Notes from guest judge, record producer Adam Smith:
Jonathan Walker/Collegian
Simpson of a Down - “Accomplished what they came to do.”
Jonathan Walker/Collegian
Already Taken - “High Energy.”
Jonathan Walker/Collegian
Streetfight - “Like Billy from ZZ Top – it’s incredible that a guy that isn’t 70 years old is pulling off those vocals."
Jonathan Walker/Collegian
Billy and His Magic Swingest - "Blake could never live up to me."
Jonathan Walker/Collegian
Pronoia - “Fresh approach to metal with the homage to the heart of metal and what it is today.”
Jonathan Walker/Collegian
Tear Filled Aquarium - “Captured the quirkiness of their avante garde genre.”
Jonathan Walker/Collegian
Searching for Shoes - “Only band of their category, and only female vocalist."
Jonathan Walker/Collegian
Greybyrd and His Large Band - “A current folk-rock sound.”
Photo courtesy of Ethan Lewis
Juny - “He could make a career out of it, right on, perfect.”
Anthony Gonzalez/Collegian
Midnight Special - “Awesome, tight, well-rehearsed, rocked the funk.”
My socks were rocked off, and that is no easy task.
Ten bands, ranging from folk to blues to metal and alternative pop put hundreds of Hillsdale students in motion, jumping, flailing, grooving and getting down with their bad-shimmying selves during the Hillsdale College Battle of the Bands on Saturday.
“It’s great to know there are other people on campus that want to make music and want to show it,” Hillsdale sophomore vocalist Tory Maul said.
Phi Mu Alpha and Pi Beta Phi organized the Battle of the Bands over a number of weeks by first speaking to known campus musicians and then gathering support through advertising.
“The campus is crawling with musicians who are desperate to find an outlet for it,” Maul said. “I give credit to the Phi Mu’s and Pi Phi’s.”
Billy and the Magic Swingset won the $175 first prize. The six-man lineup, comprised of juniors Blake Smith, Tom Richards and Scott Keenan, sophomore Aaron Johnson and freshmen Rob Ogden and Andrew Dodson, will split the cash award and share honors.
Freshmen Dan Miloch performed as Juny with roommate Nick Tabor backing him on guitar and Lansing-based friend Steven McCarthy on drums. Juny earned second place.
Three judges and a crowd vote decided the winners. Judges included Gail Nelson of Hillsdale Academy, Hillsdale junior Mallon Mackenzie and professional record producer Adam Smith, of Nashville, Tenn.
Smith, who has served as crew member through 60 concerts this year, has a history of participation in band battles.
“Most of [the bands] were good, some of them were unbelievable,” Smith said, adding this battle was especially high quality. “For me, it is originality mixed with pure talent, [bands that] find what they’re good at and really push the envelope.”
Each judge ranked the bands on a one to 10 scale. Each judge accounted for 25 percent of the score. The crowd vote accounted for 25 percent of the final score. Because a few bands played at equally high levels, the crowd vote likely pushed Billy and His Magic Swingset to victory.
Already Taken
After a pre-arranged skit by sophomore Cody Strecker, Already Taken covered Blink 182, Offspring, Weezer and the Beastie Boys.
Juniors Virginia Goodrich, Lauren Clark and Anna Ashmore joined the carnival-like stage antics of junior Joel Musser, and sophomores Ben Liebing, Cam Logan and Jeremiah Regan.
“We were recruited by Ben Liebing three days ago,” Clark said. “He recruited us to be really, really good looking and for our incredible vocal stylings.”
Greybyrd and His Large Band
Sophomore Ryan Leng maintained his presence in the campus music scene with a set of three original songs.
Leng has performed many times around Hillsdale, but led his band through an especially strong rendition of his original, “Lunita.”
The Midnight Special
After a name change and near breakup, The Midnight Special returned with a vengeance, as sophomores Evan Moran, Kyle Janke and Jon Dunn slammed through a well-chosen set of songs.
The Midnight Special encouraged the crowd to move in a variety of ways, from grooving to rocking, throughout barnburner “Speaking In Tongues” by the Eagles of Death Metal, one original song, and covers of the White Stripes, Jimi Hendrix and the Black Keys.
“Every time I see Jon Dunn on the drums I’m shocked all over again--he’s so quiet,” senior Dan Silliman said.
“I didn’t reach terminal velocity,” Dunn said.
Tear Filled Aquarium
After a Dashboard Confessional cover and catchy second track, Tear Filled Aquarium showed their emo souls with original Fritz Nuffer composition, “Elegy For a Friend.”
Sophomores Ethan Lewis and Jameson Cunningham and freshmen Nick Tabor and Drew Gonshorowski backed Nuffer.
Nuffer’s front man efforts reached to the crowd while the band encouraged widespread pogoing.
Pronoia
The pogo crowd did not stop as Pronoia took the stage. With Nuffer still in the lead, sophomore Ethan Lewis and freshmen Ken Busch, Nate Furiate and Jim Likoudis pounded out a set of metal.
Although some students vacated during their set, a dedicated crew of metal fans responded with intensity.
Billy and His Magic Swingset (First Place)
After an up-tempo opening number, lead man Smith had the audience’s attention and never let it go.
“You’re such a good crowd,” Smith said to the large audience, who not only danced and yelled along, but also listened intently between songs.
Billy and His Magic Swingset presented a cohesive and full sound with fun rhythms, strong horn solos and snappy drumming as they covered Dave Matthews Band.
Streetfight
Juniors Peter Manto, Andrew Fink and Nils Bergland took the stage riding a wave of energy from Billy and the Magic Swingset. After a quick setup, Streetfight rode this momentum with an energized blues set that showcased a strutting Manto, perfect Bergland and classy Fink.
“They were really together and they had the crowd under control,” senior Joe Hunt said. “Andrew Fink’s solos were out of this world.”
Melinda Von Sydow, lecturer in English and a veteran of dozens of 1960s concerts, called Streetfight her favorite band of the night, a revision of her earlier pick Pronoia.
“Did I tell you I saw Cream’s farewell tour in 1969?” Von Sydow asked as Streetfight broke into a rendition of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” that brought students to a fevered pitch with screaming women in the front and crowd surfers above.
Simpson of a Down
Simpson of a Down chose an especially challenging band to cover--System of A Down--and pulled it off with accuracy and energy.
By the looks of the sweaty moshers gulping water after their blistering four-song set, Simpson of A Down accomplished metal perfection with tight transitions and finishes.
Juny (Second Place)
Miloch managed to follow a blistering metal set with refined and soulful songwriting. Two originals and two covers showcased Miloch’s passionate vocals and country folk guitar rhythms.
Miloch never broke into screaming metal or amplified power, but his songs held sway over the audience with an unmatched artistic intensity.
Searching For Shoes
Searching For Shoes took the stage around midnight. Three polished, energetic numbers closed the evening with strong vocals by sophomore Noah Kerr and Maul.
“I’m pretty politically conservativ, but this is who I am and I’m not afraid to put it out there,” Maul said.
Senior Donal Cousino and junior Josh Peterson served as rhythm section and backup vocalists, completing the Searching For Shoes sound and sophomore Cameron Rodeck sat in on keyboard for their final number.Related links:
- The Narrows (official band website)