"The honor comes from being approached -- as opposed to approaching -- these folks," says drummer Randy Blaire. "Metropolis carries a lot of bands that influenced us. I think we're in good company. We'll see where we take this next."
SoB's signing with Metropolis caps a strong year for the band: It was voted Cleveland's best alternative/electronic act by Scene readers, recently landed a song in the movie So You've Downloaded a Demon, and made the semifinal round in a battle of the bands sponsored by DarkMedia Interactive, a promoter of local music. A tour is slated for fall.
· Bay Village singer-songwriter Kate Voegele placed second in the national Pantene Pro-Voice Music Competition. Performances and interviews with the three finalists have been aired nationally on MTV commercials. The finalists were selected by a panel of industry professionals, and the winner was determined by internet voting.
"It was awesome," says Voegele. "I had a blast. Sales went up like crazy. We got 10,000 hits on the website and a ton of downloads -- up to 200 on some days. And I got a lot of e-mails and calls. It was great to get my name and music out there."
· Akron's Three Miles Out won the regional round of the Budweiser Battle of the Bands. It was one of six bands to compete in the national finals, held August 20 in Louisville, Kentucky.
"When you go up against bands like that, and they're all great bands, and you come out on top, it's great," says guitarist and singer Ken Voll. Three Miles Out formed in 1999, uniting members of Seven Times Red and Big Fear.
· Foot in Mouth Productions will release F.I.M.P. Comp II: Ohio 2 with parties at Akron's Lime Spider Friday, September 24, and Saturday, September 25. Ranging from alt-pop to hardcore, the disc will feature two songs apiece from C.D. Truth (Akron), Lords of the Highway (Cleveland), Don Austin (Akron), and many other regional acts. Foot in Mouth bills the compilation as "More of the best music you'll never hear, but should."
· DJ Deviant, a.k.a. David Christopher, has been selected to participate in the Balance Record Pool, a collective of top progressive American DJs that includes Spesh, Jimmy Van M, D:Fuse, and Sandra Collins. Members circulate between 50 and 100 unreleased tracks a month, testing them on each other's audiences.
"It's a great benefit for me to be in the company of such DJs," says Deviant. "But it's great for Cleveland because now Clevelanders will get to hear tremendous dance music from big DJs months before the rest of the country will."
