FINDLAY, Ohio—Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. is teaming up with an entertainment namesake—rock singer Alice Cooper—to help one lucky band perform in a special livestream event.
The "Coopers" will host the "Driven to Perform" Garage Band Contest, to be held April 16-28. Alice Cooper will coach three bands—Suspect208, South of Eden and Ashland—for a chance to open for the rock group Evanescence for a livestream concert May 13.
Each band will submit original work as well as perform Alice Cooper's song, "Under My Wheels." Videos of the performance are available beginning April 16, and fans may vote for their favorite at driventoperformconcert.com.
While votes are being cast, Cooper Tire said Cooper, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee who recently released his 28th album ("Detroit Stories"), will coach the up-and-coming bands on their sound and soul, from how to stand out and stay true to their roots, to how to build a music career that lasts. The feedback sessions will also be shown at driventoperformconcert.com.
The band with the most votes will open for Evanescence. With each vote, fans will be given access to the Evanescence livestream concert as Evanescence promotes its latest album, "The Bitter Truth."
"Teaming up with Alice Cooper to find the next great garage band is a perfect fit for the Cooper Tires brand," said Chris Ball, senior vice president and president for the Americas region. "Drive and performance are at the core of what we do as a company that designs and produces winning tires.
"Alice, with his legendary performances and endurance as an artist, personifies these qualities as well," Ball said. "We are looking forward to seeing how the bands perform and how fans respond to each unique sound. With the opportunity to open for Evanescence, we are confident we will see the true drive and grit of each band as they vie to take that grand prize."
Cooper named his latest album after his hometown, the Motor City. The album gathers well-known Detroit musicians to record in the city that made them famous and inspired their music.
"I was born and spent my early years in Detroit, so cars are in my DNA," Cooper said. "The music of Detroit is a true part of the soundtrack of my life. This garage band contest and the concept of being 'Driven to Perform' strike a chord with me because I started out in the music business really young. I began my career the same way so many of these bands did. I was driven to someday get up on stage and perform. It is in garages across the country that so many musicians find their sound and get their start."
Cooper still tours regularly, and since 2004, he has hosted a syndicated classic rock show, Nights with Alice Cooper, that airs in more than 100 cities.
