Readers of this blog may recall my plug for our editor, Ben Oh, in Alpine's online "Rock the Dash" contest. Even though he piles up enough audio equipment to make his office an earthquake hazard, he still wanted a shot at the $35,000 worth of prizes. Unfortunately, I just found out today that his band didn't break into the top 15, who all won Alpine gear.
Out of 450 artists and 1,300 songs who entered, The Collapse of Gainesville, Fla., got the most fan votes. Each member of the ambient indie rock troop (John Alan [Vocals, Guitar, Piano/Synthesizer, Bass, Drums], Heather Artrip [Vocals, Piano/Synthesizer, Bass], Alex Pfiffer [Guitar, Vocals, Synthesizer], David Young [Bass, Vocals, Synthesizer] and Adam McClure [Drums]) won an Alpine system for their vehicle. The prize which totaled $2,910 for each musician included:
iDA-X100 in-dash iPod Digital Media Receiver
SPR-13S 5.25-inch component 2-way speaker
SPR-17S 6.5-inch coaxial 2-way speaker
PDX-4.150 4/3/2 channel Power Density Digital Amplifier
PDX-1.1000 mono Power Density Digital Amplifier
two SWR-1042D's 10-inch subwoofers
Artists ranked 2 through 5 won an iDA-X100 Digital Media Receiver ($400), while top 6 through 10 acts received an iDA-X200 Digital Media Receiver ($300). FInally, 11 through 15 take home an Alpine eX-10 Advanced iPod Controller with Bluetooth ($230). This device is why the contest was created. Working with any vehicle's radio, it plays back music from any iPod with a dock connector through the car’s sound system via the FM transmitter or line output jack. The eX-10 also can control a Bluetooth-enabled phone.
Though the contest is kaput, you can still visit http://www.RocktheDash.com to listen to The Collapse's tunes as well as all songs submitted (including Ben's band, The Last of the Quixotes). Here are the winners:
1. The Collapse, Gainesville, Fla.
2. Ali Taylor, Los Angeles, Calif./Minneapolis, Minn.
3. Echo Grey, Paducah, Ky.
4. Sense of Reverence, Lafayette, Ind.
5. Soul Circumference, Richfield, Ohio
6. Out of the Black, Overbrook, Kan.
7. Richard D Shank, Asheville, N.C.
8. Bench Grinder, Seattle, Wash.
9. Lives or Levels, Dumont, N.J.
10. Heroes of Heartache, Hibbing, Minn.
11. Hazard Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.
12. Kiss Kiss, South Brunswick, N.J.
13. Heist At Hand, Houston, Texas
14. The Lone Pine Cones, Doylestown, Pa.
15. Victory Drive, San Francisco, Calif.