When Bloomingdale musician Brant French met his girlfriend, Ellabell resident Judith James, he said it was love at first sight and that he’s found the love of his life.

But that’s not the only thing French has going for him.

French plays bass and keyboards for the band Midnight Clear. The band recently submitted a video for a CBS Early Show’s nationwide Living Room Battle of the Bands contest.

Not only did CBS pick the band’s video to include in their show, but it has catapulted to the top of the competition and will enter the finals this coming week.

"Our goal is not to become rock stars," said French. "That’s too far out of our character. Rather, it is to get our music known nationally. I think its good enough for music lovers of all genres. This contest has opened a big door for us, so I think we might get a chance to find out if the public feels the same way."

French said even if he and his bandmates don’t take the top prize, coming this far has given them a chance to make it. He pointed to American Idol as an example, citing how many Idol runner-ups have made it big. Already, major record labels Columbia and Sony have sent the band emails expressing interest.

French describes the band’s sound as "Beatles influence with a mix of Bad Company and Coldplay."

Check them out on the band’s web site at www.midnightclearband.com. You can help decide if Midnight Clear will win CBS’s battle as the band with the most online votes on cbsearlyshow.com will win. The next step for Midnight Clear is to compete against two other finalists during Monday’s broadcast of the CBS Early Show, Sept. 10. Online voting is from Monday at 9 a.m. until noon Wednesday.