Four bands—Luxury Flux, Trash Cats, Big Bad Wolf, and Muskin—competed for a grand prize of $1,000 in the third round of Broad Street’s annual Battle of the Bands. For the first time, the County Fair stepped in to raise the stakes, offering the winner a stage at the Hillsdale County Fair.
Kory Osmun, co-founder of Rychko Entertainment, organized the event and contacted the musicians. Although Rychko Entertainment is a new project, Osmun is a veteran of the entertainment industry.
“I’ve been in entertainment for twenty five years. We’ve built relationships with multiple bands,” he said, “The music industry is about who you know.”
Every band that performed on Thursday, Sept. 1 has Michigan roots. Luxury Flux is from Lansing, Muskin is from Delton, and Trashcat and Big Bad Wolf hail from nearby Jackson.
Luxury Flux opened the event. When asked how the band formed, Lindsay Taylor, lead vocalist, said she and her two fellow band members met in 2015.
“We met on the internet through the Lansing local scene. We were just looking for other musicians to jam with,” she said.
The other musicians echoed Taylor’s perspective, viewing music as an opportunity to enjoy the company of other musicians while doing what they love. Band member Johnny Baird joined the band to spend time with his son.
“My son plays in a garage rock band and I thought it would be a good opportunity to play together,” said Baird.
Big Bad Wolf closed the night with a mix of rock styles. The members of the four-man band are self-proclaimed music geeks, listening to a variety of styles from Classical to Metal.
Big Bad Wolf has experience playing in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Lansing, and Battle Creek. When asked his favorite city to play in, band member Richie Brown that the Music Factory in Battle Creek draws a big crowd.
Drawing a crowd was exactly what Osmun and Josh Wainscott, manager of the Underground, wanted. Wainscott hopes to involve Hillsdale students in regular Thursday night events.
“It’s a community thing,” he said.
