WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble

WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble

The WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble, begun in 1979, is a Greater Boston "battle of the bands" competition co-sponsored by WBCN (digital only, as of 2009) and its local music show Boston Emissions (now airing on WZLX).

Its predecessors were the Bicentennial Tournament of the Bands held in 1976 at The Club in Cambridge, Massachusetts and co-sponsored by WBCN and Inn Square Men's Bar, as well as 1978's First Annual Spring Rock 'n' Roll Festival co-sponsored by WBCN and the Boston Phoenix.

The Rock 'n' Roll Rumble was held in Boston at the Rathskeller in Kenmore Square for its first two years and was often referred to as "the Rumble at the Rat." Steve Morse of the Boston Globe called the 1979 debut competition "nine nights of exhilarating grass-roots rock." Since then, the competition's venue has changed several times but remains a means for New England bands to gain visibility.

While there was no Rock 'n' Roll Rumble in 2010, due to the reorganization of CBS Radio's Boston stations and the loss of WBCN's FM broadcast, the Rumble returned in April 2011, organized by current Boston Emissions host Anngelle Wood, and held at TT The Bear's Place in Cambridge.

In 2011, Jenny Dee and the Deelinquents made Rumble history by becoming the first band to drop out of the competition, due to a scheduling conflict, after winning their preliminary night. This allowed a previously eliminated band, OldJack, to re-enter the competition in the semifinal round, having been the runner-up on the night that Jenny Dee won. In 2012, The Grownup Noise withdrew from the Rumble (prior to performing) due to an injury sustained by one of its members; they were invited back as the non-competing guest band to play at the finals.

The 2013 Rumble began on April 7, 2013. In yet another Rumble first, night two of the semifinals was postponed due to the lockdown of the city during the April 19 manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.