Our 16th Annual Corporate Battle of the Bands raised almost $280,000!
Thank You for Your Support!
Because of the overwhelming support from our event sponsors, supporters, and attendees, we raised nearly $280,000 and counting during the 2025 annual Corporate Battle of the Bands! The funds raised translates to nearly $1.9 million in healthcare services for the more than 3,200 musicians HAAM serves annually. A special thanks to presenting sponsor Cirrus Logic with stage sponsors, H-E-B, PNC Bank, and SXSW, and to news crews from KVUE and KXAN for covering this critical fundraising event!
This year’s Corporate Battle of the Bands also drew in a record crowd exceeding 1,000 attendees who were entertained by six bands from local businesses who performed during the evening. This year’s “Band of the Year” was awarded to C NOTES (PNC Bank), after an intense deliberation among this year’s judges. Other award winners include “Best Song” to Noella Grey and The Imaginary Band (Ascension Seton) for their original song, “All I Want Is You.” This year “Best Stage Presence” was a tie between Knuckle Sammich (H-E-B) and The Haptics (Cirrus Logic). This year, we had two Fan Favorite categories, one prize went to the band with the most overall donations raised, and another prize went to the band with the most individual donations. The 2025 “Fan Favorite Overall” AND the “Fan Favorite Individual” award went to The Haptics (Cirrus Logic). A massive thank you from HAAM to the fundraising superstars, The Haptics fans!
Congrats Winning Bands!
Best Band (sponsored by Jackson Walker): C NOTES (PNC Bank)
Best Song: ”All I Want is You” written and performed by Noella Grey and The Imaginary Band (Ascension Seton)
TIE for Best Stage Presence: Knuckle Sammich (H-E-B) and The Haptics (Cirrus Logic)
Fan Favorite Individual: The Haptics (Cirrus Logic) with 70 individual donations
Fan Favorite Overall (sponsored by Husch Blackwell): The Haptics (Cirrus Logic) with $14,601 dollars raised
All bands received an appreciation award sponsored by FVF Law!
What a Night of Performances!
From Super-Ultra Modern Girls to Classic Cowboy Anthems, last night’s Corporate Battle of the Bands truly had it all! The Anteaters (ABC Home & Commercial) got the crowd dancing to “HOT-TO-GO” and “Take Me Home Country Roads.” Knuckle Sammich (H-E-B) packed a punch with their randitions of Ozzy Osbourne, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Taylor Swift. We knew they were trouble when they walked in, but we never could have anticipated a plastic bat getting it’s head bitten off mid-performance!
This event transcended time itself bringing us a taste of the past and the future. The Mag Stripes (Ouro) came dressed to impress in 1950’s style to bring us Back to the Future. C NOTES (PNC Bank) brought their own future star to the stage—Gigi Gonzalez, HAAM’s youngest performer yet!
Reigning CBOB Champions, The Haptics (Cirrus Logic) lit up the stage in head to toe LED fashion. Performing hits from The Black Crowes, Billie Eilish, and The Darkness, Noella Grey and The Imaginary Band (Ascension Seton) turned up the heat by gaving us a sneak peak of their upcoming release, “Flames.” Of course the night wouldn’t have been complete without Blowcomotion Band bringing the house down! In the battle of life, I’m sure glad this community can band together.
The evening’s emcees for the third year in a row were CBS Austin’s Trevor Scott and KVUE-TV’s Quita Culpepper, who did a fantastic job sharing our mission with a great crowd. The corporate bands aimed to impress a special panel of judges this year, including former HAAM CEO Reenie Collins, former HAAM Executive Director Carolyn Schwarz, producer and host at KUT/KUTX Miles Bloxson, and musician Kelsey Wilson, known as known as Sir Woman and co-founder of Austin's own Wild Child.
DJ Chorizo Funk set the vibe during our VIP Pre-Party before the show started, and we enjoyed a surprise performance by Blowcomotion while the judges deliberated after all bands performed. A big thank you to HAAM Board member Stephanie Bergara for hyping the audience on HAAM to close out the night!
Thank you to our Suite Sponsor Better Business Bureau for sponsoring our VIP Pre-Party alongside Schlotzsky’s, Jackson Walker LLP for sponsoring our Best Band award, Husch Blackwell for sponsoring our Fan Favorite Overall Award, and finally, thank you to FVF Law for sponsoring our Appreciation Awards given to all six bands who performed! A special thank you to Carolyn Schwarz, Founding Executive Director of HAAM, and Caitlyn Macaluso, Chief of Staff for FVF Law, for joining Trevor Scott on We Are Austin!
Photos below by David Brendan Hall
2025 Corporate Battle of the Bands Set Lists!
Noella Grey and The Imaginary Band (Ascension Seton)
Flames - Noella Grey and The Imaginary Band
All I Want is You - Noella Grey and The Imaginary Band
Secret Friends - Noella Grey and The Imaginary Band
The Anteaters (ABC Home & Commercial)
Basket Case - Green Day
HOT-TO-GO- Chappell Roan
Take Me Home Country Roads - John Denver
What’s Up (fast version) - The 4 Non Blondes
C NOTES (PNC Bank)
Mary Jane’s Last Dance - Tom Petty
Bright Lights - Gary Clark Jr.
Pride & Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Purple Rain - Prince
The Haptics (Cirrus Logic)
Hard to Handle - The Black Crowes
Bad Guy - Billie Eilish
I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
The Mag Stripes (Ouro)
Power of Love - Heuy Lewis & The News
Back in Time - Heuy Lewis & The News
Earth Angel - Marvin Berry & The Starlighters
Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry
Knuckle Sammich (H-E-B)
Bark at the Moon - Ozzy Osbourne
The Kill - 30 Seconds to Mars
I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift