My good friend Alan Kirkpatrick is a Renaissance man. He is a pastor, real estate agent, gentleman, and a scholar. He's also the father of two talented members of Midnight Riot, a local (for now) band that is gaining a loyal following. His daughter, Amanda, provides vocals, and his son, Zak, is the drummer. 
Alan and I had lunch the other day, and I asked him for a copy of their CD, which he happily provided. Overall, I was impressed with the production quality of the five-song EP that they put together, and with the potential that they have, especially considering that the "senior" member of the band, Amanda, is barely 19 years old. They've been together for just about a year now, having won the Bmused Battle of the Bands on Sixth Street in Austin in 2010, despite being one of the youngest bands to perform.
I mainly wanted to help spread the word, since they are currently involved in two different contests.
The first is the College Battle of the Bands. If you want to help, click here, listen to their song and vote (it's a 5 star rating system). This is a national competition and could result in giving them another opportunity to play at SXSW and a recording contract:
College Battle of the Bands | Midnight Riot
The second contest is a local contest with the Fox affiliate in Austin. It officially started Monday. Here is the link for that: http://myfoxaustin.upickem.net/engine/Welcome.aspx?contestid=24998
Check them out if you have a chance!Here's a link to their electronic press kit, which includes a link to some song samples on iTunes: http://midnightriot.com/presskit.htm. Their primary website is http://midnightriot.com.
According to my conversation with Alan, all five of the kids are active in their local churches. It doesn't hurt that their dads are all involved in ministry work, I'm sure. The members of Midnight Riot are: Amanda (19), Zak- drums (17) Kyle - guitar (18) Dylan - bass (17) Austin - guitar (17).
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Jason,
I love live music, I actually play a little guitar myself. I will keep an ear open if they make it to Maui.
Jason, thanks for sharing personal info. I want to remind you about Superbowl 2011 at Dallas, TX.
Jason:
Hey thanks for the article on the band. If anyone has an event where they are looking to book a band keep us in mind. You can reach us at:
contact@midnightriot.com