Competition for moosic band

The 35 top bands in Orange County are preparing to take the stage for a seven-week music showcase, following months of judges seeing bands play and sifting through hundreds of applications.

Moostache, a Huntington Beach band, will represent the county for the second year in the ninth annual OC Music Awards and compete against Orange County’s top bands or solo artists, including Huntington Beach’s Allensworth, Duress and Matt Kollar and the Angry Mob.

“We played it last year — it was fun,” said Patrick Wardell, the lead singer and guitarist for Moostache. “Each year it gets better and better.”

The OC Music Awards is a showcase of the top bands in the county and offers a chance for them to compete for honors and awards. The event is designed to give local bands exposure and opportunities. The event is mostly local, but it gives bands recognition in and outside of the county, said OC Music Awards Director Ashley Eckenweiler.

The band of brothers, Patrick, 18, Brian, 21, and Sean Wardell, 23, along with friend Scott Zscomler, 24, will perform its own bluesy-indie rock music at 7 p.m. Feb. 2 at Chain Reaction in Anaheim.

The three brothers used to jam under the name Moostache when they were younger and stuck with the name when they joined up with Zscomler and officially started about a year ago.

“I think it’s a good name — it’s memorable,” Patrick Wardell said.

The band is trying to publicize the release of its album “Acoustache, Volume One” and is considering doing another summer tour.

Musicians are always asking OC Music Awards Producer Luke Allen about what is the next step in the business. Allen owns a rehearsal studio and said he used to tell them to look to Los Angeles, but Orange County’s northern neighbor is having less and less of an impact on the industry, he said.

Allen got involved in the awards last year to help bring awareness to the Orange County music scene and give local artists more opportunities. He said he wants the event to create more momentum in the music scene and give artists a chance to network, connect and play shows together.

“We try to make it diverse, and we try to find as much new music as we can,” Allen said.

The bands will play a half dozen shows throughout Orange County during the showcase series, competing for a chance to perform at the awards show March 6 at the Grove of Anaheim.

The shows are free and are at different venues. Some will take place at bars, others at more family-friendly locations. While the bars limit who can participate, Allen said the showcase is really for everyone.

“I think anyone that is a music fan can come out and enjoy a night of music,” he said.

For a list of the band’s upcoming shows, go to www.myspace.com/moostachetheband. For a full list of artists performing during the showcase, go to www.ocmusicawards.com.

If You Go

What: The OC Music Awards Showcase Series

Cost: Free

When:

7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the District Tustin Legacy in Tustin

7:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Continental Room in Fullerton, 21 and older

7 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Gypsy Den in Santa Ana

7 p.m. Feb. 2 at Chain Reaction in Anaheim