Local student musician makes it to finals at Tri-C’s High School Rock Off

by Nicole Rosselot

Rising star Alanna Dowdy, a junior at Walsh Jesuit High School and a Sagamore Hills resident, is off to a successful start as a performing artist. Dowdy recently competed in the annual Tri-C High School Rock Off where she made it to Northeast Ohio’s most famous “final exam” as both a solo artist, Rose Petals on the Pavement, and with her rock band, 6th Dimension.

This was Dowdy’s first time competing in the Rock Off, which took place over four weekends in March. Each of the three semi-final rounds took place at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The top three acts from each weekend advanced to the final competition, aka the final exam, on March 26.

“It was my first year competing, as well as my band’s first year competing, so it was just pretty great to even get into the finals,” Dowdy said.

For her Rock Off solo act, “Rose Petals on the Pavement,” Dowdy wrote an original song titled “Tell Me.” She describes her musical style as “indie bedroom pop meets folk music.” According to Dowdy, “All of the people who made it to the finals got to go to the Tri-C recording arts studio and record their own original songs, so I have it [‘Tell Me’] on SoundCloud as part of the Rock Off album.”

Dowdy also had the opportunity to record with 6th Dimension. Dowdy, who is the band’s lead singer, describes 6th Dimension as “classic rock with a soulful spin.” They recorded “Another World,” an original song written for them by their manager, Skip Szelak. Dowdy joined the band earlier this school year, after fellow Walsh Jesuit students and band members Marissa Morales and Joey Ambrose introduced her to Szelak.

“Szelak had me come in just to kind of feel out the vibe with the band and do a couple songs with them … and from that point on we became 6th Dimension,” Dowdy explained. In addition to Dowdy, Morales, and Ambrose, 6th Dimension features Finn Rath, from Aurora High School and Nate Woznuk, from North Royalton High School.

While neither Rose Petals on the Pavement nor 6th Dimension was named one of the top three winners, Dowdy and her band are “one hundred percent” planning on competing next year, she said.

The Rock Off was “just super exciting, because you get to be on the stage at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and it is super cool to have performed on the stage at one of the biggest museums in the country,” she said. “It gave me a drive to make that into a career for myself.”

Dowdy is working hard in her pursuit of a music career. In addition to Rose Petals on the Pavement and 6th Dimension, the singer and musician performs with Walsh Jesuit’s marching, concert and jazz bands, the orchestra and the show choir. She plays the tenor and baritone saxophones, the upright bass, and is a self-taught guitarist.

Looking to the future, Dowdy hopes to attend the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. She said music inspires her because “I can express myself through music and no matter what emotion I am feeling, I can always put it in music and [create] something that not only makes me happy, but makes other people happy.” ∞