Review in The Noise

MINDWALK, FOREIGN TITLES, SET IN STONE, RED SHIFT, SAM AND KATIE, CRUNGE, CASEY SULLIVAN & THE ALIBI, VIADA
14th Annual WBCN High School Battle of the Bands
Harper's Ferry, Allston, MA
4/6/08
I'm judging this round of the 14th Annual Battle of the High School Bands. This younger brother to the Rumble features the same exact contest rules with the exception that each round features eight bands instead of your typical four bands. Judging is the same as well. High and low scores are eliminated to prevent cheating and eliminate biases. And while the prize packs for the winners may not be as glorious as the winners of the Rumble, there is some serious loot on the line, such as recording time in After Midnight Studios as well as scholarships to Berklee College of Music.
The first band is Mindwalk. They are a prog-metal band with a drum kit the size of a small automobile. The kid behind the kit can barely see over the snare but wails away like a madman. Factor in some crazy guitar solos and a power ball and this three-piece has me thinking the winner won't be too hard to figure out.
Foreign Titles has a really cool sound that is a bit ethereal and dreamlike. The jams are good but I'd like to see more work on the vocal hooks. Overall not bad.
Set in Stone starts with a very cool Indian jam that sounds right out of Kashmir, then they go into party rock and end with a poorly done Aerosmith cover. Still, overall not bad.
Red Shift's set begins with dialogue and then a false start. Very rough start. The set improves and they get over it but I don't think their recovery will be enough to take them onward.
Sam and Katie are arguably terrible. This folk-rock duo s best asset is the clever fact that neither of them are named Sam or Katie. Still it's nice to see more females involved in high school rock. Last year I didn t see any.
Crunge has the worst band name I've ever heard, since my high school band, the Chainsaw Surgeons, were around. Despite the bad band name, they immediately get the attention of Harpers Ferry's cute bartender on duty, Katie. It's fun rocking music that obviously gets the girl moving, so I approve. Plus Katie told me that she thinks they should win so I add an extra point. To the fellahs of Crunge, you owe Katie one.
Casey Sullivan & the Alibi are pretty good. It's good to see another female involved with the contest. Casey is no shab either. She reminds me of Gwen Stefani in her punk phase. They bring up the lead singer of the Mystery Tramps, last year's Battle of the High School Bands winner to sit in for a bit, and achieve the best harmonies of the night. They have some catchy songs and some good lyrics. This is a band to watch.
Viada closes the night with a six-minute epic journey of a song that draws heavily in influence from the band Tool. There is a lot of screeching and loud noises but the musicianship isn't as tight and creative as Tool should be.
I head up into the balcony with the four other judges and deliberate. Who wins the battle? Exactly who I thought... Mindwalk. Congratulations guys! (Kier Byrnes)
 
 
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