Who Will Go From Garage 2 Glory?

Spero and Jerry Olea & the 805 Drifters are competing to play our Jan. 24 event at the Casbah

By Chris Maroulakos

| Thursday, Jan 24, 2013 | Updated 4:21 PM PDT

View Comments (

)

Now that the holiday whirlwind has subsided, it's easy to feel like there's not much fun to be had in January. No more presents, no more days off work -- it all makes for a pretty bleak-looking calendar. But don't despair -- our Jan. 24 SoundDiego LIVE event at the Casbah will give you something to look forward to. And, as always, we're having a Garage 2 Glory competition to pick the opening band.

In case you haven't heard, the Jan. 24 event will feature Shake Before Us and SocialClub, plus a VIP happy hour hosted by Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, free happy hour food from Lucha Libre Taco Shop and, for one lucky winner, a free guitar. That's plenty to keep music lovers busy, but our regulars know that no SoundDiego LIVE event is complete without a knock-down, drag-out Gargage 2 Glory fight to the death.

VOTE NOW: Pick your favorite band for Garage 2 Glory

For the uninitiated, Garage 2 Glory pits two groups against each other in an online battle of the bands. SoundDiego fans -- that'd be you -- vote for the group they like best, and the winner gets to play our SoundDiego LIVE event. This month, the competing bands are Spero and Jerry Olea & the 805 Drifters.

Both Garage 2 Glory contestants were chosen by FM 94/9 DJ/SoundDiego blogger Tim Pyles, who will also be hosting the event at the Casbah.

"I am in a lucky position, since due to my local radio show on FM94/9 I receive music from bands before anyone has even heard of them yet," Pyles told us. "That is the case with Spero and Jerry Olea & the 805 Drifters -- two relatively new bands on the scene."

It didn't take long for Spero to catch his ear. "When I first heard Spero's song 'Secrets' I was sold! The band mixes old school and new school sounds, mashing it all up somewhere between Modest Mouse and Jack White."

Chula Vista's Jerry Olea & the 805 Drifters appealed to Pyles as well.

"[They] put on a high-energy live show with their brand of rock, rhythm, blues and a dash of folk," said Pyles. "I've known the lead guitarist Nick Camacho since his teen days playing with No One Home and he plays a mean guitar."

Either band would make a great addition to our Jan. 24 event, but there can be only one winner. To vote for your favorite, click here. The winner will be decided Jan. 22 at noon.

Regardless of which band wins the competition, the Jan. 24 SoundDiego LIVE at the Casbah will be a fun time, so don't miss it. You can RSVP for the party here.

SoundDiego associate editor Chris Maroulakos is also the managing editor of the San Diego music blog Owl and Bear.