Most Battle of the Bands competitions end up exercises of teenage rockstar futility, however promising they may seem in entertainment potential if not always talent. It's the mysterious combination of badly miked community center auditoriums and last-minute bassists - that hastily slapped together cover of "Wish You Were Here" never quite turns out as planned.

Canada-based record label Bodog Entertainment Group offers aspiring musicians a flashier stage for their classic-rock noodling with The Battle to End All Battles, the company's inaugural national battle of the bands.

Starting with the first round of competition late this summer, the company has organized a series of musical showdowns in 17 markets around the country, including Detroit. St. Andrew's Hall hosts round two for the area Sunday and Monday; the date and location for "city finals," before the winners convene at L.A.'s Wiltern Theater around New Year's for the cumulative grand finale, is yet to be determined. The competition has a decidedly bellicose theme: the upcoming semi-finals are dubbed "In the Trenches" and the following round isn't just "city finals," but "City Wide Warfare."

"We're looking to get the final shows aired nationally," said Rob Spinelli, a public relations representative for Bodog. The most recent press release reveals that music network Fuse struck a deal with the company to air the last 11 shows leading up to the finals in a reality show format. Bodog says they are offering the "largest prize in battle of the bands history:" a $1 million contract with the label, which will go toward recording, publicity and other endeavors supporting the artists' debut Bodog release.

So far, Battle to End All Battles has attracted 7,000 bands nationwide and over 100,000 people have registered to vote online. Winners will be chosen via online and text message voting.

"This year we're just trying to figure out the best way to do this," Spinelli said. "We are a Canadian record label (looking for) the best possible way to find the next big band in America."

Bodog has even created BodogMusic.com, a website geared toward band-and-fan networking and promotion, similar to Myspace.com's music pages or GarageBand.com. The entertainment group isn't exactly the most prestigious: its most famous clientele are rock chick Bif Naked and Warren G (a rapper better known as Dr. Dre's brother). But Bodog's attempt to find The Next Big Thing in America is certainly ambitious. Canada's not exactly known for producing legends of the quintessential American craft rock'n'roll - exceptions like Neil Young certainly hit it out of the park, but Bryan Adams? - but maybe Bodog's search stateside will discover make good on its premise.