Local band plans to continue efforts

Members of an Evans band who earned their way into the finals of a national competition are being featured on a reality television series chronicling the contest.

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Austin Peters, Ian Ribble, and twin brothers Cody and Chase Stringfield, of the rock band The Mood, won an Atlanta regional competition in November to enter the finals of the Bodog Music Battle of Bands competition.

The bandmates faced off against nine other bands and were judged by a panel including rockers Johnny Rotten, Billy Duffy and Bif Naked, along with Bodog owner Calvin Ayre.

Episodes of the reality show air at 10 p.m. Wednesdays on the Fuse network, which is broadcast in Columbia County to DirecTV subscribers.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. It was awesome," said Cody, the lead guitarist. "Honestly, it was a one-in-a-million chance for that to even happen. For it to happen to us, we feel blessed."

All four members of The Mood are younger than 20, and the band said they were the youngest group in the contest. When they were eliminated during filming in Austin, Texas, in February, they said the judges cited their youth, not a lack of talent.

Peters, the lead singer, who was 17 at the time the competition began, was joined by his mother on tour because he was a minor.

"When somebody says something (about our) age, we take it as a compliment, because we know we've got nothing but time and nowhere to go but up," Peters said.

During the competition, the funk, rock and blues foursome performed on the streets of New Orleans to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

They also got to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and recorded with Pete Matthews, who has recorded hit groups such as Evanescence.

Though The Mood was eliminated from the chance to win a $1 million recording contract, they do have the chance to win a $10,000 prize through fan voting on the competition's official Web site, www.bodogtv.com. Fans can also vote at The Mood's Web site, www.themood.biz.

If they win, the band said they plan to use the money to record an album in California. The live finale will air on Fuse Sept. 5.