Students and parents waited anxiously for the start of the third annual Arts, Culture, and Humanities and Science and Society Battle of the Bands Finals competition in the Tabler Arts Center’s Black Box Theatre Thursday night.
The Battle of the Bands competition first started in the spring of 2008 semester by students who wanted to develop a music scene on campus and the Arts, Culture, and Humanities Council and the Science and Society Council.
The competition allows each of the five bands a 20-minute set and a chance to win a Barnes & Noble gift card, but it’s clear that these bands are there just to have a good time and play music.
In the three years since Battle of the Bands, the campus music scene has changed significantly. And with the help of students Patrice Zapiti and Carlos Parreno, who created the popular RockYoFaceCase event in the University Cafe, student musicians now have an outlet to perform, and students have a place to watch free, live music without having to travel off-campus.
“They [the bands] are judged on a variety of categories, musicianship, stage presence,” said Norm Prusslin, director of the Living Learning Centers for Media Arts and Interdisciplinary Arts.
The musical environment on campus is as diverse as the university’s student body. Thursday night’s Battle of the Bands showcased that musical diversity.
This year’s event featured Bedtime is Boring, Hello Jupiter, Magnificent Beast, The Given Motion, and Mother F’Nature.
Bedtime is Boring, a self-described three-part harmony group was the first band up to perform to an small and intimate crowd. Bedtime is Boring’s set featured mellow harmonies and unique instruments, including a makeshift drum set made out of three different pots. Following them was trio Hello Jupiter that performed a range of different musical genres in their four-song set, including funk beats blaring under rock-infused vocals and a hip-hop song played to a rock tempo.
“We are just a band that doesn’t really care about genre. We’re just kinda looking to push things forward,” said bassist Maxwell Rudkin. “We’re just trying to express the visions of three different song writers.”
“Hello Jupiter has a great sound to it,” said a freshman in the audience to one of her friends.
As the night went on the audience grew larger and the black box theatre was becoming increasingly crowded with an audience filled with anticipation and energy as though they knew the best was yet to come
The third band to perform was Magnificent Bear and featured singer and guitarist Carlos Parreno, a founding creator of RockYoFaceCase. During the performance, Parreno said he was glad Battle of the Bands was still going.
Down a bass player and a drummer, The Given Motion performed an acoustic set. Their performance is a prime example that less can be more. They may have been down two members, but they put together a great performance.
Following the Given Motion was Mother F ’Nature, which put on an entertaining and lively performance that gave the event a genuine concert feel.
The room was filled with darkness and the sounds of guitars chords and pounding drums for a full minute until lead singer, Patrice Zapiti came up to the mic with a pink, glittered star painted over her left eye.
“This is a battle of the bands,” screamed Zapiti over the music. “ I’m taking this seriously.” They headed into their set and the crowd went crazy.
For a moment, it was as though you weren’t standing on the second floor of the Tabler Arts Center, and instead were in the middle of a concert in New York City. Their performance ended the night on an adrenaline-fueled rush that almost made you forget it was a band competition but then the judges called the audience to silence and announced the night’s winners.
The Given Motion came in third place, Hello Jupiter came in second, and Mother F’Nature won first place.
Regardless of the results, each band that performed that night gave the audience an amazing show that illustrates just how much the campus needs, and wants, events like RockYoFaceCase, Battle of the Bands and Open Mic Night.
