Photo ©2016 Steve Ziegelmeyer - ziegelmeyerphotography.com

One Degree From Mande just won the Madison Theater Band Challenge! The Madison Theater Band Challenge is a multi-round battle of the bands competition with over $6,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs. Shows take place at the historic Madison Theater, and Madison LIVE starting in mid-December 2015 and going through March 2016.

We sat down with the winners of the challenge, One Degree From Mande!

Congrats on winning the Madison Theater Band Challenge! When are you hitting the studio?

First off, thank you. We plan on getting into the studio immediately! It was our overall goal in entering the challenge! The win is great, the prizes are great, but as a band, we had our eyes set on the recording package the entire time! So, we're ecstatic to get into the studio together. ODFM has really become a brotherhood, and being in a studio together will seal that bond forever!

How did it feel after each show since December to keep progressing in the challenge?

Very rewarding! Each round, we met new people and made new friends. That was the greatest reward of the challenge. Definitely something we couldn't have foreseen coming in. The first round, we really bonded with Third Person Omega! The second round, As You Like It, became very close to us! Semi finals, DangerMonkey and Warren Butler became true friends! Then the finals, every band on the bill was there for each other, and we connected! Such a bond you get when sharing a stage like that! We are excited to play shows with all of them.

How has the band grown since beginning of the challenge?

We've gotten really tight as a band musically. Putting in the time, the details have gotten better and better! Brian has arranged our songs to be the best expression of us as a group. Jake and Brian together have written musical guitar work that blows me away every time I watch them. Danny, our bass player is so solid it's uncanny. We call him our QI. If he's got his eyes closed and grooving, we're clean! When he opens his eyes, I know something is weird. Most of the time it's me! And then Alex just puts his heart beat that lives in his chest right into our music. We love our unique sound and I'm excited to continue to write with our group!

What is next for One Degree From Mande?

These are uncharted waters for all of us. We're ready to take on many new challenges. We plan on playing shows, getting our recording done and released, and continue to put the hard work we've always done to make new friends and fans!