Transmit This: Read-Aid opens their set for the 2010 Triangle Corporate Battle of the Bands.

Transmit This: Read-Aid battled it out with all they had on the stage under the Lucky Strike Water Tower at American Tobacco on Saturday, May 15, 2010.   The band of CBC employees went head to head with four other corporate bands in downtown Durham to raise funds for Operation Literacy. 

The bands and their fans had a blast, and the many children who will learn to read thanks to the evening were the real winners.

Since 2006, the Triangle Corporate Battle of the Bands has raised over $250,000 to benefit the children in our community.  Totals are pending for the 2010 event.

Transmit This: Read-Aid moments before taking the stage at the 2010 Triangle Corporate Battle of the Bands (l to r)- Niel “Angus Young: Sollod, Chris “Toby Keith” Overby, Mark “Marky Ramone” Roberts, Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne, Al “Will I. Am” Robinson, Greg “Sir Paul McCartney” Weaver, Matt “Alan Parsons” Brandes & Bill “John Cougar Mellencamp” Burch

See More: Slideshow: Photos by WRAL-TV’s Bill Burch Slideshow: Photos by Wesley Jobes (husband of MCC’s Jessica Jobes) Slideshow – Photos by Corp’s Andrea Osborne & her husband, Jay Slideshow: WRAL.com slideshow Video: Watch the last 10 minutes of the 15 minute set on WRAL.com video

Transmit This: Read-Aid based their 15-minute competition set on the premise they were famous rock stars who’d come together for a Farm-Aid-like benefit concert for literacy.  The crew included:

• WRAL-TV Broadcast Technician 2 Al Robinson as Will I. Am from the Black Eyed Peas
• Corporate Communications Specialist Andrea Osborne as Lady Gaga
• Microspace Satellite Senior Account Manager Greg Weaver as Sir Paul McCartney
• WRAL-TV Lead Designer/Print & Online Bill Burch as John Cougar Mellencamp
• Brain Game & Off the Mark Host Mark Roberts as Marky Ramone of The Ramones
• Durham Bulls Director of Corporate Partnerships Chris Overby as Toby Keith
• FOX 50 Local Sales Manager Niel Sollod as Angus Young of AC/DC
• WRAL-TV Transmitter Supervisor Matt Brandes served as sound guru, equipment manager, and general holding-it-all-together guy for the band.

The crew covered everything from punk rock to heavy metal to country during their set.  Multiple wigs were in use on the stage as the gang costumed themselves to a tee.

A Secret Weapon Jerome Waller & Anointed Praise jumps up to surprise the crowd & join Transmit This: Read-Aid on their final number. Transmit This: Read-Aid pulled out all the stops for a very grand finale this year.  WRAL-TV retiree recruited a choir to sing the final number with the band.  Jerome Waller & Anointed Praise have appeared on WRAL & FOX 50’s Spiritual Awakening in the past.  Since her retirement in 2009, Anderson has started her own entertainment and talent management company called New Beginnings Entertainment.  She also continues to produce Spiritual Awakening for the stations.

The competition truly was a group effort.  Transmit This brought their musical skills together with the technical expertise of Brandes.  Former Band Mom, WRAL-TV Director of TV News Operations/Spec Projects Leesa Moore and American Tobacco Real Estate Sales Marketing/Events Manager Valerie Ward both attended rehearsals to offer their objective advice. 

And Dawn Weaver, wife of CBC’s Sir Paul McCartney, trimmed wigs for several of the guys just hours before they took the stage.  And the band’s John Cougar used his graphical genius to create banners and the slides that appeared on the displays during the performance.

Capitol Broadcasting served as a major sponsor for the event created and run by the marketing firm McKinney.  McKinney’s band, Role Playaz, took home the top trophy and Sports Media’s Augmented Reality nabbed the runner-up title.

Thanks to all the Transmit This: Read-Aid fans who showed up to cheer on the band and to the many CBC’ers who helped make the band’s participation possible!

Rock on!

Thanks to WRAL-TV’s Bill Burch, Wesley Jobes (husband of MCC’s Jessica Jobes) & Jay Osborne (husband of Corp’s Andrea Osborne) for contributing many capcom photos.