TBTF
Tech Jam 2011 ~ A Decade of Rock

Tampa Bay Tech Jam 2011 ~ A Decade of Rock
August 18 ~ doors open at 5:30pm ~ The Ritz, Ybor City

If you want to rock like a technophile (and let’s face it: who doesn’t?), don’t miss the tenth annual Tech Jam August 18 at the Ritz in Ybor City. Tickets are $50 for General Admission, $95 for VIP and group packages are available.

Each year the Tampa Bay Technology Forum hosts this party-with-a-purpose: your ticket gets you food, cocktails, performances by local bands as they compete in the Battle of the Bands, and the opportunity to bid on some pretty compelling silent auction items… and proceeds of your night of fun benefit kids in our own community pursuing careers in science and technology. Tech Jam is the largest fund raising effort for the TBTF Foundation, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that provides numerous programs for middle and high school students including two- and four-year college scholarships, mentoring and education programs, computer labs and training.

Bands competing in the Tech Jam 2011 Battle of the Bands are 14 Beers (sponsored by Atkins (formerly PBS&J), Limited Bandwidth (sponsored by Sykes), Out By Nine (sponsored by Telovations), Pit Bull Toddler (sponsored by Cox) and Relentless (sponsored by Advanced Protection Technologies). Each band will play for fan votes ($1 = 1 vote), with all the money raised going to the TBTF Foundation. The band that obtains the most votes will receive the coveted title of the Battle of the Bands Champion, as well as studio time at Mana Recording Studios.

Out By Nine’s 12-year-old drummer, Sidney Wright, taking care of business Credit: photo by Joe Frisbie

photo by Joe Frisbie
Out By Nine's Zack Biss and Sidney Wright practice with Tech Jam guests Mark and Ginny Swanson in preparation for the August 18th Battle of the Bands

New to the competition this year and the band to watch is Out By Nine, consisting of up-and-comers Zack Biss, age 14 (lead vocals, lead guitar), Angelo Lombardi, age 15 (bass) and Sidney Wright, age 12 (drums). Special guests Mark Swanson, CEO of Telovation and kid-at-heart (keyboards), Ginny Swanson, age 13 and Mark’s daughter (vocals) and Chelsey Donald, age 11, the CFO of Telovation’s daughter (vocals), will join them.

The amazing kids that make up Out By Nine have been playing professionally for only a year or so, but already have a loyal fan base for their classic rock and rock & blues sets, including both covers and original music. When they first started looking for gigs, they approached a St. Petersburg bar owner who told them repeatedly that they were welcome to play anytime they liked, so long as they were “out by nine” because “that’s when we kick the kids out”. They never did play that venue, but adopted the mantra as their moniker.

photo by Doreen Brown
Zack Biss – Barking Up My Tree

Lead singer and guitar wunderkind Zack Biss has already released his first solo EP Barking Up My Tree (listen free at http://www.reverbnation.com/#!/outbynine; if you just absolutely have to buy a copy of your own, you can at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/zackbiss), and is in studio now working on his second offering with a more bluesy feel to it. Zack says the band is “excited to be able to play in front of a large audience in Ybor… I actually saw JJ Grey & Mofro play at the Ritz, and it was a great show… I’m thrilled to be able to play on the same stage.” Biss eclectically cites The Black Keys, The Doors, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Led Zeppelin as major musical influences, and you’ll hear nods to the masters reflected in his original compositions.

So, for a paltry $50 you can nosh, sip, bid and jam and feel good about it all at the same time. Who knows? You might even be able to say you heard Out By Nine back before they hit it big.

For more information, please visit http://www.tampabaytechjam.com/index.html