Rowlett Wet Zone got rowdy again—not because of excited, screaming children, but because of unique local musicians and lively fans in tow. The water park had its Battle of the Bands showcasing finalists of the summer-long competition.

            Contestants voted to the end were acoustic superstar Jason Castro, cover guy Josh Wilson, and explosive For Everyone To See. All had different vocal styles with Castro performing his own music, Wilson covering nineties-era favorites, and FETS rocking out their latest songs. The mix provided the audience of early teens to late thirties with just what they needed.

            I talked to Wet Zone operations manager Tony Bates about how winners are determined at the competition that has been a staple at the park for seven years.

            “We give ballots to everyone entering the park and they vote,” Bates said. “This year we brought in some judges to make sure it’s not just a popularity vote.”

            Wilson started the evening with a cover of “Time After Time.” Some of his church buddies, Tyler Stevenson and Greg Holstein, supported their acoustically inclined friend by standing close to the stage. Wilson also sang other hits including The Verve Pipe’s “Freshman” and Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” while people filed in.

            FETS hit the stage next with original music. When I first saw the band, I thought the female singer, Cierra Settles, would stand out—after the first song that thought was jilted. FETS, comprised of Settles, Aaron Longoria on guitar, Cory Snelson on guitar, Blake Taylor on bass and Kyle Bryant on drums, hit the stage hard; crowd members even began crowd surfing! Bryant was amazing and reminded me of a seasoned drummer; Snelson was great on the guitar, jumping and flipping his blond hair so much I thought he was going to leap off the stage at any moment. Settles held her ground amongst the guy-dominant band with her great voice, singing and rocking out.

            “I’ve been singing in the band for two years,” Settles said. “I love my band and I love what we do—it’s what we love.”

            After performing their encore performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” Castro took the stage. Performing impressive self-written songs, he wowed the audience with his amazing voice. He threw in a cover of his favorite artist, folk singer Ray Lamontagne, and sang a duet with his 12-year-old sister, Jackie Castro.

            “We just started performing together, I’ve only done three shows with him,” Jackie said. “I started singing this year and I’m getting to really like singing on stage.”

            It was no surprise when Castro was voted the 2007 Battle of the Bands champion. Rowlett has some great talent and many of the teens I talked to came to check out the show in order to start practicing for next year’s competition. Bates ensured me Wet Zone will keep having ‘Battles’ as it is a great event for them and the community. If you didn’t get a chance to check it out this year, I would advise to going to at least one BOB next year!