Bionicore, a heavy metal band with roots in Eastern Europe, won Mooncusser’s Battle of the Bands on Saturday, capturing a $2,500 cash prize and an opportunity to record a 10-song album.
For nearly a month, local bands have competed in the preliminary rounds of the battle. Six bands advanced to the finals, held Saturday at the bar on South Padre Island. They performed, and a panel of three judges chose Bionicore as the winner. Audience ballots also figured into the final decision.
Bionicore now calls South Padre Island home, and they’ve taken a winding journey there. The band started in Slovakia, where most of the members are from. According to the group’s MySpace page, the four-piece band next moved to the United Kingdom for two years. They just recently moved to Texas.
Bionicore features a hard rock sound with metal influences. Festiva spoke with singer Henrieta Misurakova after their win.
THE BAND
-Vocals: Henrieta Misurakova
-Lead guitar: Mario Stepanovsky
-Bass: Rob Kminiak
-Drums: Rich Carney
Genre: Hard rock and metal
Influences: Metallica, Pantera, Nirvana, The Doors, Soundgarden
Home base: South Padre Island
How and where did you guys first meet each other?
Well this goes back to 2000, when we met in our little town. We just wanted to play and have some fun. After a while, we started to figure out our own songs, and we wanted to play in front of audiences. We played a bunch of horrible gigs, which are great because they’re like school for bands. We learned the hard way from our own mistakes. Some coaching would have been helpful, but we didn’t have it. We just felt from the beginning that there was a connection between us and what we were doing was right. And here we are, still standing nine years later.
Why did you move to South Padre Island of all places?
After all our gigs, hard work and two albums released under our old name (For Sale), we got fed up with Slovakia and moved to England for two years. It was not our cup of tea, and it was there that out of the blue we got accepted to play at South by Southwest in Austin. We actually got two slots, which was great. We had a blast. Coming to the United States was a culture shock, but the Island was easy to get used to, and it helped us find ourselves. Sometimes you need to relax, clear your mind and let everything happen for you. That’s why we love South Padre. It’s an artists’ paradise.
What do you plan to do with the $2,500 and the studio time you won?
The $2,500 cash can be spent easily. Most of it is already spent on some gear and some administration. We would love to take advantage of the studio time this fall, and it really came at the right time. Recording is definitely going to get us to the next level. It will be creative, I promise.
