When I think of musical battles, I think of the last scene in 8 Mile, when Eminem locks himself in a bathroom before a show in an attempt to restrain his nerves. Onstage, he proceeds to “lose himself” completely to rhyme and rhythm, as he captivates the audience with his lyrical ingenuity. Switch the tune from rap to rock, and Marshall Bruce Mathers III to Maui band, and we’ll soon see similar victory on the West side (hopefully without the bathroom breakdown). And if the winning band’s got the chops, they’ve got a chance to go all the way to London’s Hyde Park for a global battle of the bands in honor of Hard Rock International’s 40th anniversary. This is how it works: Local competition kicks off next week Thursday (February 4) with Better than Nothing (9-9:45pm), Mojomana (10-10:45pm) and Arise (11-11:45pm) duking it out for the night’s crown. The tournament continues the following Friday (February 11), with a TBA band (9-9:45pm), Panacea (10-10:45pm) and Sleeping Elephant (11-11:45pm) squaring off. Then, Minor Setback (9-9:45pm), MOTH (10-10:45pm) and Sounds of Addiction (11-11:45pm) cross axes on Friday, February 18 (the latter two bands facing an interesting rematch from a heated BOTB at Mulligans on the Blue last year). The winning band from each of these nights will go head to head in a final showdown on Friday, March 4—with the overall winner ascending to regional competition (one of four worldwide). Regional winners get flown to London on the Hard Rock’s dime for Hard Rock Calling 2011 (June 24-26), and the rest will be rock history. 667-2578, hardrock.com
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