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Clock ticking for battle of the bands contest entry By Catherine O'Hara METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP There's still time to enter Metroland's Best of the West battle of the bands contest, brought to you by the Flamborough Review, Burlington Post, Milton Canadian Champion and Oakville Beaver community newspapers. Already, several area bands have registered to take part in the sound off with the hope of winning the championship title and performing at the Burlington Sound of Music Festival in June. Bands with members between the ages of 15 and 25 that want to share their amazing tunes with the community are encouraged to register before the Feb. 3 deadline. At least one band member from each local entry must be a permanent resident of Oakville in order to be eligible for the contest. To enter Metroland's Best of the West challenge, record a one- to three-minute video and post it to YouTube. Remember, Burlington, Flamborough, Milton or Oakville. All members must be between the ages 15 and 25 at the time of entry in the contest. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. One grand prize will be awarded. Approximate retail value of the grand prize is $0. Entrants must correctly answer, unaided, a mathematical skill-testing question to be declared a winner. Contest closes March 9, 2012 at 5 p.m. EST. To enter and for complete rules visit www.oakvillebeaver.com. Artscene videos should be short, the music in good taste, and the material totally original. Then, check out the Beaver's website, www.oakvillebeaver.com, click on the Metroland's Best of the West logo and fill out the required information, including your band's name, a list of members, the title of the song performed in the video, the video's YouTube link and your contact information. The contest is open to bands of all music genres. After registering for the contest, call the Beaver's editor, Angela Blackburn, at 905845-3824 to confirm your entry was received. Each participating community newspaper will publish the names of local entrants 29 · Friday, January 27, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com the week of Feb. 6. Then, it will be up to readers to check out each video and vote for their favourite band online. The band with the most votes in each region will be featured in a print edition of their hometown paper as well as move on to the contest's championship round to battle it out for the Best of the West title. The winner, which will be featured in an article in all four publications, will be announced the week of March 12. For more information, visit www.oakvillebeaver.com. No purchase necessary. The contest is open to bands that have at least one or more band members permanently residing in one of the four following Ontario communities: Bad Dog comedy jam People hoping to get some laughs are invited to come out to a Bad Dog Comedy Jam on Sunday, Jan. 29. A pair of shows is hosted by the local improv group Bad Dog Theatre Company at The Moonshine Café, located at 137 Kerr St. A 7 p.m. show features the Oakville Killer Bees and the 8:30 p.m. show presents Gary Pearson and guests. The second show is adults-only. Tickets cost $5.