[January 12, 2012]

Honda Battle of the Bands Marks 10th Anniversary Show with Special Guest Appearance by 'Monica'

The 2012 Honda (News - Alert) Battle of the Bands (www.hondabattleofthebands.com) Invitational Showcase, presented by Verizon, will welcome a special guest performer to share the spotlight alongside the nation's top eight Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching bands. Celebrated actress, and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Monica is set to take the field at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on January 28^th, just before launching her seventh studio album, New Life [RCA Records] in February.

Celebrated actress, and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Monica is set to take the field at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on January 28th, for the 10th Annual Honda Battle of the Bands. (Photo: Business Wire)

Monica, a Georgia native who won a Grammy Award in 1999 for her duet with label-mate Brandy, has achieved international acclaim and success with her music, and as the star of her own former reality show, "Monica: Still Standing" on the Black Entertainment Television network. As part of "The Homecoming," the Honda Battle of the Bands theme for 2012, she'll fittingly perform before a proud home crowd of more than 60,000 music fans. New Life's debut single, "Anything (To Find You)" premiered in July of 2011 and reached no. 25 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop chart. The follow-up track, "Until It's Gone" was released via Monica's web site this past September.

The Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) Invitational Showcase is the largest and most highly anticipated music event of its kind. Widely known as "the Super Bowl for Black college bands," the Showcase not only serves as a platform to highlight and celebrate the heritage and showmanship of HBCU marching bands, but also stands as the only national music scholarship program dedicated to supporting HBCU music education programs. The following HBCU marching bands have earned a $20,000 grant for their music education programs, and an all-expense-paid trip to share the stage with Monica at the 2012 Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase:

- Albany State University "Marching Rams Show Band" (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)
- Bethune Cookman Uiversity "Marching Wildcats" (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
- Jackson State University "Sonic Boom of the South" (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
- Prairie View A&M University "Marching Storm" (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
- South Carolina State University "Marching 101" (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
- Tennessee State University "Aristocrat of Bands" (Independent)
- Virginia State University "Marching Trojan Explosion" (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association)
- Winston-Salem State University "Red Sea of Sound" (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association)

For more information about the Honda Battle of the Bands, please visit www.HondaBattleoftheBands.com. The Honda Battle of the Bands website is the sole online destination and clearing house for all HBOB information, updates, polling status, photos and video footage, and is a one-stop resource for all questions about the program. Fans are encouraged to also follow the Honda Battle of the Bands on Twitter (News - Alert) (@the_honda) and to become a fan of the HBOB Facebook page, where they can share memories, photos and engage in trivia, and get updates on the 2012 program. Group and individual tickets for the show are still available, but are moving quickly and can be purchased for just $10 and $12 at the Georgia Dome Box Office, via www.Ticketmaster.com or www.HondaBattleoftheBands.com.

Honda on Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/HondaBattleoftheBands
Honda on Twitter: www.twitter.com/the_honda
Honda on YouTube (News - Alert): www.youtube.com/hondabotb

About Honda

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., was founded in 1959 as the U.S. sales and marketing subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Honda currently produces automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, lawn mowers and engines at its eleven major U.S. manufacturing operations, using domestic and globally sourced parts. Honda's long-standing commitment to the support and success of the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities began more than 20 years ago with the establishment of the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, a program designed to showcase the academic gifts and prowess of HBCU students. American Honda established Honda Battle of the Bands nine years ago as an effort to support HBCU music programs.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless (News - Alert) operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 107 million total connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $106.6 billion in 2010 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

Photos/Multimedia�Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50132052&lang=en

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