My Experience @
Mid-South Battle of the Bands
October 4, 11, & 20, 2007
The Warehouse
Clarksville, Tennessee
Reviewed by JB
So the battle begins…Erik Smith, owner/founder of ES Management, shot me an email one day back in late summer asking if I would like to participate in judging a local battle of the bands. Smith explains who he is, tells me about his company, and details the local talent search. Since I am always game to meet new people, hear new bands, and hang at the warehouse I quickly agreed.
July 25, the website went live and the bands began registering. The competition was limited to an eighty mile radius surrounding Clarksville. Throughout the month of August an online voting system was available for all bands registered. The top bands were taken from that system and booked for the live shows on October 4 and 11. At the live shows, everyone in attendance was given a voting ballet and encouraged to vote for their favorite. There were 3 judges voting on a ten point scale (ten being the best) for creativity, originality, and overall stage performance. Those points were added in with the crowd’s responses to choose the winner of the preliminaries. The finale was scheduled for October 20.
The prizes for the event included a $1600 recording and promotion package plus other gifts from the sponsors. Speaking of sponsors, they were NashvilleRock.net, Eric Reason Productions, MadDog Promotions, Studio 41 Tattoos, Z97.5 Radio, Copies in a Flash, and Witchy Designs.
This event was planned well but here is what sucked…not many bands registered and by the time the event occurred, some had scheduling conflicts and some simply did not show. So what started as a 9 band battle ended up a 5 band scuffle. It’s cool, the bands played on; it’s just I felt bad for Smith, who had organized this awesome affair. Hey, when you’re handed lemons…you ask for tequila and salt, right?
Thursday, October 4, I was so psyched to get to the Warehouse that I was over an hour early; and for those who know me, knows that NEVER happens! Actually I wouldn’t have been that early if the show had begun on time; but that is expected in this business, and that’s another reason I love the business. Jerry, guitarist of Project Jones, and Chris Czynszak, editor-in-chief of NashvilleRock.net, completed the judges table. A representative from Studio 41 Tattoo was the emcee. 3 bands performed and 2 were chosen to move to the finale. Let me tell you about the bands…
First up was Linkous, a 4 piece band from Nashville. They only played 3-4 songs and never quite got the sound right and were very loose, but I kind of overlooked some of that racking it up to the first band of the night excuse and nerves relating to the battle. I loved the singer’s Seether-like voice and I really liked their songs. The things I didn’t like that I couldn’t overlook was the few slip-ups the drummer had, the lead guitar was way too loud and crisp while the singer’s guitar had a muddy sound, and as a whole they didn’t seem comfortable on stage. I wish I could have 2-3 more songs so maybe some of that could have been corrected. I could understand the sound they were trying to achieve and really liked their vision.
LINKOUS
Next up was Shakodi?, a 5 piece Clarksville band. These guys got on stage and immediately began to shred it up! The guitarists were un-freakin-believable! Their songs had depth and diversity. The lyrics were hard to understand because most were screamed instead of sang; but the singer screams with emotion and makes you feel the words. I fell in love with this band but I could tell that most of the crowd was not into their sound. They were loud and screaming…I hate labels and refuse to conform to segregating metal music…some people forget that no matter what era, screaming has always been incorporated into metal music and it always will be…just each generation will come up with their own method of use. This band was tight and knew what their mission was; they brought their game. Shakodi? rocked!
Closing the night was PSNGR, a 5 piece band from Clarksville. This was the first band of the night to actually hit up the crowd to vote for them. I have to be honest here, that is the only positive thing I have to say, so sorry. The band was loose and the vocals were horrible. I couldn’t understand a word he was singing and his voice had no range at all. But hey, what do I know, they did get an encore from the crowd!?
Now it was time for the crowd to vote for their 2 favorite bands. It was down to who won the crowd over and which band brought the most groupies. As for the first night of the battle, things were a little crazy and disorganized; but with these kinds of events it’s expected, you gotta have time to smooth out those rough edges. I had a great time but had to cut my night short and leave before the winners were announced. I hated to leave but it was late and I had quite a drive to get home. The next morning I was emailing Erik asking who had won…advancing to the finals from round 1 was Linkous and PSNGR.
Thursday, October 11, I arrived at the Warehouse to discover that even more bands dropped out and there were only 2 bands scheduled to play. To fill in space and help bring in listeners, 2 guest bands were prepared to play after the battle, After Elvis from Knoxville and Atlantic recording artist, Hot Action Cop. Eric Reasons of Eric Reasons Productions, some chick representing Studio 41 Tattoo, and I was the chosen judges; and the battling bands that night was…
Upon Arrival from Nashville opened things up. This 5 piece metal militia was excellent musically but seriously lacked stage presence. There was no crowd interaction, minimal talking between songs, and not much action during the songs. Their music was incredible, their songs had depth, and the musicianship was off the hook. The front man seemed a little nervous and I hope that’s all it was holding him back. I wanted him to open up and let out all that aggression he was singing about; I wanted him to convince me why he was screaming most of the lyrics. I simply wanted to feel the songs. I did really like these guys although the performance that night wasn’t battle worthy.
UPON ARRIVAL
The last act for the preliminary rounds of the battle was a group called The Jon Grisham Band. This 3 piece from Nashville had their game together; but quickly lost me by opening up with a cover song, and by the end of their set half of the songs they played were covers. To say the least, I was not impressed they could play other band’s music. The few originals they did play were good and they were great musicians, but don’t come to a battle using someone else’s weapons! Their sound was way different than any other band in the competition; they had a more southern fried rockabilly style that the crowd loved.
JON GRISHAM BAND
So, that was it for the prelims. The second night had run a lot smoother and everything fell right into place. Again, I had an early morning and long drive so I left before After Elvis and Hot Action Cop went on. I hated to leave and really wanted to see the guest bands but I did have other responsibilities. Since there were only 2 battling bands, only one did continue. I found out the next day that The Jon Grisham Band had advanced to the finals.
Saturday night, October 20, marked the finale of the Mid-South Battle of the Bands. There were 3 bands fighting for the prizes. The Warehouse had an awesome crowd. Z97.5 did a live remote to promote the event. Matt, lead singer of Hollowed Soul, was the emcee for the night. Eric Reason, the chick from Studio 41 Tattoo, and I were the judges again. So, this was it…one band was walking away with the studio and promotion package along with miscellaneous prizes. And the finalists are…
PSNGR went on first and did not impress me for a second time. The guitar was way too loud and the vocals were awful. The band as a whole was all over the place, very loose. Maybe with time and voice lessons this band could be presentable, but they are going to have to check the egos at the door and get A LOT tighter as a group!
Next up was Linkous which were loose opening up but quickly got their act together. These guys must have put in lots of practice time because they were much better than the first night. They still need more stage presence and action on stage, but that will come as they play out more and more. They are smart to get the music down first, then work on the performance. Tonight the lead singer was smooth as Eddie Vedder of Pear Jam; his voice is so familiar and radio ready. Their songs are catchy and have pretty good hooks. With the right producer and manager, this band could crossover into mainstream with little or no effort. Good luck, guys, keep rocking!
Closing out the competition was The Jon Grisham Band. These guys are great musicians and their sound is solid. They could have blown away all the competition if they had only decided to play their originals the entire set. Over half the set was covers and in a battle that is the last thing I want to hear! I wish them the best of luck; even though I feel they don’t really need it, they are a phenomenal band!
After giving the crowd ample time to vote for their favorite, all ballots were counted…and winner of the $1600 recording and promotion package went to…..PSNGR!? Well, this proves that the more groupies and/or family you bring, the more votes you get!
Even though I was not happy with the end result, the Mid-South Battle of the Bands was a success. I did meet some incredible people and hear some new bands! Erik Smith did an impeccable job putting this together and I do hope he will remember me for next year’s battle. I had a great time judging and a better time making new connections and friends. Check out all the bands from this year’s battle on MySpace. Until next year’s battle, get out there and support your local music scene!
Horns Up,
JB
JB@NashvilleRock.net
www.myspace.com/jb35679
Disclaimer: The opinions in this and all articles in JB’s Feminine Hyjinx are mine alone. I am a music journalist, I report it as I see and hear it. My brutal honesty may offend the lighthearted; my negative remarks are not meant to degrade, they are intended as constructive criticism for musicians who can grow and learn from reviewers like myself.