Miami Band Claims Title of Best Unsigned Band in America by Winning Bandemonium; Spring Break Event Decides Winner of Sam Goody's Ultimate Band Search.

PANAMA CITY, Fla.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--March 18, 1999--They beat out more than 350 bands around the country for the chance to get to the Bandemonium finals. Last night, they worked the Panama City Spring Break crowd into a frenzy to win the grand prize. Now the members of the Miami rap group Darwin's Waiting Room hope their reign as the best unsigned band in the country will be a short one, as they try to ride the wave of their Bandemonium success to a record deal.

Darwin's Waiting Room went head-to-head against a San Diego band called Gravy for the finals of Bandemonium, Sam Goody's ultimate band search, presented by Pepsi. The bands served as the opening acts for one of the hottest bands in the country, The Flys.

Both Gravy and Darwin's Waiting Room put on impressive performances, showing the packed house why they were selected for the Bandemonium finals. But in the end, it was Darwin's impressive blend of musical talent, clever rapping and raw energy that won over the judges and left the crowd screaming for more.

With their victory, Darwin's Waiting Room gets to take stage again tonight, this time serving as the opening act for Shawn Mullins. The band also receives $2,000 cash, Gibson musical equipment, and studio time with producer Jim Wirt (Incubus, Sprung Monkey, Alien Fashion Show) to help with its demo tape.

More than 350 bands sent in demo tapes to enter Bandemonium. REQUEST Magazine music critics chose the top two bands from each of 10 regions around the country. Quarterfinal competitions were held in 10 different cities, with The Flys headlining each event. The regional winners each received $500. Judges then used videotapes of the 10 semifinal bands to choose the two Bandemonium finalists.

The Bandemonium finals are part of a three-day event at Panama City's famous Spinnaker Beach Club. In addition to the concerts, the club is featuring a wide variety of Spring Break activities. Bandemonium's title sponsor, Pepsi, is running its popular Pepsi Ball game on the beach at the club. Sam Goody is running a surf simulator and a Bungee Bull for the crowds to try. Universal Pictures is set up on the beach promoting its upcoming major motion picture, American Pie. Other sponsors include Gibson SG Guitars, which has guitars available for people to try, and L'Oreal, which is giving out free samples. In addition, Burlybear, the nation's largest college cable network, is airing regular segments about the Bandemonium competition and will be simulcasting the finals on Web radio.

Bandemonium is Sam Goody's fourth national band search. The past three years the event was called "UnVailed" and was held in conjunction with a snowboarding competition in Vail, Colo. This year, the event was renamed and revised to place more emphasis on the music. Bandemonium is one of the largest unsigned band searches in the country and one of the only contests that lets bands enter free of charge.

Sam Goody is a division of Musicland Stores Corporation (NYSE: MLG). Based in Minneapolis, Musicland Stores Corporation is the leading specialty retailer of home-entertainment software products in the United States. As of December 31, 1998, the company operated 1,346 retail stores in 49 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom under the names Sam Goody/Musicland, Suncoast Motion Picture Company, Media Play and On Cue.