Boston, MA (April 19, 2004)- The Konks have been crowned Boston's best garage band in the Underground Garage Battle of the Bands. Twenty area bands were chosen from more than 500 entries to perform at Boston's Matrix and Roxy clubs April 15 - 17. The Konks emerged victorious and will move on to the finals of the national search at New York City's Irving Plaza on July 22. Dunkin' Donuts and Little Steven created the contest to discover and reward the country's most talented garage bands and emphasize the importance of raw rock 'n' roll.
The Konks - lead vocalist and drummer Kurt Davis, guitarist Bob Wilson and bassist Jon Porth - were selected by panel of judges which included Dale Bozzio, lead singer of Missing Persons, Greg Hawkes, keyboardist of the Cars, Dickie Barrett, lead singer of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Willie Alexander, lead singer of the Boom Boom Band.
The Konks will be one of nine finalists competing at a playoff in New York City on July 22, where they'll vie for a chance to perform on the Dunkin' Donuts main stage before thousands of people at Little Steven's Underground Garage Rock Festival planned for this summer. In addition, the band received a suite of new high-end equipment from Gibson and speakers from Klipsch.
Bands interested in entering the remaining competitions can log onto www.rockingarage.com to download an official form to enter the "Underground Garage Battle of the Bands" contest. Remaining events are scheduled to take place in the following markets:
- Providence, R.I. - Lupos in the Strand Ballroom (April 29, 30, May 1)
- Philadelphia, PA - The Pontiac Grill (May 13, 14, 15)
- Miami, FL - I/O Club (May 20, 21, 22)
- Washington, D.C. - The Black Cat (June 5)
- Chicago, IL - The Metro (June 8, 9, 10)
- Cleveland, OH - The Beachland Ballroom (June 17, 18, 19)
- Long Island, NY - The Crazy Donkey (June 22, 23, 24)
- Asbury Park, NJ - The Stone Pony (July 8, 9, 10)
*** Dates/locations subject to change; further information regarding the venues to be released shortly.
Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is the number one retailer of coffee-by-the-cup in America, selling 2.7 million cups a day, nearly one billion cups a year. Dunkin' Donuts is also the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world and sells more donuts, coffee, bagels and muffins than any other quick service restaurant in America. Dunkin' Donuts has more than 5,800 stores in the United States and 29 other countries. Based in Randolph, MA, Dunkin' Donuts is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Allied Domecq PLC. For more information, visit www.dunkindonuts.com.
On April 7, 2002, coincidentally the same date in 1967 that Tom Donahue kicked off "progressive FM radio" on KMPX in San Francisco, Steven Van Zandt's Little Steven's Underground Garage had its inaugural broadcast. Being the "coolest D.J. in the country" is just the latest chapter in a long and distinguished musical career for Van Zandt. He is an acclaimed record producer for artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Artists United Against Apartheid, Darlene Love, Lone Justice, Gary U.S. Bonds, Michael Monroe, Lords of the New Church and the Arc Angels. A gifted songwriter, he has written songs for artists including Jimmy Cliff, Southside Johnny, Gary U.S. Bonds, Brian Setzer, and Darlene Love. In addition, Steven is a well-known musician in his own right, performing as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as well as with his own band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.
