Wiregrass Battle Of The Bands Features Local Acts

The Shops at Wiregrass is committed to raising thousands of dollars to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society from now until April.  Three major fundraising events have been planned to support the cause, starting with the inaugural Battle of the Bands on Saturday, Feb. 19.

There will also be a Parade Celebration on March 12 and a golf tournament on April 1.

The battle kicks off at 2 p.m. and runs until 9. Two dozen acts will perform across four stages throughout the shopping plaza – two will be stationed at Center Court, one near AJA and another near the craft beer bar Brass Tap. 

“We’re proud to have bands representing every genre – rock, alternative, classic rock, country, hard rock, acoustic, rock, folk, pop, funk, and Christian rock,” said Deborah A. Detweiler, director of marketing for The Shops at Wiregrass.

 Of the 24 bands participating, two are from Land O' Lakes. 

Culprit is a classic rock band comprised of four Land O' Lakes High School students – Eric Whitener (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Jared Dolitzky (bass guitar/backing vocals), and brothers Tristan Dusek (lead guitar/backing vocals), and Tyler Dusek (drums/percussion/backing vocals). 

The band, whose members have been together less than a year, won second place at the Hillsborough County Fair Battle of the Bands. Members are eager to take home the prize this time around. 

Although the quartet plans to attend college after graduation, they take their music very seriously. 

“This is definitely something we want to pursue.  In fact, we just recorded our first single. ‘Take Me As I Am,’ last week in Temple Terrace and our goal is to work on marketing ourselves more,” said Dolitzsky.

Folk singer and songwriter John Gold self produces and records his music. He played in two bands at the ages of 14 and 15 before launching his solo career at age 16, and has performed hundreds of times in front of crowds. 

Gold has released an album per year annually since 2007.
 
Participating in the "battle" means a lot to this Land O' Lakes resident – who still lives in his childhood home – for both artistic and philanthropic reasons. 

“The back of my business cards reads, ‘The purpose of my life is to do anything I can possibly do to enrich the quality of life that you experience.’ I want to help those suffering from these ailments just as I wish to help all others. They are very important to me, just as all others in the brotherhood of humanity are. I love them, and I hope this fundraiser will aid in the swift production of a cure or at the very least will aid in prolonging and enriching their lives,” said Gold.
 
All attendees will have the opportunity to cast their vote for the winning bands. Canisters will be situated at each stage. Votes cost a $1 donation with voting open until 8:15 p.m. The band that raises the most money (via votes) will be awarded first place. Fifty percent of the voting money will go to the winning band, the other 50 percent to the society. In addition, 100 percent of the bands’ application fees were donated to the society.

Additional prizes for the first place recipients include a full-day recording session, including production of a demo CD at Morrisound Recording; ad time and mentions on the 102.5 The Bone; and a two-night stay at the Postcard Inn.

Wiregrass’ general manager Greg Lenners has both a professional and personal stake in this fundraiser.  Lenners is a candidate for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society "Man of the Year" program. Lenners was motivated to participate after learning about two very special children affected by Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) – 3-year-old Lucy Galban and 5-year-old Stevie Monokandilos. 

“Partnering with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 10-week Man & Woman of the Year Campaign and being able to use The Shops at Wiregrass as a venue to raise funds for this wonderful organization has become both a win-win for both organizations and just getting involved with LLS personally has really opened my eyes to their cause and its fight against these nasty blood cancers.  This is an organization that is doing the right things with the dollars it raises and I’m proud to be associated with it,” said Lenners. 

 Battle of the Bands will take place this Saturday, Feb. 19 from 2 to 9 p.m. at The Shops at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Dr. John Gold is scheduled to appear at 4:30 p.m. near Brass Tap, and Culprit is slated for 5 p.m. in Center Court.  For more information, visit The Shops at Wiregrass online.