You may already know how Spring Fling’s Battle of the Bands works: tons of bands sign up, get to play on the Friday night of Spring Fling, and then first, second and third places are chosen.
Money is handed out, and the number one band gets to open up for the headlining band on Saturday night, right?
Not this year. Tom Rice is in charge of this year’s battle and, with the different rules and regulations, it’s sure to be an interesting event.
As of April 4, 23 bands are trying out for six slots in this year’s BOTB. The thirteen will compete in the first round weeks before the scheduled battle. Judges will choose the six best bands that will move onto the second round. These six bands will play on Friday night, and compete for money, an incredible show, and most importantly, bragging rights. “This year, the Battle is a winner-takes-all,” states Rice, “the winners will take home $400 and, of course, open for the Dropkick Murphys and Catch 22 on Saturday night.”
This year’s battle also has a headliner, which is going to be a complete secret until the Friday of Spring Fling. “By bringing in a more well-known and experienced band, we hope to attract more students to this year’s battle,” Rice explains.
So who will make it into those six slots? It’s a complete toss-up. Not one single band sounds like the other this year, which will make it especially difficult for the judges. One of the top contenders, The If in Life out of South Berwick, Maine, formed during the summer of 2005. “Once their old vocalist dropped out, we changed the name and wrote all new songs” states the (new) bands lead vocalist Matt Tetreault, who’s a sophomore at Plymouth State University.
Over the past few years The If in Life’s fan base has grown across Maine and New Hampshire, now playing up to twelve shows in a month to crazy experimental rock listeners. “We write for ourselves and what we would like to play,” explains Tetreault, “not to make people dance at our shows or fight each other either.” The If in Life doesn’t rely upon trusty “over-done” combinations of chords with their songs, and are not afraid of trying anything new. With this kind of experience under there belts (with also a tour in the South coming up this summer) The If in Life are sure to be one of the bands to beat at this year’s BOTB.
Another top contender in this year’s BOTB is The Safe Escape, stationed right in Plymouth. Just newly formed in April of 2006, this band’s indie, pop-punk and experimental sound does everything but make you stand still. “We are four guys that love acting like idiots and playing music together,” states Mike Kim, the lead vocalist and guitarist “we are loud, and the synth is so 80’s it hurts.”
In less than a year, The Safe Escape has formed a fan base across New Hampshire, playing in Plymouth, Concord, Pembroke, Nashua, and a number of popular bars in Manchester (Milly’s Tavern, specifically). Their passion for music is always apparent at their shows, as Kim explains, “We do something fun that people can enjoy – it’s familiar enough that people can say ‘sounds like….’ but at the same time, our energy and devotion to each other really shows onstage.”
Another band familiar to many Plymouth State students is Forging Reverie, the self-declared “progressive alternative rock” group which formed in February of 2006. With an EP already out (Dynamism), and in the studio creating a full length album, Skipping Stones, Forging Reverie has a lot of experience with playing shows as well as experimenting with different sounds in the studio. “The four of us come from different musical backgrounds, so we have a whole plethora of influences and techniques” states guitarist Derek Heidemann, a sophomore at PSU.
Although Forging Reverie only plays a handful of shows a month, they know what they’re doing. “We’re trying to not play on campus all the time, simply because we don’t want to become a regular bar band” explains Heidemann. “We’re the kind of music where if you really pay attention something new will come out [of a song] every time you hear it.” With their sing-a-long songs and surprisingly full sound (especially from a three piece band), Forging Reverie will put up a fight at this year’s battle.
Last but certainly not least, is the melodic death metal band Malacoda. Forming in February of 2006, the band has come a long way in such a short period of time. “We have the same instruments as most death metal bands, but we want to try and take that sound and evolve it into something more intense, but also much more melodic,” states lead guitarist Ryan Williamson. Malacoda plays only about two shows a month, but they’re planning a summer tour across New England and down the east coast.
Although Malacoda might be one of the less experienced bands trying to snag a slot in the battle, their unique sound and style compared to the other bands can easily turn them into an underdog. “We’re going to try our best and play as hard as we can and see what happens. Even if we don’t win, we still got to play and that’s what it’s all about,” explains Williamson. With talent and that kind of attitude, you may just see this local band opening up for the Dropkick Murphys.
It’s obvious that this year’s battle will be nothing like the previous. The diversity of the bands will be a shock to the students who are used to the generic musical acts previously seen at most Battles. Also, look for the interesting advertisements that will be used to promote this year’s BOTB; “We’re ordering between 250 and 300 ‘back-stage passes’ that will be used to give the lineup of the bands,” Tom Rice states. No, these passes aren’t real-but they will be handed out to students and will have all the information needed about the battle. What more do you need?