No sports? No problem: Islander crowns champ in March Madness-style band competition

With no large sporting events during COVID-19, one Islander has stepped up to the plate and created P.E.I.'s best band bracket.

For weeks, people have been voting in Josh Coles's best band competition, which saw P.E.I.'s Two Hours Traffic come out on top against Money in the Banana Stand in the final showdown.

A bracket is a kind of grid used in sports tournaments where losers are eliminated and winners advance into the next rounds.

Coles said the idea for bands came from the March Madness-style brackets that people fill out for U.S. college basketball's championship tournament.

"The idea of there being like a 64-band bracket of P.E.I. bands just was funny."

While the initial 64-band bracket felt "comically large," it grew to include about 120 P.E.I. bands, as people began to suggest their personal favourites on Twitter.

"I wake up every morning, post these polls on Twitter and I've also been doing a daily recap show on my Instagram," he said.

Coles said each matchuphad about 50 votes, but that number jumpedwhen there wasa particularly close standoff.

"A lot of people are getting involved in it, a lot of people are taking it as an opportunity to look back at eras of music," he said.

Coles's Instagram show even resulted in a spinoff that covers the heavy metal music scene on P.E.I. a couple times a week.

Having a side project to pick away at over the last several weeks was a good distraction, he said.

"I've been revisiting bands that I listened to when I was younger," Coles said.

"And in some cases I'm listening to bands I haven't really listened to before and also getting to meet some of these bands, for example I had Pete Forbesfrom theRudeMechanicals."

COVID-19: What you need to know

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Common symptoms include:

• Fever.
• Cough.
• Tiredness.

But more serious symptoms can develop, including difficulty breathing and pneumonia, which can lead to death.

Health Canada has built aself-assessment tool.

What should I do if I feel sick?

Isolate yourself and call 811. Do not visit an emergency room or urgent care centre to get tested. A health professional at 811 will give you advice and instructions.

How can I protect myself?

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Clean regularly touched surfaces regularly.
• Practisephysical distancing.

More detailed information on the outbreak is available on thefederal government's website.

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