Northern Lights Contests

The owner of Northern Lights Nightclub and Family Restaurant, Jeff Rush, says, "We've got so much talent in the north country and no one promotes the area."

So, Jeff has made a point of showcasing the musical talent in the area with some very significant contests.

Battle Of The Bands

For four weeks this past summer Northern Lights, Thunder Roads Recording Studio, 101.5 The Fox, Budweiser and Mainly Music, co-sponsored the areas first Battle of the Bands.

The first place winner is Ten Cent Green (pictured at left with their trophy). 10 Cent Green receives a recording contract, a trophy, and a cash prize!

Brian Leonard of Thunder Roads Recording Studio said, "We're loo9king to get exposure here. The general talk in the area of looking for new bands is that California is kind of what they say ... taped out. All the producers and big record labels are looking to Northern New York and the New York area for their celebrities. It's a tough profession to get in, but now California's looking toward New York for talent."

And, there's plenty of talent in the area; competitors came from all over including, Potsdam, Gouverneur and Massena.

Making an appearance in the finals were Deep In the Bush, Ten Cent Green, Ten Ton Hammer and Misguided.

The event was a huge success. Northern Lights is already planning the next Battle of The Bands.

Country Showdown

"A lot of stars are undiscovered, and they come from small towns.", says Jeff Rush, owner of Northern Lights. Jeff pushed to get the largest country music talent search in America to the north country to promote the area's unknown talent.

In it's 25 year history, the Colgate Country Showdown has become the largest music talent search in America.

This past July 29th all the hard work paid off. The local event was held at Northern Lights Nightclub and was co-sponsored by WSNN/WPDM Radio, Blue's Market and Deli, Dr. Kevin Poupore. First American IGA and Dr. Edmund Ormond.

Local winners advance to state competition where prizes include $1,000 in cash and the opportunity to compete at one of the five regional contests.