WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble

The WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble, begun in 1979, is a Greater Boston "battle of the bands" co-sponsored by WBCN-FM.

Its predecessors were the Bicentennial Tournament of the Bands held in 1976 at The Club in Cambridge, Massachusetts and co-sponsored by WBCN and Inn Square Men's Bar as well 1978's First Annual Spring Rock 'n' Roll Festival co-sponsored by WBCN and the "Boston Phoenix".

The Rock & Roll Rumble was held in Boston at the Rathskeller in Kenmore Square for its first two years and was often referred to as "the Rumble at the Rat". Steve Morse of the "Boston Globe" called the 1979 debut competition "nine nights of exhilarating grass-roots rock."

The competition's venue has changed several times but remains a means for New England bands to gain visibility. In recent years, the competition was held at The Middle East in Cambridge. The competition moved to Harper's Ferry in Allston in 2007.

Format of the Rumble

The Rumble in its current form begins in April with a week of preliminary rounds of 24 total bands, as selected by WBCN. The prelims take place on Sunday through Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday, with Wednesday as a "Day of Rest." Each night, four bands play a 30-minute set and are judged by a rotating selection of representatives the Boston music industry. A winner is announced at the end of the night.

Each night's winner moves on to the semi-finals the following weekend, with two wildcard bands rounding out the top 8. The two semi-final winners are joined by one wildcard band for the final round the week after that. A special guest, usually a national touring band, headlines the finals while the judges come to their final decision.

Prizes include cash, studio time, legal services, album production, bragging rights, and more.

Eligibility for the Rumble

The official criteria for Rumble eligibility are endlessly debated, but in general the band:
* should be based in Boston or its suburbs
* has released an album and received airplay on WBCN
* plays all or mostly original material
* cannot be signed to a major label
* cannot have members associated with CBS or its affiliates

Judging Criteria

As of 2007, WBCN uses 45 judges (barring unforeseen circumstances), five for each night for the nine nights of competition. Each evening there are representatives from the music business, local media and on-air personalities from WBCN judging the bands. The judges observe each band and numerically score each 30-minute set. At the end of the night, the judges' scores are tallied two ways: 1) a straight tally of all judges' scores; and 2) a tally throwing out the high and low scores, using the middle scores as a backup in case of a tie or in the rare case of extreme bias in either direction. This method is intended to protect the bands against judging anomalies in the long run.

1. Material/Songwriting:Is the songwriting predictable or innovative? ("possible 1-10 points")

2. Playing Effectiveness:How well did the band play? Was the overall sound tight? Innovative? Intriguing? ("possible 1-10 points")

3. Vocal Effectiveness:How well did the vocals contribute to and enhance the band? ("possible 1-10 points")

4. Timing:How well did the band pace its set? Did the songs flow well? Did the set build in intensity, or start strong and then fall off? ("possible 1-10 points")

5. Bonus (Optional):This category is available as a special reward if for any reason the judge feels the band deserves a bonus. The judge must designate what prompted the assignment of bonus points. ("possible 1-5 points")

History of the Rumble

ources

* [http://www.geocities.com/uridfm/ New England Music Scrapbook]
* [http://www.thenoise-boston.com The Noise]