ITHACA NY AUGUST 2, 2017 —  Downtown Ithaca’s CFCU Summer Concert Series is proud to present Battle of the Bands, a spectacular opportunity for music artists and groups to showcase their talents to a large audience while competing for incredible prizes that may help take their craft to the next level.

Battle of the Bands is set for Thursday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Bernie Milton Pavilion on the Ithaca Commons, East State Street, and will be broken up into two contests: rappers battle and bands battle.

Rap finalists will be selected by a panel of judges to compete in an MC Cypher set for Sept 1 at 8 p.m. at Lot 10, 106 S. Cayuga St., Ithaca. The deadline to register for consideration for this rap competition is Saturday, Aug. 5. The registration form is available at https://goo.gl/forms/dCBqGmwS9kMlvwlA2.

The top four finalists in the rapper’s contest will walk away with amazing digital content courtesy of Well Said Media and the winner of the MC Cypher will perform as the opening act at the Sept. 7 contest. The winner of the rapper showdown will also receive a trip to A3C Music Festival & Conference in Atlanta, Georgia (Oct 4-8). This remarkable festival and conference engages and inspires the artists, entrepreneurs, and creatives that shape hip-hop culture. The top prize package also includes a round trip flight courtesy of FlyIthaca, an A3C Badge, spending money, hotel accommodations, and a professional photo shoot with Casey Martin Photography.

As for the Battle of the Bands competition, the entire contest will be held on Sept. 7.

Three bands — two selected by a panel and a third chosen by the public — will compete for prizes and the winning band will receive a recording session in Pyramid Sound, strings, picks and a full setup for the studio session from Ithaca Guitar Works and a professional photo shoot with Casey Martin Photography! This is an incredible award for anyone looking to accelerate their music career. The deadline to register for this fantastic opportunity is Thursday, August 10. The registration form is available at https://goo.gl/forms/uu95XCtRiS4DcppF3.

“We are really grateful to our Battle partners and sponsors for helping us provide tools and opportunities that will encourage the winning artists to continue pursuing their craft. A3C is going to be a great opportunity for the winning rapper to soak in the culture on a really detailed level as there will be endless panels, shows, and networking events that weekend. We think that this could potentially become a fun and unique tradition for the CFCU Summer Concert Series and hope that people get excited to engage with local artists and audiences in this way on our stage,” says Downtown Ithaca Alliance Special Events Director Tatiana Sy.

Following the thrilling Battle of the Bands competition, the performers and audience are welcome to stay and enjoy Ithaca’s own Jimkata, a beloved anthemic synth-washed rock ‘n roll group, for its last performance in Ithaca. The band originally announced on July 11 that they will be stopping performances indefinitely and announced their final shows.Jimkata, a local favorite, will perform its last show for Ithaca following the CFCU Summer Concert Series Battle of the Bands on Sept. 7 at the Bernie Milton Pavilion. The competition begins at 6 p.m.Jimkata, a local favorite, will perform its last show for Ithaca following the CFCU Summer Concert Series Battle of the Bands on Sept. 7 at the Bernie Milton Pavilion. The competition begins at 6 p.m.

Jimkata is performing its last Ithaca show on Sept. 7 following the CFCU Summer Concert Series’ Battle of the Bands on the Bernie Milton Pavilion.  The battle starts at 6 p.m.

“This has been a wild ride (pun intended) that all of us are grateful to have experienced. We’re extremely grateful for anyone whose lives were touched by our music, anyone who came to the shows, supported our recording efforts, gave us a sweaty hug, offered us a home for the night, bought a t-shirt, shared a meaningful story with us (of which there are so many we’ve taken to heart) or for any other incredible or ridiculous moment we shared with you. It’s impossible to sum up our gratitude or to neatly summarize our vast treasure trove of both good and occasionally shitty memories,” the band members wrote in a heartfelt Facebook message posted on the band’s page on July 11.

“Jimkata has been a staple of the summer concert series for years and it’s only right that we bring that energy downtown for one last time,” Sy added.

This incredible evening of performances will conclude the 2017 CFCU Concert Series. Remaining shows include Fall Creek Band and Kurt Riley’s on Aug. 3, Tenzin Chopak (Aug. 10), Crucial Reggae Social Club (Aug. 24) and The Gunpoets (Aug. 31).

For additional details about the CFCU Concert Series, visit www.downtownithaca.com, visit our Facebook Page, or email tatiana@downtownithaca.com