Two bands and two solo vocalists from Corner Canyon High School are preparing to rock Springville this month at the South Multi-Region Battle of the Bands sponsored by the Utah PTA. The competition will be held at the Summit Center in Springville on March 15.

“The interesting thing about Corner Canyon is that our program was so large, we get to send two in each category,” Battle of the Bands coordinator Jenny Mather explained. “It’s a testament to the kids in this area and how much talent there is in this community.”

The first round of Battle of the Bands was held last Jan. 24 in the Corner Canyon auditorium.

Despite the cold outside, the competing bands and solo vocalists soon warmed up the audience. The kids cheered wildly and crowd-surfed as their peers performed covers and original songs in a variety of musical styles.

“The school audience is the funnest,” Clark Weiler, trombonist for the band Moon Juice, said. “My sister plays the keys in Leather & Lace. It was so fun to see her up there!”

Moon Juice, a jazz-pop band, took first place in the competition which was judged by a team of music professionals. Leather & Lace, a country-pop band won second place. In the open mic category, Sierra Johnson took first place and Jacey Yeomans was awarded second place. All will advance to the next round of competition in Springville.

Battle of the Bands is a statewide contest sponsored annually by the Utah PTA Students Leadership Commission. At the Multi-Region competition, three musical groups from each region of the state will be chosen to proceed to the final round at the Grand Theatre in Salt Lake City on April 19. All of the musical acts are judged on their technical proficiency, musicality, performance, creativity and audience appeal.

Moon Juice won first place and audience favorite at the Battle of the Bands in 2023. The band’s lineup has changed a bit since then and is currently comprised of Caden Mather on trumpet, Clark Weiler on trombone, Chaz Neymann on keyboards, Colter Barney on lead guitar, Jaxon Luttrell on lead vocals and guitar, Nolan Reinbold on drums and Crew Smith on bass. All are students at Corner Canyon except for Smith who attends Pleasant Grove High School.

The band members are excited for the next round of competition in Springville. Neymann commented that he feels the band has evolved. “We have more experience in writing songs,” he said. “I’ve learned more about performance skills and musicality.”

Luttrell moved from keyboards to lead vocals this year. “I was so scared,” he said. “But it was so fun. I learned so much and my self-confidence has grown so much because of the band.”

The members of Leather & Lace also spoke of the rewarding experience of getting outside of their comfort zones. “I’ve always wanted to do a band,” Monet Oaks said. “We recruited and it became this big thing. It’s been a lot of stress, but a lot of fun.”

Monet plays the fiddle in the band while her sister, Coco, is on lead vocals. Tanna Barney plays lead guitar, Bekka Morris is on bass, Jane Weiler is on keyboards and Andrew Washenko plays drums. Two of the members learned to play new instruments to be in the band. Jane Weiler played the bassoon before taking on keyboards and Morris is also new to the bass. “I’d never touched a bass in my life. It’s crazy!” she said.

All of the musicians spoke of the friendships they have made being in a band. “I really like hanging out and sharing our musical interests with each other,” Morris said.

Johnson, who won first place in the open mic competition, is looking forward to the second round in Springville. “I’m really excited to be with such talented people and to do what I love,” she said. “This is my first time competing.”

Yeomans, who accompanied herself on guitar at the open mic, echoed the sentiment. “I’m so excited! It’s a new thing,” she said.

The South Multi-Region Battle of the Bands will take place at the Summit Center, 165 S. 700 East, in Springville at 6 p.m. on March 15. For more information, visit www.utahpta.org/bob. λ