By Marci Shatzman
Think raucous rock concert for a cause.
After months of music lessons, four amateur rock bands battled it out for bragging rights and a trophy to win “Season 5 Golden Bell Battle of the Bands.”
Cat4 came out on top at the fundraiser for Boca Chamber’s education foundation. “Fans” stood, cheered and waved light sticks and signs for each band contender.
Boca’s YMCA exec director Bryan Hunt reprised his emcee persona, telling followers School of Rock spent the summer teaching local professionals “how to be rock stars.”
More than 500 “followers” gathered in BRiC’s auditorium Saturday night like sports fans in a stadium, chanting for their favorite band, wearing band T-shirts and standing for much of the show.
Boca Chamber’s event guru Chasity Navarro started things off with her vocal chops, and School of Rock and alumni bands performed.
Then it was each band’s turn to show their stuff, playing one cover song each before judges and the assembled crowd.
Bands included: No Filter, with Alana St. John, Spirit of Giving Network; Karly Parsons, Baptist Health Florida; Brian Friedman, Pillar Group; and Douglas Rudman, The Rudman Law Group
Eye Candy included Joan Joens, YMCA of South Palm Beach County; Jon Stormont, Hawkeye Management; Clayton Idle, Tortoise Properties; Michael Delose, Florida Peninsula Insurance; and Wendy Elliott, Boca Raton Regional Hospital
Yah Ma Toe included Susy Boschetti, SALT Academy; Heather Ronan, Lavalle, Brown & Ronan; Hunter Brockway, Boca Retirement Strategies; Mark Murrison, Signature MD; and Matt Blank, FASTSIGNS of Coral Springs
Brian Altschuler, a Boca Raton Regional Hospital vice president, co-chaired the event as a 2018 Golden Bell Battle of the Bands participant. He and Chamber president and CEO Troy McLellan wore KISS T-shirts and opened the show.
“This event alone has raised over $200,00 for Golden Bell Education Foundation,” McLellan said, as text donation instructions streamed on two Jumbotrons. “We’ve had 16 bands and 84 rock stars. Golden Bell just awarded $100,000 to Boca public schools.”