Battle of the Bands

Last Friday as part of Spring Fling, while a mechanical bull raged in the Fireplace Lounge, the real fight was happening at the Battle of the Bands outside. A large crowd gathered to feast on free popcorn, cotton candy and energy drinks, all while watching a number of groups perform. Blue Camp kicked off the show. This student group is known for their numerous appearances on campus, including their time performing with Zox. Blue Camp’s armada of instruments includes a guitar, a saxophone, drums, bongos, and a keyboard. With this collection of instruments, the band performed a diverse range of music, varying from alternative rock with an emo influence to a funk inspired jam band. Another interesting performance involved the recently evolved You Need New Glasses. The band has recently incorporated a new drummer into their mix from the Art Institute of Boston. The bands new drummer helps propel the group into new realms of experimentation. The audience knew something different was coming when the group brought a projector onto stage where they showed Mondo Cane, a 1962 “shockumentary.” You Need New Glasses’ guitarist, Andrew Mason, explains, “adding a visual aspect is something we wanted to add to our performance, because no one else really does that here.” You Need New Glasses’ style is difficult to describe, many times it sounds like funk, and then its tempo changes send into a rock feel. You Need New Glasses placed Second in the Battle. Another group performing was At Ropes End. This group was a change from most the rest of the show. At Ropes End was a strong punk band with a solid amount of ska influence to diversify the music. The crowd got rowdy and a group of students began skanking (a form of dance) in the crowd. Although they provided a strong performance and got the crowd going, At Ropes End had to cut their performance short by one song after one of the member’s strings broke. The Ron Noyes Band joined the stage with two guitars, one electric and one acoustic, as well as a bass, drums and a keyboard. The group brought a taste of folk rock incorporated with a southern feel. The group could be likened to the sounds produced by the collaborative works of Rob Thomas and Carlos Santana. The Ron Noyes Band took home the title of Champion of The Battle of the Bands, and went on to play with the groups appearing at Saturday’s concert. According to Mason, in order to appear with the various people performing on Saturday, a group must go through a lengthy process. Not only does a band have to win the actual Battle, but also there are additional qualifiers, which a band must go through. The additional qualifier is a requirement that the group perform in front of the Spring Fling committee, who ultimately decides who makes it to the Battle. Mason explained that the first time they auditioned they did not make it passed the auditioning board. However, with the addition of two members and a complete drum set, the group jumped from not even being allowed to compete to making second place in the Battle of the Bands. One hope for future Battle of the Bands is a more extensive diversification in styles of music, as many were highly influenced by funk and leaned towards jam band styles.