January 24, 2026 at 7PM
Conceived in 2023, AOA’s Annual Battle of the Bands invites local and regional original groups to compete in a live face-off for a winning title and a prize that includes a $250 cash prize and a marketing package from the experts at Nicole J & Co, valued at nearly $3,000—including professional photos, a bespoke graphic design, and two short-form professional videos for social media and promotional purposes.
This interactive event invites YOU, the audience, to join a panel of judges in deciding one winning band.
Featuring Contestants:
The Dunebillys
Untaken
Run Hill
Analog Index
UniS
Welcome to the 4th Annual Battle of the Bands!
Following the success of the inaugural Battle of the Bands in 2023, Arts of the Albemarle is thrilled for yet another year of showcasing the talented original bands in our region.
Tonight, five regional acts are competing for or a winning title and a prize that includes a $250 cash prize and a marketing package from the experts at Nicole J & Co, valued at nearly $3,000—including professional photos, a bespoke graphic design, and two short-form professional videos for social media and promotional purposes.
After all five contestants have played, the 2025 winner The Bee Keepers will play during the judges’ deliberation period.
The competing bands, chosen through a juried review of submitted videos, are each performing original songs. Once all bands have played, YOU and the panel of judges will choose one winner.
Between acts, we invite you to enjoy concessions at the bar, and show support for your favorite bands by shopping their merch in the back of the theater. Please be considerate of the musicians while they are performing and keep your conversations to changeover time between bands.
The Lineup:
Opening words from AOA’s Executive Director, Lauren Luther
Post American Gothic Performs
Host Pearl Napolitano - Introduction & Competition Rules
The Dunebillys
Untaken (Noah & Jayden)
Run Hill
Analog Index
UniS
Cast Your Votes!
The Bee Keepers Play/Judges Deliberate
Winner Announced
How to vote:
Upon checking in this evening, you received a token. That is your vote and you may only vote once. Once you’ve decided on your pick, place your token in the band’s ballot box (located in the back of the theater). The group with the most audience votes will represent the audience’s pick during the judges’ deliberation period and will be acknowledged at the end of the night, if different from the grand prize winner.
Meet the Judges
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Molly Miller is a guitar player from EC, NC, with passions for songwriting and collaboration. Her first concert was 10,000 Maniacs, which primed her to especially focus on women’s contributions to music.
Molly earned a BA in Anthropology from UNC Greensboro, where she was a founding member of the Americana trio, Amelia’s Mechanics. She specializes in piedmont blues playing and sad love songs.
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Dr. Bracy C. Martin Jr. is a music educator, conductor, and scholar whose work centers on instrumental music education, student motivation, and access in secondary and postsecondary settings. He serves as a lecturer and band director at Elizabeth City State University while actively engaging in performance, research, and community-based music initiatives that support student success and artistic excellence.
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Savannah grew up in Williamsburg Virginia, but her lineage is from Perquimans County, spending weekends and summers down in good ol' Carolina! She was featured in numerous shows across Hampton Roads and progressed to work for Busch Gardens Entertainment, Williamsburg. She attended The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, and then completed her bachelor in fine arts in Musical Theatre from The New School, NYC class of 2020. During the pandemic, she also discovered a new passion for tourism marketing! You may know her as the marketing and communications director for Visit Elizabeth City, or the second runner up from Elizabeth City’s The Voice, 2023, but most recently she stepped into the role of President of the Chamber of Commerce.
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Danny Tate’s musical journey began under the direction of his mother, who served as his church's musical director for 25 years. He began studying piano at 5, and at the age of 7 he began playing drums for his church. At age 10 he started his violin studies with Dr. Bernard McWilliams, and at 13 auditioned for and was selected to several state ensembles, including the Triangle Youth Philharmonic. That same year he began playing with the band "EightFootStride" and toured Eastern North Carolina. At age 15 began directing music for the United Pentecostal Church of Jacksonville North Carolina, a position he held until highschool graduation. After attaining a B.A. in Music Education from Elizabeth City State University, he now produces and performs with several artists in the North Carolina and Hampton Roads areas. He also gives private music lessons to local students, teaches music at Northside Elementar, and is the director of the River City Strings ensemble violin program.
Meet the Bands
Listed in order of appearance.
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Post American Gothic’s self-coined soft girl post-punk genre blends an unlikely amalgamation of influences from Paramore to musical theatre classics, Tool to Hendrix, and Amy Winehouse to The Mars Volta. Named in homage to the painting by Grant Wood, the group’s original compositions reflect the shared human experience of navigating life’s hardships, emotions, and relationships.
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The Dunebillys is an Outer Banks-based band featuring guitar, bass, and drums. Comprised of older professionals who share a passion for music, the group has been playing together for around 4 years. An eclectic blend of blues-based rock and country with alternative influences and hints of jazz, the Dunebillys write songs influenced by life on the Outer Banks and the experiences surrounding their lives on the beach.
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A temporary name as the group searches for the perfect moniker, Untaken will perform this evening as a duo featuring guitars and vocals. Band member Noah brings a blues element with his guitar leads, sprinkling some magic onto songwriter Jayden's grungy folk style. This will be one of their first live debuts.
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Run Hill is an alternative surf punk trio from Elizabeth City, NC. The band has played live shows across the state and beyond, and recently released an EP titled “A Crow’s Funeral.”
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Analog Index is a North Carolina indie pop/R&B/funk trio built on the kind of instant chemistry you don’t plan—you just recognize when it hits. Gerald (bass/vocals) and Luke (drums) had spent years drifting between cover gigs and casual jams before deciding it was time to create something original, something dance-driven and groove-centered. Each member comes from a completely different place—metal, folk, electronic pop, fusion, jam-band psychedelia—and the way those influences collide gives Analog Index a warm, kinetic sound that none of them can neatly define. Their attempts range from “a warm vanilla-crème filled caramel” to “fusion, but that’s a cop-out,” to Gerald’s favorite metaphor involving “Perry the Platypus wearing a funk/dance fedora.” Somehow, all three descriptors make sense when you hear the music.
As they move toward their debut EP and first run of live shows, Analog Index isn’t trying to fit neatly into R&B or funk—they’re joyfully crashing into those genres from the outside, using every influence they’ve ever loved to create something danceable, warm, and unmistakably their own. With chemistry this natural and a sound built on movement, the band’s goal is simple: get people out of their seats and into the groove.
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UniS — short for ‘Unison’ — is a progressive math/rock trio from the shores of North Carolina that originally emerged in 2019 as the evolution of a cover band called Remedy. At the heart of UniS are longtime collaborators Erick and Susan, who have been making music together since 1995, now joined by Raymond on the drums, bringing fresh energy and inspiration to their innovative concept.
Drawing inspiration from acts like Mute Math, Tang, Standards, Intervals, Chon, and beyond, UniS’ signature sound defies easy categorization, blending melodic vocals, drumline-inspired percussion, raw acoustic bass, lush keyboard textures, and intricate guitar work with elements of early 90s rock and grunge, as well as progressive-math-indie styles — together resulting in a unique sonic landscape known for taking fans on an emotional roller coaster.
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The Bee Keepers are a husband and wife singer/songwriter duo based out of Coastal Virginia. Their music resembles traditional American folk storytelling with an alternative vibe. Jake & Kelsie have been playing music together for years, and their individual music endeavors track back to childhood. Though they are comfortable playing in a variety of settings, they feel most at home playing their original tunes. In addition to performing, The Bee Keepers enjoy collaborating with other musicians on song writing and live performances.
A special thanks to all who have volunteered their time to make this event possible, including our committee, the backstage crew, Chelsea Overton for photographs, all of our ushers and bartenders, each of the bands, and many more.
