With a menagerie of acrobatic musicians doing their best David Lee Roth impersonations and speakers bursting with crunchy riffs and slamming drums, the Student Association Battle of the Bands was a success for the third straight year.
The battle was held this past Friday in a packed Student Union Theater. Five local bands competed for the coveted opening position at Spring Fest, as well as a hefty sum of $500.
The five bands were Letters to Mabel, From These Eyes, The Common Kings, Juxtaposse and For What It's Worth.
Juxtaposse owned the crowd from their first guitar lick. With their unique instrumentation, infectious grooves and commanding vocals, they were crowned winners of the third annual battle.
Songs like "Swayed" and "Rebels" brought members roaring to the front of the stage for the first time the entire night. Even those that were not a member of Juxtaposse's large fan base couldn't help but be intrigued by the jazzy saxophone solos paired with reggae beats.
The second place winner was From These Eyes, and if any band could have competed with Juxtaposse, this group was the one. Although From These Eyes had a much smaller selection of instruments, the set was still very strong and well cut.
Performing with just an acoustic guitar, bass and drum set, From These Eyes made the most of their arrangement. With songs like "Forgive and Forget," accompanied by Jason Mraz-like vocals, great guitar parts, and even some beat boxing, they kept the crowd attentive.
Electrical engineering major Derek Mascarenhas said that From These Eyes was his favorite group of the battle because they had "more musical talent and energy."
From These Eyes had the crowd in a hypnotic state of head bobbing and foot-tapping. Their impressive performance earned them $250 and also an opening slot in Spring Fest.
What It's Worth, who netted third place, had shown great potential but seemed to lack punch. Although the group was a bit heavier in comparison to the other groups, they kept the yelling and screaming in well-balanced check.
Of course, if the heavy metal wasn't pleasing to the crowd, the guitar tossing and synchronized jumping certainly put them on the map. Some of the moves pulled off by What It's Worth guitarists surely could have put gymnasts and circus performers in their place.
The Common Kings had a good start but lost a good bit of their momentum after that. The band would have found more success with stronger vocals, considering the actual music and lyrics were both well written.
Letters to Mabel seemed to be well received in comparison, but sounded too much like many other mainstream bands. Their emotive lyrics, acoustic parts, and nice groove were accessible to most, but they simply lacked the unique quality to fully impress the crowd.
As predictable as the battle was at points, it was still full of impressive and talented groups that proved enjoyable, and the end result wasn't as contestable as the outcome from last year's battle.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
