The music industry might be in a major slump but that didn’t stop some 60 bands from giving it their all as they competed in the 17th Annual High School Rock Off. After six opening rounds that took place during the month of January, a total of 18 bands went on to the “Final Exam,” which took place last night before a capacity crowd at House of Blues. In previous rounds, it was usually very clear which bands would emerge at the finalists, but the “Final Exam” featured much more parity. In fact, midway through the tallying of the scores at the end of the night, organizers were astonished that no one band had emerged as a front-runner and any one of a handful of groups could have taken the top spot. It wasn’t until the last of the 14 judges’ scores was calculated that a champion emerged (and even then, there was an unprecedented three-way tie for third place).
This article appears in Feb 6-12, 2013.
