Bands battle for title
Sophomore Jamie Knox led the production of the event for the RSA. She put in several hours of work with David McLaughlin, the sophomore representative from Phi Mu Alpha, to make sure it ran without a hitch.
“This event was very successful and it ran a lot more smoothly than last year,” said Knox. “We had a lot of people working to make this event a success and that is the only way it was able to work.”
Before the bands began, members of Art as an Agent for Change took the stage. They recited some poetry slams to promote their upcoming event, Poetic Notions 2009. This event will take place on Saturday at 7 p.m., in the MSU lounge.
The first band, the Jazz Bandits, played a mix of contemporary jazz-influenced pieces which displayed the musicians’ talent with several compelling improv parts. Far from dull, their music pumped up the crowd which would stay excited for the remainder of the event.
Next, a band called Titan took the stage. They began their set with an original piece, in which they asked the audience to sit and enjoy the soft tones. After this, they brought the energy level back up with two fast paced rock songs.
Orange Vanessa played after Titan. Their unique sound held the audience’s attention. A glance at the players showed the dedication and passion they had for their music.
Seconds From Falling played fourth, exhibiting a pop-punk mix of original songs. Their music had the audience jumping and singing along throughout their set. Some excited fans brought signs to help support and encourage the band.
The last band that played in the contest was The Stumbling Toads. The music that these musicians played had a modern blues feel. The band played a mix of originals and covers, keeping the audience’s rapt attention from the first to last note.
Fans were not bored while the judges deliberated. Last year’s winner of the judge’s award, Orange Free State, played several songs to keep the audience engaged. Also, AAC Poetic Notions took the stage one more time.
The bands’ performances were judged both by faculty and audiences votes. The audience voted by placing the tickets that they were given upon entrance into one of five jars, each labeled with a band’s name.
Seconds From Falling won the audience vote. The cheers after their performance could have predicted this outcome; however they also accumulated the most ticket votes. They were awarded $100 for their stellar performance.
“The Battle of the Bands was a great experience, and a lot of fun,” said freshman rhythm guitar player for Seconds From Falling, Matt Williams. “There was a great mix of musical genres and a lot of talent among the bands.”
Dr. Amy Burt, Corey Tanner and Cindy McClanahan, the faculty judges, picked a different winner for their award: The Stumbling Toads. This band won $250.
“The bands were evaluated by three judges based on their stage presence, engaging the audience, musical ability, song choice, along with other factors,” said Knox. “The three judges discussed all the bands and came to a decision after evaluating every band.”
This year’s winners of the Battle of the Bands will be playing together at an RSA event between Parkhurst and Foundation Halls. If you missed them last week, make sure to check out GCSU’s most talented bands on May 1.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 17 2009. Filed under Features.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
