TORRANCE, CA–(Marketwire – January 11, 2010) – A Hip-Hop Icon, 1,800 student musicians, an
aspiring vocalist and more than 60,000 fans will converge in Atlanta’s
Georgia Dome, January 30, 2010, to celebrate music, community and creative
expression at the world’s largest and best-known marching band showdown —
the 2010 Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase.

The Invitational Showcase Line-Up

This year’s dynamic three-hour show kicks-off promptly at 3 p.m. on Jan.
30, and features a special guest performance by “Ludacris,” along with
performances from the country’s top eight Historically Black College and
University (HBCU) Marching Bands. Atlanta’s own Clark Atlanta University
opens the show and leads the “great eight” band performances in the
following order:

            1. Clark Atlanta University "Mighty Marching Panthers"
            2. Virginia State University "Trojan Explosion Marching Band"
            3. North Carolina Central University "Marching Sound Machine"
            4. Prairie View A&M University "Marching Storm"
            5. Southern University "Human Jukebox Marching Band"
            6. Albany State University "Marching Rams"
            7. Tuskegee University "Marching Crimson Pipers"
            8. Florida A&M University "Marching 100"

Atlanta’s Own Ludacris to Perform

Hip-hop music icon and actor, Ludacris, will be on hand as a special guest
performer. The Atlanta native is best known for his extensive musical
library and performances in the Oscar-winning film “Crash,” and the Academy
Award-nominated film, “Hustle & Flow.”

Who’s Got Talent? – Atlanta Residents Invited to Audition for National
Anthem

This year the Honda Battle of the Bands National Anthem will be performed
by a talented local vocalist selected through a promotional radio contest.
WVEE/WAOK-FM, Atlanta’s top-ranked urban radio station, is teaming up with
the Honda Battle of the Bands to invite listeners to flex their vocal
skills for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to open the 2010 Honda Battle
of the Bands. Five finalists will be selected by a panel of judges at an
open audition on Sat., Jan. 16, 2010. Fellow Atlanta residents can then
log on to the station’s web site and vote for their favorite performer’s
rendition of the National Anthem. The winner will be announced on-air Jan.
22, 2010, and will open the showcase on January 30th.

Grants, Internships, and More

As the largest and most highly anticipated musical event of its kind, the
Honda Battle of the Bands serves as a platform to shine a rare spotlight on
the pageantry, pride and showmanship of HBCU music and culture. It is also
the only national music scholarship program of its kind. For the 2010
program, the 45 participating HBCU marching bands in the “Road To the
Honda” qualifying program were each awarded a $1,000 grant for their music
programs, with an additional $20,000 awarded to the eight winning
institutions selected by national opinion polls to participate in the
Invitational Showcase.

In addition, the event will include the announcement of the third annual
Honda Battle of the Bands Fox Music Experience award winner. The Fox Music
Experience provides one lucky Invitational Showcase student musician the
opportunity to spend a few weeks in the summer interning on the Twentieth
Century Fox studio lot in Los Angeles learning film and television music
production first-hand. Also, for the fifth year in a row, the HBOB program
also will include the Honda Battle of the Bands HBCU College Recruitment
Fair.

For more information on the Invitational Showcase, Fox Music Experience
music internship program and HBCU Recruitment Fair, visit www.HondaBattleoftheBands.com, the official online destination and
clearinghouse for all HBOB information including Invitational Showcase
updates, voting, polling status, photos and video footage.

Group and individual tickets for the show are still available, but going
fast. They can be purchased at the Georgia Dome Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or www.HondaBattleoftheBands.com for just $10 and $12.

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 nine major U.S. manufacturing operations, using domestic and globally
sourced parts. Honda has a long-standing commitment to the support and
success of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities that
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 the Honda Battle of
the Bands eight years ago as an effort to support HBCU music programs.

Source: Honda