Evans band to vie for $1 million recording contract

Four Evans musicians are about to find out just how far their talent can take them as they move on to the final round in a nationwide battle of the bands contest with a $1 million recording contract on the line.

Austin Peters, twin brothers Cody and Chase Stringfield and Ian Ribble, of the rock band The Mood, advanced to the final round of the Bodog Music Battle of the Bands competition Nov. 18.

By winning the semifinal round against 11 other bands in the Atlanta regional qualifier, The Mood was cast as part of a reality television show chronicling the nationwide competition.

A day later, a film crew hired by Bodog interviewed each of the teens at their homes and shot scenes of the band practicing and hanging out at their favorite fishing spot: Riverside Park. They also followed Peters, the lead singer, as he wandered the halls and studied at Greenbrier High School.

In January, the funk, rock and blues foursome expect to travel to Cleveland to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and later board a tour bus to Las Vegas, all with a camera crew in tow.

"They told us stuff to throw us off," Cody Stringfield said. "We don't know (what's next). Everything is a surprise."

Actually, the next two months are largely shrouded in secrecy. The band was told by Bodog officials that the 18-band finals might take place in Las Vegas, instead of Los Angeles as advertised and to expect some twists and turns along the way.

The reality show could be aired on Fuse, MTV or another cable music station, Peters' mother Kay Peters said. "It's been a whirlwind 48 hours," she said the day after the film crew arrived.

In a matter of months since they formed, lead guitarist Cody Stringfield, drummer Chase Stringfield, bassist Ribble and Peters have gone from performing at school functions to opening for such bands as Collective Soul and Sister Hazel and now being close to winning a seven-figure recording contract.

The teens say they aren't fazed by the prospect of ending up on television and are confident they can win.

"We'll be prepared for anything," Austin Peters said. "We want to be presented the way we are."

Added Cody Stringfield: "I'm not going to be nervous because they (the fans and judges) are there to see us and the other bands. We have to entertain them and show that we are the best."

For more information on The Mood, visit www.themood.biz.