TORRANCE, CA - It's time to battle it out with the TOP HBCU's marching bands in the nation. The votes are in and eight of the top Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching bands have been selected to perform at the 12th Annual Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase, including D.J's Music Site HBCU Campaign's October HBCU Marching Band of the Month, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's, Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South (M4).

Very known within the marching band community as "The Honda," the Invitational Showcase is the culmination of the Honda Battle of the Bands, providing a national stage to highlight the distinct showmanship of HBCU marching bands. The Invitational Showcase will take place on January 25, 2014, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, where tens of thousands of HBCU marching band fans will experience one of the nation's most distinguished marching band events.

Individual and group tickets are on sale for the nation's premier marching band events and available here.

The eight bands selected to perform are:

• Alabama A&M University, Marching Maroon & White (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
• Alabama State University, Mighty Marching Hornets (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
• Bethune-Cookman University, Marching Wildcats (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
• Morehouse College, The Marching Maroon Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)
• North Carolina A&T University, Blue and Gold Marching Machine (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
  
• South Carolina State University, Marching 101 (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, UAPB Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
• Winston-Salem State University, The Red Sea of Sound (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association)

Also the eight HBCUs will receive a $20,000 grant from Honda for their music education programs, plus an all-expenses paid trip to Atlanta to participate in the Invitational Showcase. The final eight bands were chosen through a voting process that incorporate feedback from online fan votes, band directors, HBCU school presidents/chancellors and representatives from American Honda.

"The Honda Battle of the Bands is a celebration of the unique HBCU marching band experience and culture," said Gina Jorge, head of Multicultural Marketing for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "The Invitational Showcase is a spectacular display of the results of months of dedication and preparation, and Honda is proud to continue to support our nation's HBCU music education programs."