August Lows riding high

Following a day of guarded optimism from Main Street McMinnville organizers, Main Street Live’s second Battle of the Bands came off without a hitch and only a few sprinkles.

Predictions of thunderstorms throughout the day presented reasons for concern for Main Street Live officials, who have seen two of the first three weeks of the MSL season canceled due to rain. Their decision to move forward was rewarded with perfect temperatures as three bands battled for a $500 prize and an opportunity to play in the 2026 MSL lineup.

Local band August Lows, despite playing last after a brief round of sprinkles chased some of the crowd away, emerged victorious against competitors Memory Train and Sunset Tabernacle after finishing second to Ninth Sun in the inaugural Battle of the Bands.

Perhaps the big winner of the night, however, was Main Street McMinnville which raised $862 through the voting process, which in turn helps ensure the future of the free summer concert series. Each dollar donated in the name of a band counted as a vote, with August Lows bringing in $413, Memory Train with $281 and Sunset Tabernacle with $168.

August Lows was thrilled to take the title in front of their hometown crowd with their unique blend of Southern rock, grunge edge and emotionally charged lyrics. After being announced as winners and accepting the check, the band treated the crowd to an encore.

“Dude, I’m excited,” Jacob Melton of August Lows said of the win. “I had no idea. I thought we came out and gave it our all. It helps when you’re not doing your own sound. We had really good sound people here that made us sound a lot better.”

Lead singer Josh Moore echoed Melton’s appreciation for the crowd support.

“I love playing here,“ Moore said. “Anytime you can play in front of these guys is great.”

Next week’s Main Street Live will see a change of venues as the concert will move from its traditional home at Security Federal’s West Lawn to be part of the city’s Fourth of July celebration at Milner Recreation Center. The stage will be set up between the main building and Gilley Pool and will see last year’s Battle of the Bands winner Ninth Sun perform at 6 p.m. before the Joe Harvey Band plays from 7 p.m. until the fireworks show begins at 9 p.m. In case of rain, both the concert and the fireworks show will be moved to Saturday, July 5.