By Jake Friedberg
There were competitors of all classes, different genres and different styles, but something that everybody had in common was support and enthusiasm.
Some of Quinnipiac’s finest musicians came together on Nov. 8 for the annual Battle of the Bands competition. The competition was presented by WQAQ and Q30 Television. As the stage was being set up and the acts and audience started to make their way into the gym, the excitement became contagious. Veterans of Battle of the Bands would tell nervous first timers that its all fun and games, and everybody supports each other. These words of advice seemed to calm some nerves. For some of the bands such as “The Parachutes,” who came together solely for the purpose of Battle of the Bands, it would be the first time playing in front of a live audience. They were excited to see how it would go.
In this competition, 11 bands came together to show their stuff. The bands’ styles ranged from hard rock to a jam band, and even included some freestyle rapping. The fact that all performing acts where so unique kept the excitement going and the crowd wanting more.
All acts involved the crowd in some way. Some bands would talk to the crowd and tell jokes, while others would tell them to start dancing and put their hands in the air. Free-style rap group “AB Productions” even asked the audience for a topic to rap about. That topic ended up being sushi, and AB Productions killed it to say the least.
Other than the competition itself, there was a raffle for tickets to comedian Demitri Martin’s show at Toads Place in New Haven. There was also an intermission where pizza was served. During this time, the bands would congregate and mingle with each other discussing previous performances and their excitement for the future ones.
The entire event was about two and a half hours long. When the final act ended, it was time for the winners to be announced. Participants stood by their band members and crossed their fingers hoping that they would place. Coming in third and for the prize of $100 was “AB Productions”. In second place and for the prize of 200 dollars was the heavy metal band “Apoapsis”. Finally for first place and the prize of 300 dollars along with the privilege to open up for the spring concert was alternative band “Nice Guys Finish Last”.
In the final minutes of the Battle of the Bands, some seniors were left feeling sad that this was going to be the last time they could compete. Underclassmen look forward to next year’s battle.
Below is the set list:
Humanity’s Sake
The Sixth Ocean
AB Productions Presents…
The Parachutes
Connor Gilroy
Nice Guys Finish Last
Tres Legumbres
Objective Bravo
John Shepherd
Vindicated
Apoapsis
