2025 Curry County Battle of the Bands- An 806 Sweep!
This August, there were 4 bands from the 806 area that competed at a Battle of the Bands in Clovis, New Mexico. The Obvious Few, Touching Voodoo, Roman Carbajal Band, and Ghosts of Gray County went out to represent Texas and specifically our region. 10 bands competed in total, with cash prizes for the top three winners amounting to $8K.
We are proud to announce that all three winners were from the 806 area.
Here’s the story behind it all.
“I was like [wow] man this going to be a killer show when I started seeing a lot of my friends and the other bands showing up.”
Photo by JMV Photography.
The story of the 2025 Curry County Battle of the Bands started years before, with The Stray Sons competing and ultimately winning in 2024. After this success, frontman Brad Sanders was asked to recommend more bands to compete in 2025. He recommended several, and the ones that were able to make it were Roman Carbajal Band, The Obvious Few, Ghosts of Gray County, and Touching Voodoo. These bands along with the very talented New Mexico bands made for a very tough competition.
“I legitimately walked in, saw all of the talent, many of which are good friends to me, and thought [wow]! We should just go home. In all seriousness, my band and I knew we had some serious competition.”
Immediately as bands loaded in, we saw all of our music brothers and there was so much joy and love in the room as we supported each other. Musicians helped each other load in, set up, break down, load out, and of course cheered them on the entire set. Every musician there will stress the same point, but it is very refreshing to see the scene support one another like that!
“Walking into the backstage area and seeing that most of the bands were from the Amarillo area really gave me a kickstart of adrenaline. We’ve played thousands of shows, but rarely do we get to share the stage and perform amongst our peers. It was very refreshing to see that all the bands that performed were very positive and encouraging to one another. There wasn’t any bitter rivalry and every band performed with their heart and soul. It was an honor and a blessing to have been a part of such a fun battle! ”
Every 806 band there was determined yet so excited for every other band. There was a brotherhood amongst our areas musicians that we had to represent where we come from, and to bring home the awards. It truly was a special competition, with even the New Mexico competition showing love and welcoming us into a tradition from their home. From the bands support, to the amazing sound crew, the audience, the judges, and of course the Curry County Fair staff, this event was very special with a statement made by the 806 that we are pushing some serious bands out of the area.
Every band at the battle played at a high standard, making everyone have to focus and really play their hearts out. I think every band knew that the awards, and the order of the awards could have gone to any of the bands. When it came to it, the 3 winners were:
1st Place- Ghosts of Gray County (Pampa, TX)
2nd Place- Touching Voodoo (Amarillo, TX)
3rd Place- The Obvious Few (Amarillo, TX)
Photo by Brad Barrow
“After watching the first two bands play and then getting to watch the other bands perform after us, I honestly didn’t think we even had a chance to be considered. I am so proud that 806 bands kicked [butt] that night. It was an amazing experience and even though we were voted the winners, I feel like everyone there deserved to be crowned the Curry County Fair Battle of the Bands champion. I am proud that we actually got the win, but it was definitely not an easy thing to achieve, everyone played their hearts out. It was really cool because even though every band was competing, there wasn’t a single bit of negativity towards anyone. Everyone was cheering for the other guy, it was really cool to see that kind of support amongst all of our fellow musicians.”
“We were able to meet and network with some great bands from the area. My honest winning thought, was ‘[Heck] yeah! Texas is taking it home!’. GOGC, Touching Voodoo, and The Obvious Few are most definitely deserving of the awards and wins, and I can’t wait to go back next year and try our luck again!”
Photo by Christopher Erin
“The word of the night was LOVE, the amount of love spread between all the bands was unreal. There were no hard or harsh feelings, there was just excitement for each other! It was like we didn’t care because we knew the 806 had won! It was as if we got to play a huge show with all of our FRIENDS! Hands down one of the best musical experiences we have ever gotten to have! ”
Photo by Brad Sanders
“I have competed in 3 Curry County Fair BOTBs and this was just as fun as when The Stray Sons won it last year. Being there with Touching Voodoo & experiencing all the love we shared for each other was amazing! I was so proud to see bands from the 806 take over the competition & completely dominate with zero hostility towards our peers. It was nothing but rock n roll & love! ”
The 806 really delivered, and Loud and Heavy Booking is so beyond proud of our area. To 806 readers and fans, this was for YOU! Thank you for your support of these bands and we hope you continue to come out to our shows and cheer on the amazing talent we have every week here at home!
Support our 806 bands via Loud and Heavy Booking.
