thedailystar.com

 A Delaware County-based roots band will be competing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday in the PlayOff competition to search for the best company band in the world. It is sponsored by the Hall and Inc. magazine. Esquela earned the right to compete by winning in May at the Nashville regional competition, according to the event website. Band frontman John “Chico” Finn, 45, is from Bovina, who founded the band in 2008, said “it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” The band’s current album is “Are We Rolling?” The link to the event Saturday will be live starting at 7 p.m. at www.rockhall.com. Esquela is scheduled to perform for about 15 minutes at 8:10 p.m., Finn said. The judges include Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers. Music is a creative outlet for Finn, the chief executive officer of Indiepay, a Manhattan-based payroll processor in the film and television industry. It has an office in Delhi. With the addition of a singer from the company, Allyson Wilson, the band met the criteria that 50 percent of its members had to work for the company and they couldn’t be professional musicians, he said. Matt Woodin, a company employee, plays guitar. Others from outside Indiepay are Brian Shafer on guitar, Rebecca Frame on vocals and Todd Russell on drums and vocals, all of whom have ties to the area. The band is performing on the way to the Cleveland show with stops scheduled at venues in Rochester and Buffalo, according to a media release. Finn, who learned to play bass at age 31, said that although he does some vocals, he is more of an instrumentalist and songwriter. “It will be a great experience,” he said, adding that the hardest part was getting through the regionals. Although most bands were from larger companies, “we were the only one that did originals,” he said. He said he will be happy whatever the results. “This will be the icing on the cake,” he said. He said he has no plans to quit his day job, no matter how the band does, but he’s hopeful the appearance will lead to more gigs in this area. “I wouldn’t want to be on the road for most of the year,” he said. More information about the band can be found on its website, www.esquelatheband.com.