PRINCES PAISLEY PARK MUSEUM

ANNOUNCES NINE FINALISTS FOR

MUSICOLOGY BATTLE OF THE BANDS EVENT,
SET FOR AUGUST 31st SEPTEMBER 3rd

Finalists include: Cosmos, iLLism, Pho, The Nightowls, Black

Alley, LeAsha Julius, Anonymous Da Band, Radiochurch and
Purple Funk Metropolis spanning six US states and cities
including Seattle, Austin, Washington, New York, Atlanta and
Minneapolis

CHANHASSEN, MN. (August 22, 2017) Princes Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota has
announced the nine finalists for the special four-day Battle of the Bands event, titled
MUSICOLOGY Summer 2017, to be held August 31st through September 3rd at Paisley Park.
The unique live performance event will highlight Real Music By Real Musicians an ethos
Prince consistently championed through his life, creative works and incendiary live performances.
The finalists are: Cosmos (Seattle, WA), iLLism (Minneapolis, MN), Pho (Minneapolis. MN), The
Nightowls (Austin, TX), Black Alley (Washington, DC), LeAsha Julius (New York, NY),
Anonymous Da Band (Atlanta, GA), Radiochurch (Minneapolis, MN) and Purple Funk
Metropolis (Minneapolis, MN). The groups were selected from an open pool of video submissions
entered via Paisley Parks official Facebook page between July 7th 31st.

Each night between August 31 September 2, three artists will perform for a live audience at
Paisley Park with one winner being selected nightly to advance to the final band battle on Sunday,
September 3. Between these three finalists, one artist will be crowned the champion and will
receive a unique Artist Development award package, consisting of studio recording time at Paisley
Park, a mentorship session with members of Princes supergroup New Power Generation, and
additional career development opportunities to be announced post competition.
MUSICOLOGY Summer 2017 Finalists

Cosmos - http://www.cosmosthe.band
iLLism - https://www.illismmusic.com
Pho - http://www.phoband.com
The Nightowls - http://wearethenightowls.com
Black Alley https://www.blackalleyband.com
LeAsha Julius - http://www.leashajulius.com
Anonymous Da Band - http://www.anonymousdaband.com
Radiochurch - https://www.facebook.com/radiochurchmusic
Purple Funk Metropolis - https://www.facebook.com/purplefunkmetropolis

As a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, band-leader and creative maverick,

Prince is an eternal inspiration to musicians everywhere. His creative sanctuary, Paisley Park, is
an especially appropriate place to continue fostering music development initiatives celebrating
new artists, new songs and the art and craft of live performance. The MUSICOLOGY event will
provide an exclusive opportunity for musicians to connect with new fans, showcase their talents
and through friendly competition elevate their abilities.

In spirit, the MUSICOLOGY event will be rooted in the band battles that were commonplace in
North Minneapolis in the 1970s. Jam sessions among high school friends in basements and
community centers, most notably The Way on Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis, evolved into
competitive band battles at outdoor parks like North Commons (North Minneapolis) and Phelps
Field Park (South Minneapolis). The history is deep and the competitive spirit at that time helped
push forward an incredible mix of musicians, including Prince, Andr Cymone, Sonny Thompson,
Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Jellybean Johnson, to name just a few. It was a hugely
formative time musically and culturally in Minneapolis, with band battles indelibly shaping the fabric
of what was to become the Minneapolis Sound. Sonny Thompson, who would later join Prince
in his super-group New Power Generation, notes of that time, Back in the day, we would often
practice at The Way preparing for the Battle of the Band events. I remember other bands would
always try to sneak into our space to see what we were doing, but we were always the funkiest!
The Family was the name of our band. Similarly, Jellybean Johnson, who played in Flyte Tyme
which later evolved into The Time, ads, When I grew up in The Northside the competition was
fierce! It helped my musical growth immensely! The Family, Grand Central, Flyte Tyme,
Cohesion, Mind & Matter, it was a great time in my life! We need that feeling again in our musical
community!. And as an inspired call-to-action to musicians and artists everywhere, Princes close
friend and early band mate in Grand Central, Andr Cymone, ads, Music has taken me and my
best friend and first band mate Prince from virtual obscurity to world-wide fame, and it all started
with the inspiration of competition. The Minneapolis Sound was born from The Battle of The Bands
contests we took the step and jumped into the game, who's next?

The MUSICOLOGY event at Paisley Park will carry on in this spirit providing an exciting
opportunity for new acts and a welcomed live performance experience for fans. In addition to the
evening music performances, beginning on Aug 31st new exhibition elements will be introduced
into the Paisley Park Museum tour that will reflect Princes early life and the formative experiences
he had in groups like Grand Central.

Tickets to MUSICOLOGY Summer 2017 are still available while supply lasts at the Paisley Park
website, OfficialPaisleyPark.com. Single day passes are available for $100. Each daily ticket will
include a Special Paisley Park Museum Tour and access to the evening concert between 7-10pm,
followed by a dance party in the Soundstage concluding at 11pm. For the latest updates, please
visit Paisley Parks official pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and sign-up for the official
newsletter at OfficialPaisleyPark.com.

#Musicology2017

ABOUT PRINCE

Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all
time. He won seven GRAMMY Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award for the
film Purple Rain, all of which are displayed at Paisley Park. He was inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year of his eligibility. Prince was born in Minneapolis and
resided in the Minneapolis area throughout his life

ABOUT PAISLEY PARK

Paisley Park, Princes private estate and production compound in Chanhassen offers fans of the
late music icon the unprecedented opportunity to tour the legendary, 65,000-square-foot complex
that served as the center of Princes creative universe. Operated by P Park Management, guided
tours take visitors throughout the extensive main floor of Paisley Park, including recording and
mixing studios where Prince recorded, produced and mixed most of his biggest hits, exhibit spaces
that chronicle films such as Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge, Princes private NPG Music Club, and
a massive soundstage and concert hall where Prince rehearsed for concert tours and held
exclusive, private events and performances. The tour also features hundreds of artifacts from
Princes personal archives, including iconic concert wardrobe, awards, musical instruments and
concert memorabilia.

Paisley Park is located at 7801 Audubon Road, Chanhassen, Minnesota, approximately 30

minutes outside of Minneapolis. For more information about Paisley Park, visit
OfficialPaisleyPark.com.

Paisley Park online:

Facebook - www.facebook.com/OfficialPaisleyPark
Instagram - www.instagram.com/officialpaisleypark
Twitter - http://twitter.com/paisleypark

Press Contact:

Katie Stroup, Allied Integrated Marketing

612-436-7405
kstroup@alliedim.com