The CBABC Tenth Annual Battle of the Bar Bands took place before an enthusiastic and sold out crowd at the Commodore Ballroom on Friday, June 10, 2011. The event coincided with the Vancouver Canuck’s stunning victory over the Boston Bruin’s in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The competition was as fierce as it was at Roger’s Arena with seven well-seasoned veteran bands taking to the stage. The Winner of the coveted “ZSA Cup” for best band was Mike Mjanes’ “Standard of Hair.” First runner up was Pat Haberl’s “The Disclaimers” and second runner up was longtime seasoned veteran Howard Mickelson’s “Still Living At Home.”
The fundraising part of the event this year was the most successful to date, with ticket sales and sponsorships exceeding $116,000. All proceeds from the event went to the benefit of the CBA (BC) Benevolent Society. Ninety five per cent of the sponsorships and ticket sales came directly through the efforts of the participating bands themselves. Special mention goes to The Disclaimers who raised more than $38,000 this year and to David Hay’s “The Noted Uppers” who raised in excess of $32,000 this year.
All the bands pushed through tight sets with music ranging over a variety of musical genres. The event judges were Darryl Moriyama from the Bank of Montreal, Lisa Christiansen from CBC’s Radio 3 and Jonathan Meadows of Harper Grey.