY), Anonymous Da Band (Atlanta, GA), Radiochurch (Minneapolis, MN) and Purple Funk Metropolis (Minneapolis, MN). The groups were selected from an open pool of video submissions entered via Paisley Park’s official Facebook page between July 7th – 31st.

Each night between August 31 – September 2, three artists will perform for a live audience at Paisley Park with one winner being selected nightly to advance to the final band battle on Sunday, September 3. Between these three finalists, one artist will be crowned the champion and will receive a unique Artist Development award package, consisting of studio recording time at Paisley Park, a mentorship session with members of Prince’s supergroup New Power Generation, and additional career development opportunities to be announced post competition.

MUSICOLOGY – Summer 2017 Finalists

• Cosmos - http://www.cosmosthe.band
• iLLism - https://www.illismmusic.com
• Pho - http://www.phoband.com
• The Nightowls - http://wearethenightowls.com
• Black Alley – https://www.blackalleyband.com
• Le’Asha Julius - http://www.leashajulius.com
• Anonymous Da Band - http://www.anonymousdaband.com
• Radiochurch - https://www.facebook.com/radiochurchmusic
• Purple Funk Metropolis - https://www.facebook.com/purplefunkmetropolis

As a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, band-leader and creative maverick, Prince is an eternal inspiration to musicians everywhere. His creative sanctuary, Paisley Park, is an especially appropriate place to continue fostering music development initiatives – celebrating new artists, new songs and the art and craft of live performance. The MUSICOLOGY event will provide an exclusive opportunity for musicians to connect with new fans, showcase their talents and – through friendly competition – elevate their abilities.

In spirit, the MUSICOLOGY event will be rooted in the band battles that were commonplace in North Minneapolis in the 1970s. Jam sessions among high school friends in basements and community centers, most notably The Way on Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis, evolved into competitive band battles at outdoor parks like North Commons (North Minneapolis) and Phelps Field Park (South Minneapolis). The history is deep and the competitive spirit at that time helped push forward an incredible mix of musicians, including Prince, André Cymone, Sonny Thompson, Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Jellybean Johnson, to name just a few. It was a hugely formative time musically and culturally in Minneapolis, with band battles indelibly shaping the fabric of what was to become the “Minneapolis Sound”. Sonny Thompson, who would later join Prince in his super-group New Power Generation, notes of that time, “Back in the day, we would often practice at The Way preparing for the Battle of the Band events. I remember other bands would always try to sneak into our space to see what we were doing, but we were always the funkiest! The Family was the name of our band.” Similarly, Jellybean Johnson, who played in Flyte Tyme which later evolved into The Time, ads, “When I grew up in The Northside the competition was fierce! It helped my musical growth immensely! The Family, Grand Central, Flyte Tyme, Cohesion, Mind & Matter, it was a great time in my life! We need that feeling again in our musical community!”. And as an inspired call-to-action to musicians and artists everywhere, Prince’s close friend and early band mate in Grand Central, André Cymone, adds, “Music has taken me and my best friend and first band mate Prince from virtual obscurity to world-wide fame, and it all started with the inspiration of competition. The Minneapolis Sound was born from The Battle of The Bands contests – we took the step and jumped into the game, who's next?”

The MUSICOLOGY event at Paisley Park will carry on in this spirit – providing an exciting opportunity for new acts and a welcomed live performance experience for fans. In addition to the evening music performances, beginning on Aug 31st new exhibition elements will be introduced into the Paisley Park Museum tour that will reflect Prince’s early life and the formative experiences he had in groups like Grand Central.

Tickets to MUSICOLOGY – Summer 2017 are still available while supply lasts at the Paisley Park website, OfficialPaisleyPark.com. Single day passes are available for $100. Each daily ticket will include a Special Paisley Park Museum Tour and access to the evening concert between 7-10pm, followed by a dance party in the Soundstage concluding at 11pm. For the latest updates, please visit Paisley Park’s official pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and sign-up for the official newsletter at OfficialPaisleyPark.com.

#Musicology2017

ABOUT PRINCE

Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He won seven GRAMMY® Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award® for the film “Purple Rain,” all of which are displayed at Paisley Park. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year of his eligibility. Prince was born in Minneapolis and resided in the Minneapolis area throughout his life

ABOUT PAISLEY PARK

Paisley Park, Prince’s private estate and production compound in Chanhassen offers fans of the late music icon the unprecedented opportunity to tour the legendary, 65,000-square-foot complex that served as the center of Prince’s creative universe. Operated by P Park Management, guided tours take visitors throughout the extensive main floor of Paisley Park, including recording and mixing studios where Prince recorded, produced and mixed most of his biggest hits, exhibit spaces that chronicle films such as Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge, Prince’s private NPG Music Club, and a massive soundstage and concert hall where Prince rehearsed for concert tours and held exclusive, private events and performances. The tour also features hundreds of artifacts from Prince’s personal archives, including iconic concert wardrobe, awards, musical instruments and concert memorabilia.

Paisley Park is located at 7801 Audubon Road, Chanhassen, Minnesota, approximately 30 minutes outside of Minneapolis. For more information about Paisley Park, visit OfficialPaisleyPark.com.

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