The 2016 Best of Dayton Underground contest was a thrill from start to finish!
With more than 23,000 votes over the first ten days of December for Round 1, loyal fans of Dayton area music more than outdid themselves! Then, during a sweet party at Oscar’s Bar on that last, cold Thursday of December, just shy of 40 votes were cast by our local VIP musicians and press. Our Round 2 VIP’s were challenged this year in choosing a winner from more than 30 amazing finalists, but we are proud to announce local Rockers, ThunderTaker, were chosen as the 2016 Best Dayton Underground Music Act, with Bluesmakers, Scotty Bratcher and Todd the Fox, taking 1st and 2nd Runner Up, respectively!
Voters had quite a time trying to decide who should win this year, with much discussion taking place throughout the night in various corners of Oscar’s Bar about how to choose just one winner. Many of the VIP’s seemed quite torn between more than a handful of acts, which we interpret as testament to all of the awesome music among our finalists, but they got their votes in and a winner was chosen!
Thanks to our sponsors, we were able to bring a great free original showcase, provide VIP access, some pretty damn cool 
prizes for our winners, and collect a number of clothing donations for Helping the Homeless- Dayton, Ohio! Thanks to the support of Jim’s Donut Shop in Vandalia and Fiber Dry Carpet Cleaning in Dayton, we were able to invite three fabulous and friendly bands! Krunk Town Boogie, Founding Fathers, and The Sandwich delivered three rockin, good-time sets that had the audience throwing down their dance moves throughout the night! Thanks to some real teamwork between us and Oscar’s Bar, we were able to treat our VIP voters this year with delicious food catered by them. Several folks seemed suprised that a bar could whip up such good food, but Oscar’s has more than just that surprise in store, you can be sure! (Drop on in or visit their website to find out more!) The 2016 Best of Dayton Underground contest could not have reached so many people this year without the incentive of some really cool prizes sponsored in conjunction with Popside Recording and Sound City Music, in Troy. What we’re trying to say, is that without our sponsors, this show could not have been possible, and we are very thankful for their support!
The tremendous amount, and diversity, of local musicians who attended was well worthy of noting, with folks from country and blues to several shades of rock to metal, all braving the cold to show their support! We are proud to say that many of those folks were VIP voters who we’ve had the pleasure of working with throughout the year, but it was exciting to see a large gathering of supporters who came just to support the bands, the bar, or find out who the winners would be!
All together, well over 100 local fans were in attendance for the Dayton Underground Series End of Year Bash and the 2016 Best of Dayton Underground finale, and the place stayed hoppin’ well past the end of the show! Considering that Music Connection Dayton‘s overarching mission is to bring the community together, this night of genre-spanning fun was inspiring and heartwarming! We guarantee that it will continue on in 2017 with more cool, original showcases in and around the Dayton area!
Check out just a few cool pics of the show! We’ll have more coming to you soon!
Music Connection Dayton is a resource that has engaged, empowered, and rewarded Dayton, Ohio’s local music community since March 2013. Our digital radio station showcasing local music, W937 Dayton Radio, has captured the hearts and ears of music fans since 2015, and our online resources have helped hundreds of musicians and music lovers find what they need. Whether you’re looking for local event listings, classifieds, news, event and/or music promotion, event management, or graphic design, Music Connection Dayton has what you need to stay in tune with the local music scene.
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