Rock this town

Local musicians face off Thursday night at the Depot in a Battle of the Bands, the season closer of Culpeper Renaissance’s Third Thursday summer concert series.

Five bands will play half-hour sets at the outdoor show with the winner chosen by a panel of judges, crowd reaction and fan ballots. Stick around until the end for an encore performance by the winning band.

Here’s the lineup:
* 5 p.m. Same Ol’ Sound, local Culpeper residents with a classic and southern rock style
* 5:45 p.m. The Shields Brothers, a top 40 rock trio from Rixeyville
* 6:30 p.m. Infinite Soul Band, Culpeper-based group playing R & B, gogo and soul
* 7:15 p.m. SP511, a five-piece rock ensemble from Harrisonburg
* 8 p.m. The Usual Suspects, a four-piece rock band from Culpeper and Madison performing classics from the ’60s through today; with the Star-Exponent’s own Vincent Vala on guitar and vocals

Buy advance tickets for $2.50, in honor of the town’s 250th anniversary, at StellarOne, Pepperberries, Museum of Culpeper History or the CRI office on West Davis Street; $5 at the gate for 21 and older, everyone else gets in free. Kids activities, food and beverages galore. Please no pets or coolers, but picnic baskets welcome. Lawn chairs encouraged.