Party punk band HoneyBunny will represent District 5 for the second season of KLRN’s City Showdown. Credit: Instagram / @HoneyBunnySATX

San Antonio PBS affiliate KLRN-TV is hosting a second season of its award-winning digital battle of the bands, City Showdown.

Bands and musicians have been selected to represent each of the city’s 10 city council districts. Competitors submit original music, vying for votes from the public as well as a hand-picked jury. Whoever receives the highest combined total of online votes and jury votes grabs the prize.

The digital competition launched Monday, Nov. 18 and is officially underway at KLRN’s City Showdown website. Voting is open until Sunday, Dec. 8. Showcasing the Alamo City’s wide array of musical talent, the bands and musicians competing this season range from Tejano to punk and include such sub-genres as Latin house, nerdcore, dark electro pop and more.

The 2024 City Showdown contestants are:

District 1: DELENDA
District 2: 34K
District 3: Los Juanos
District 4: Vinny Tovar
District 5: HoneyBunny
District 6: INOHA
District 7: Vanita Leo
District 8: Bat Allison
District 9: XO Monie
District 10: Kris Cari

Each competing artist showcases one original song, which fans can watch at the City Showdown website. Fans can vote as many as 10 times per week for their favorite contestant.

In addition to votes from online viewers, a jury ranks the City Showdown contestants once their scores from online votes have already been logged. The two separate scores are weighted equally. KLRN chose jury members for their love of music and/or expertise in the music industry.

This year’s jury consists of:

  • Robert Gonzales, High School Student
  • Jinitzail Hernandez, Journalist
  • Yadhira Lozano, Director, Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival
  • Ernie Manouse, Executive Producer & Host, Houston Public Media
  • Deborah Martin, Arts Writer, San Antonio Express-News
  • Harvey McLoughlin, Musician (City Showdown Season 1 Contestant)
  • Ernie Ramirez, Carver Community Cultural Center Supervisor
  • Sara Robertson, Chief Content Officer, PBS Austin
  • Shannon Sionna, Pop Soul Singer (City Showdown Season 1 Contestant)
  • Chuck Vans, Local Music Radio Show Host
  • Emilia Williamson, High School Student/Performer

The winning artist will receive a $250 H-E-B gift card along with “bragging rights for the year,” KLRN officials said in a press statement. Last year’s winner was Christian rap-rock group Saving Jackie, representing District 3.

Ian Cruz, KLRN Digital Marketing Manager and City Showdown’s organizer, was inspired to launch the project last year based on his love for the Eurovision Song Contest.

“As a super fan of the Eurovision Song Contest for almost 20 years, I wondered what it might be like to take the concept of the massively-popular music show down to a hyperlocal level,” Cruz told the Current via email. For his efforts masterminding the competition, Cruz has been honored with awards by San Antonio chapters of the PRSA, a professional public relations association, and the American Marketing Association.

In his email, Cruz explained that part of his vision for this competition is to make San Antonio residents more familiar with their city council district.

“As a former City of San Antonio employee, I learned so much about our city and the council and found it really interesting,” Cruz said. “I realized, however, that some residents weren’t super familiar with who represented them on City Council or where the districts were located.”

Thus, the City Showdown competition serves a double purpose of supporting local music while providing a fun form of civic engagement, Cruz said. “By celebrating San Antonio’s dynamic and diverse music scene with this friendly competition, I hope our audience can discover new local artists and think about which district they live in – especially with the 2025 Municipal Election approaching in May.”

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed

Related Stories

This article appears in Nov 13-26, 2024.

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.