A Langford-based band will be vying for first place Thursday at the Victory to Vinyl competition at Darcy’s Pub on the West Shore.
The New Owners, a four-piece rock band, was selected to be in the top four out of 16 bands that have been performing at the competition over the last month.
The band — which consists of members Elijah Driver, Jamie Beaman, Brandon Weatherell and Tyler Thomassen — got together in August. Their upcoming performance is only their fifth show but the band performs all originals with the exception of one Rolling Stones cover.
If they win the Victory to Vinyl competition on Thursday, they will receive a $3,000 recording voucher at any studio to help them record their first album.
“That’s what we’re hoping to do,” Driver said. “This will be our very first recording.”
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Driver said when the band booked their first show ever at Darcy’s Pub before the competition began, they didn’t have any original songs. They ended up writing five songs in two months just in time for the show.
“Everybody seemed to really like it, and then a few months later we entered Victory to Vinyl and won our first round,” Driver said. “Now we have a full hour-long set.”
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Driver said the deadline to write songs for their first performance helped push the band to write good music.
He said being involved in the competition has also given the band the opportunity to get exposure and meet other musicians.
“It’s a pretty fun community that we entered into that I didn’t really realize was there,” Driver said.
The New Owners was also able to get a shout-out from the famous rapper, Ice-T.
“Don’t even waste your time wondering who’s going to win,” the rapper said. “The New Owners are going to go in there and show you how it’s done.”
The final Victory to Vinyl show takes place on April 4 at Darcy’s Pub in Langford. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and cover is $10 at the door.
