Meade County, Kentucky Band Wins Talent Contest at Friday After 5 in Owensboro
On Friday, July 12th, the four finalists for WBKR's annual talent contest- The Friday Night Fight- squared off on stage at Friday After 5 in downtown Owensboro. A celebrity panel of judges and a big crowd were treated to epic performances by local disco band Discfunktn'l Groove, Ohio County singer-songwriter EmmaLee Chinn, Illinois-based rocker Cage Willis, and Army of Life from Meade County, Kentucky. At the end of the night, the Kentucky teenagers were the ones left standing. Army of Life were crowned the 2024 champs of the Friday Night Fight presented by the Western Kentucky Regional Blood Center.
Now, the Brandenburg, Kentucky fab foursome are set headline the Overlook Stage at Friday After 5 on Friday, August 2nd. Friday After 5 is Owensboro's 12-week summer concert series and it features some of the best local, regional and national acts. Army of Life will take the stage from 8pm to 10pm singing covers and some of their original songs.
The band, which started back in 2020, is made up of Zach Yates (19), Shawn Blu (18), Andrew Barnes (18) and Max Cummings (16). Their influences include "soul, blues, rock, jazz, funk, country, and even folk." When you hear them, you'll immediately recall bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top and Jeff Beck Group. These guys dress, play and sing like they're from another era. They're incredible and they captivated the crowd at the Friday Night Fight finale.
They're set to wow the crowd again this weekend at Friday After 5. Building their fan base is something they have continued to do since they started. Zach admits, "I don't know if we ever thought we were really good. I just think we knew something was there and we could do something together that a lot of people could not." He says playing gigs over the last four years has helped get the name Army of Life out there.
Winning the contest certainly helped too. For winning the Friday Night Fight, Army of Life snagged $1500 and the right to headline the Overlook Stage at Friday After 5 (which they'll do this Friday) and a stage at the 2024 Dock Trot at Lake Malone in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. The Dock Trot is set for Saturday, September 14th.
Zach adds, "We sure have a long way to go before taking over the world, but we are trying and trying hard."