Giselle Woo and the Night Owls prove they're the hottest act in the desert

After a four-month competition that culminated in an outdoor block party in downtown Indio, Giselle Woo and the Night Owls were crowned the winner of The Desert Sun's annual Tachevah music showcase taking home the grand prize of $3,000.

They were among four bands that competed in the finals Saturday, each performing a 25-minute set in front of a diverse crowd of several hundred that included families sitting on blankets and lawn chairs, young children running around and a few dogs.

“For once I’m speechless,” Woo said after being announced the winner. “It’s been a long few months. It’s been all I’ve been thinking about. It’s taken over my life. I was excited to get here. We’re gonna take the money and were going to make a record and were going to put us out there for you to have.”

Tachevah, which showcases emerging artists from in and around the desert, started in January with 45 artists submitting music videos to Tachevahmusic.com. From there 10 bands were selected to perform, five each at two semi-finals in March.

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Eevaan Tre and Victor Bosc advanced from the first Tachevah semi-finals at Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace March 15 while Giselle Woo and the Night Owls and Razor J advanced from the second round held at The Date Shed on March 22.

The $3,000 grand prize was provided by event sponsor, the city of Indio. The winner was selected by a panel of judges that included: Elizabeth Vargas of Indio and the president and CEO of the Edge Music Network; David Williams of Palm Springs and Hollywood and the owner of Melrose Music and a new studio in Palm Springs; Alvin Taylor of Cathedral City, a drummer who has played with the likes of George Harrison, Elton John and Little Richard; and Bruce Fessier music writer for The Desert Sun.

“Tonight all these bands stepped up and put their hearts into it all the way,” Williams said, who also awarded the winner four hours in his recording studio in Palm Springs.

“So come in record, mix a song, master a record, whatever you want to do in that time slot we will make it happen.”

In addition to the grand prize and recording studio time, Vargas announced monetary assistance for each band in the form of “beer money” through her music network at EdgeMusic.com. Once the four finalists all sign up with her network, music fans are able to purchase virtual beers for their favorite bands – $5 for each beer, with that money going directly to the band.

Vargas said it’s a way for fans to support their favorite bands. She plans to kick off the feature by purchasing Giselle Woo and the Night Owls 100 beers as the winner, which is essentially $500. Second-place winner Eevaan Tre will get 80 beers or $400 with Bosc and Razor J each getting 60 beers or $300.

“All the bands did an amazing job, tonight. I love this venue because it’s open air,” she said.

The showcase was held outdoors as part of Indio’s Block Party that also included a car show, kid's activities, merchandise booths, food trucks and a beer garden. The stage was set up near Indio Boulevard and had periodic trains roaring by as the backdrop.

Razor J

First out was Razor J who immediately told the crowd he’s going to need them to stand. He entertained with his rapid-fire lyrics reminiscent of Eminem and electric guitar interludes. He also jumped off the short stage a few times to rap among the crowd and to show off his guitar shredding skills.

Razor J, whose real name is Juan Espino, is a hip-hop artist backed up by The Blades, a band he regularly plays with featuring drummer Tomas Granillo, a.k.a. T-Money, Jesus Gonzalez on keyboards and Chris Plasse on bass. He also had Porsia Camille on stage with him as a featured back-up singer

He told The Desert Sun he wanted to be in the competition “to get exposure, to put myself out there.”

Victor Bosc

Second on stage was Victor Bosc from El Centro who is typically a one-man band but had some help from Claudio Alcala on bass guitar and a drummer.

With that help he didn’t need to play the drums himself like he did during the semifinals by stepping on a drum pedal with his heels. He did bring out his harmonica again to add to his slow and dreamy tunes.

The Strokes-inspired singer/songwriter has a sensitivity about him, singing about love, beauty and rejection. He's beloved by the crowd for sensitive stage banter about song inspiration.

Eevaan Tre

Then it was Eevaan Tre from Coachella, who took the stage and finally got people to start dancing with his soulful R&B and cover of “My Boo” by Ghost Town DJs. He also played another cover “You Make Me Wanna,” by Usher.

The popular local performer fronts a band with Calvin Williams from Boston on guitar and fellow desert residents Tomas Granillo on drums, David Morales on Bass and Josiah Gonzales on keyboards.

He has competed in Tachevah 2015 with Eevaan Tre & The Show. Though he didn’t make the semi-finals then, he was selected to play the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that year in the Gobi Tent.

Tre said he appreciates the exposure Tachevah provides for emerging artists and what it does for local bands.

“It’s dope for every artist whether you win or lose,” he said.

Giselle Woo and the Night Owls

Last to take the stage was Giselle Woo and The Night Owls, who generated the biggest stage crowd. Woo of Cathedral City is well known in the desert as a singer-musician and an on-air personality at KCOD, where she serves as station manager. The Night Owls are Christian Colin on lead guitar, Rob Peterson on drums and Bryanna Evaro who filled in on bass on Saturday.

Woo wowed the crowd with her passion and guitar prowess and delivered a bilingual set that highlighted her Latino heritage and showcased her versatility.

Since it started, Woo said she had always wanted to participate in Tachevah but didn’t feel ready until this year.

“It felt right,” said Woo to The Desert Sun in a previous interview. “This year something clicked and I was just ‘Why not, let’s try it.’ ”