Local group wins Battle of Bands

    Local classic rock 'n' roll cover band Ask Vinnie won the Mosaic Battle of the Bands competition Saturday night in Garden City, winning the right to be the opening act for the Styx concert Sept. 6.
    "You know for being a cover band in a small town like this, it is a dream come true," the band's lead singer, Jeff "Vinnie" Mooradian, said in a phone interview Sunday.
    Close to 15 bands submitted demo tapes to a listening forum, which then chose nine bands to take the stage at the Clarion Inn Hotel in Garden City. Saturday night's competition featured bands from four different states: Kansas, Texas, Colorado and Oklahoma.
    Nearly 750 people in the audience voted for the top band. Fifty-one percent of the votes came from judges and 49 percent came from the audience.
    "The crowd just absolutely loved us," Mooradian said about the competition. "We got the crowd into it. They fed off our energy, and we were able to win them over."