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Transmit This: Read-Aid Battles Like Pros

  • Andrea Osborne
  • May 19, 2010
  • News
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Transmit This: Read-Aid
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
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

slidesSee 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
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.

 

2010 Triangle Corporate Battle of the Bands

The stage is set as soundchecks continue.
Resting in the “Green Room” before the big gig, American Tobacco’s Bay 7.
Mark “Marky Ramone” Roberts chills out with Tranmit This: Read-Aid’s appointed band handler, the superly awesome Jeff Thacker
Matt “Alan Parsons” Brandes gets set to help the gang with equipment, sound advising and more.
Matt “Alan Parsons” Brandes wears all of the badges from his past Battles.
The infamous book dress lies ready to be put on.
Osborne puts the final touches on the book dress…a few more reinforcements.
Getting ready to Battle: Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne & Mark “Marky Ramone” Roberts
Peace out: Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne & Al “Will I. Am” Robinson.

2010 Triangle Corporate Battle of the Bands

Transmit This: Read-Aid starts off their 15-minute set at the 2010 Triangle Battle of the Bands on Saturday, May 15th.
Al “Will I Am” Robinson kicks of the set with “I Gotta A Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas.
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod gets revved up on lead guitar.
Al “Will I Am” Robinson tips his hat to his adoring fans.
Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne unveils the book dress. She sings “Bad Romance” as she wears over 2 dozen paper back romance novels.
Mark “Marky Ramone” Roberts keeps the beat.
Bill “John Cougar Mellencamp” Burch sings through the fog.
Chris “Toby Keith” Overby tickles the ivories.
Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne
Mark “Marky Ramone” Roberts
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod
Singing about “Writing a Bad Romance”
Greg “Sir Paul McCartney” Weaver
Greg “Sir Paul McCartney” Weaver
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod & Greg “Sir Paul McCartney” Weaver
Singing back-up for the Beatle man: Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne & Bill “John Cougar Mellencamp” Burch
Bill “John Cougar Mellencamp” Burch
Bill “John Cougar Mellencamp” Burch sings “R.E.A.D. in the U.S.A.”
Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod & Greg “Sir Paul McCartney” Weaver
Chris “Toby Keith” Overby
Bill “John Cougar Mellencamp” Burch
Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne
Bill “John Cougar Mellencamp” Burch
Mark “Marky Ramone” Roberts introduces his punk rock tunes…”Read & Rule High School” and “I Wanna Be Educated.”
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod
Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne
Chris “Toby Keith” Overby takes the set country with “A Little Less Talk & A Lot More Reading.”
Chris “Toby Keith” Overby
Chris “Toby Keith” Overby
The guys keep rockin’.
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod & Greg “Sir Paul McCartney” Weaver
The last of Lady Gaga’s three costumes.
Chris “Toby Keith” Overby
Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne & Bill “John Cougar Mellencamp” Burch jump in on background vocals for Toby Keith’s song.
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod gets crazy on “You Read to Me All Night Long.”
Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne sings Angus’ AC/DC tune while he wails away on guitar.
The guys sing back-up for “You Read To Me All Night Long.”
Transmit This: Read-Aid!
Bill “John Cougar Mellencamp” Burch brings it home.
Al “Will I. Am” Robinson wraps it up with a reprise of “I Got a Feeling.”
Greg “Sir Paul McCartney” Weaver gets ready for the final riff.
Mark “Marky Ramone” Roberts gets ready to bring the house down.

2010 Triangle Corporate Battle of the Bands

The guys patiently wait for sound check to begin.
Greg Weaver gets high and mighty with the paparazzi…which is ironically Andrea Osborne who will play Lady Gaga later in the evening.
Chris Overby gets his keyboard set as Matt Brandes (right) helps organize the chaos for sound check.
Getting the levels set.
The 2010 Triangle Corporate Battle of the Bands invades American Tobacco on Saturday, May 15th.
Loading in: Niel Sollod hauls his equipment into Bay 7.
The super cool band handler assigned to Transmit This: Read-Aid – Jeff Thacker.
Al “Will I. Am” Robinson is chill as he gets set to take the stage.
Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne hauls all of her costumes over to the first check point.
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod gets into character.
Greg “Sir Paul McCartney” Weaver makes his way through the crowd.
It’s almost show-time. The band heads for the holding area before taking the stage.
Mark “Marky Ramone” Roberts says all systems are a go.
Mitch Weaver (son of MCC’s Greg Weaver) is dressed to help out with mikes on the final number.
Transmit This: Read-Aid is ready!
American Idol alum Anoop Desai performs a set before Transmit This: Read-Aid comes to battle.
Corp’s Angie Emerline (left) and her husband, Jason, get set to cheer on Transmit This: Read-Aid.
WRAL-TV’s Gerald Owens, emcee for the evening, introduces the band as they get the stage set for their Battle performance.
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod has his AC/DC attitude ready.
Al “Will I. Am” Robinson greets his fans as he’s introduced.
Transmit This: Read-Aid!
Al “Will I. Am” Robinson kicks things off.
“I Got a Feelin” tonight’s gonna be a good night to read a book!
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod, Greg “Sir Paul McCartney” Weaver & Al “Will I. Am” Robinson
Andrea “Lady Gaga” Osborne belts out the end of “Bad Romance.”
Greg “Sir Paul McCartney” Weaver sings “I Wanna Read a Book.”
Transmit This: Read-Aid.
Bill “John Cougar Mellencamp” plays a killer recorder solo.
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod, Al “Will I. Am” Robinson & Mark “Marky Ramone” Roberts.
Mark “Marky Ramone” introduces himself as the valedictorian of Rock-n-Roll High School.
The gang really gets into the music.
Chris “Toby Keith” Overby
The Transmit This: Read-Aid guys
Niel “Angus Young” Sollod introduces his number “You Read to Me All Night Long.”
Lady Gaga sings the AC/DC tune for Angus while he wails away on guitar.
The super-secret grand finale is unveiled. Jerome Waller & Anointed Praise rush the stage to join in on the last number.
Winding up a fun performance.
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