Bodog Beat

Cherry S/T was among the performers at the Fillmore New York Irving Plaza in New York. (Bodog File Photo)

March 5, 2008

After arriving in NYC, Kirk, Paul and I (the crew) shot b-roll in Times Square and watched the Naked Cowboy sing county tunes. The Naked Cowboy is a busker that sings and plays the guitar in his underwear, rain or shine. It was 11 p.m. and the city was buzzing with energy.

The next day, we had an early morning and headed to the venue around 2 p.m.

The Fillmore… oh, the Fillmore. The Black Crowes played there two nights before. The Allman Brothers almost two decades earlier, if not more.

So it was a big deal to be there. The hallway and bar walls were lined with original posters and photos of everyone that is anyone in the music scene who has played the venue. Johnny Cash, REM, Radiohead, Bob Dylan, just to name a few. My favorite photo was of Michael Stipes, Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson hanging at the same table we were sitting at doing interviews. After post-registration, we interviewed all the bands, which took three hours. Long. Some of the more lively chats included some spicy Italian meatballs (not in a foody context but streaking naked/drunk at Disney World). All the bands were pumped and super excited to get the show on the road. And what a show it was. I actually was asked to co-host and MC the event, so I was stoked. I introduced the bands and got to chat with the audience. There is nothing better than being on a live stage!

Even The Resolution opened at 6:30 p.m. with some cool rock sounds, followed by the more mellow sounds of The Radio Knights. The Alchemystics packed the dance floor with their ska, reggae and rock-blues vibes. These guys were so impressive. They had a "Grand Puba" type of a grandpa as one of their leaders of inspiration and have played with Bonnie Raitt and Stephen Marley amongst others. DPR and Cherry S/T followed. And it was only 9 p.m. There were still eight more bands to go and we were getting exhausted. I really liked the Alpha Male Gorillas, a bunch of Italian rappers that wore mobster suits while singing "Bleed Marinara," as in the sauce. They also said things like "hey-ho," but that's besides the point. At the end of it all, there was major talent represented at the battle, and all the bands did well. But there could only be one winner: All Grown Up.

I gave Sean the guitar player my ham and cheese sangy because he was hungry and also to congratulate him on his big win! We got in at 3 a.m. after a very long day and crashed. We’re on to Toronto today after very little sleep. Keep you posted from there.

Victoria Revay is a host for Bodog TV and is currently traveling across the country to interview bands for the Bodog Battle competition.