2023 Competition Summary Highlights!

What an incredible night and what insane talent! Congrats again to all the winners and thank you to everyone who made this event possible. 

As most of you know, the Davis Catalyst Center experienced a lot of technical difficulties during this event including not picking up any sound for the live recording. They also were not able to provide us with any video files of the competition. So, we are grateful for everyone who took the time to record parts of the competition and send them to us.

We are also grateful for the members of Poolhouse who arrived early and worked like mad to help solve the technical difficulties that prevented us from having our sound check. Not only did John and the band members help troubleshoot the issues under immense pressure and a time crunch, but they stayed backstage to help the bands transition, and were still able to put on a high energy unforgettable performance. What a great example of leadership, team work, perseverance, and rolling with the punches. 

John gave some great advice backstage to the bands right before the competition started that not everyone got to hear. He shared personal experiences of having performed with and opened for bands such Pearl Jam, The Killers, Imagine Dragons, and Neon Trees, and informed the contestants that never once did he get a sound check. He assured them that this was typical in the performing biz and convinced them that they could still deliver an amazing performance. And that they did! Rather than getting to dip their toes in the water as promised, they were pushed into the deep end when those curtains opened yet performed like it was opening night of their first world tour. 

Contestants, let me just say it's been an honor and a real treat to get to re-listen to all of your music again while editing this video. My family and I have all of your songs forever stuck in our heads and we have been singing them all week! What a talented group of artists, musicians, and songwriters you are. Now that this video showcasing your talent is on YouTube, you just never know who might find it, who it might inspire, and what opportunities might open up down the road. I'm convinced that you all have a bright future in music! 

 As your entries came pouring in, I was so impressed with everyone's talent. It was super exciting to see some additional genres that we didn't see last year such as different styles of jazz with Canopy and Lucas Gonzalez. A lot of us agree that a Canopy and Lucas Gonzalez collaboration would be dynamite! Also, we were so happy to see Ashley Golightly return from last year. Her music added depth to the show and it was exciting to see the progress she has made over the last year. It was also fun to see Riley Jo who attended last year (as a spectator who wowed us with a spontaneous solo performance), come back this year as a contestant. You soloists moved the audience with your song choices and it was a nice transition in between the fun and lively band performances. Despite all the technical challenges, the program flowed really well and I was so pleased with how you all handled the technical challenges like pros. Didn't even let it phase you. 

The judges enjoyed this year's competition even more than last year's and are excited to be a part of it all again in 2024. We truly hope you'll all join us. If you seniors are around next year, you are all welcome to come back and perform or compete as a band member of a Layton High band. Contestants can compete up to age 20. No pressure, but we'd love to see you all again! 

Also, we hope every one of you will keep us updated on your journeys. We'd love to spotlight anything you share with us. Any performances, achievements, scholarships, mission announcements, new music, or news you want us to know about (for as long as you're living on this earth) - please DM us here or on Instagram. This platform allows all of us fans to keep cheering you on. 

Thanks for making this experience so memorable and I hope you enjoy this highlight video of our competition!