Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. All shows are all-ages.
The series is presented by the Brightside, Venus Child Productions and Sound Valley.
“Our goal has always been to create a true launchpad for Dayton musicians,” said organizer Libby Ballengee, founder of Venus Child Productions. “Each week highlights a different musical style, which changes year to year based on who applies. It keeps the series fresh and helps audiences discover new local favorites.”
This year, Week 1 starts off with the Alternative/Rock category, with Ace Slite, Cherry Yum Yum, Obscured and Socks competing.
The next week is Americana/Country/Folk (Jan. 22), followed by Hip-Hop/Rap (Jan. 29); Hard Rock/Metal/Punk (Feb. 5); Pop/Rock (Feb. 12); and Funk/Blues/Jam (Feb. 19).
At the end of the series, winners from each playoff round advance to the finale on March 7 in the Brightside’s Ballroom.
Past winners include The Katawicks (indie-folk rock), Bohemian Funk (rock ‘n’ soul), crabswithoutlegs (crab jazz), Freakquency (high-energy funk fusion) and Empire Pool (indie rock/surf/psych).
But Dayton Battle of the Bands is designed to support every band involved, not just the winner.
All participating bands receive professional photos from Victoria Swearingen, extensive social media promotion by Sound Valley and the opportunity to perform in front of full audiences and local booking professionals.
Finalists performing in the grand finale also receive a live performance video, cash prizes and additional sponsor perks.
The grand prize winner receives everything above, plus an EP recording session at Dayton Sound Studios and Huge Face Productions, a performance slot on Levitt Pavilion Dayton’s summer concert series, custom t-shirts from Little Monster Printing and $1,000. Additional prizes to be announced.
Tony & Pete’s joins the series as title sponsor for 2026, supporting the continued growth of Dayton’s local music ecosystem and helping expand opportunities for emerging artists.
In 2025, Empire Pool won the Dayton Battle of the Bands. The indie band took to the Levitt stage and cooked up an EP from its winnings. The self-titled album dropped in November.
“No matter what happens in the future, this is definitely something that can’t be taken away from us now,” said Empire Pool percussionist Troy Abele. “We earned it. It happened. I’ll be riding this high for a little bit.”
Another Dayton musician will be saying that soon enough.
Brandon Berry covers the music and arts scene in Dayton and Southwest Ohio. Reach him at branberry100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Dayton Battle of the Bands, Week 1
When: 7 p.m. Jan. 15
Where: The Brightside, 905 E. 3rd St., Dayton
Cost: $10 advance / $15 door
Tickets: thebrightsidedayton.com
More info: daytonbattleofthebands.com
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