So you say you’re a student at Saint Louis University and you love live music? Well, where were you last night? If you had any good sense or a modicum of school pride, you found yourself at the Greek Week Battle of the Bands, held in the Griesedieck Hall lobby. Eight SLU bands performed, all gunning for the grand prize of $100 and the opening slot at Spring Fever on April 25.
Wydown was the first to perform, followed by singer-songwriter Mike Otepka. Unfortunately, I missed these acts, though I have it on good authority that both performances were pretty solid. Otepka has made the rounds at KSLU open mic nights over the past year, and this reviewer is increasingly impressed with the young man’s expressive vocals and accomplished song craft.
Dave Paradise and The Reef were next, serving up a mix of shoe-gazing melodies and rock-steady, head-bobbing rock ‘n’ roll. The new sound is a marked improvement from Paradise’s somewhat rambling show at last year’s Battle of the Bands; the band sounds more inspired by early Smashing Pumpkins than Sublime or Phish, no doubt a smart move. The addition of Paradise’s younger sister Amy is also a nice change, and her harmonies on “Dreadlock Girl” were quite welcome.
The mood got a bit more frantic when One Man Out took the makeshift stage. With SLU junior’s Sam Lalk’s plucky, Flea-inspired bass runs and singer Krissy Tourkakis’ ringleader yelpings, the band sought to win over the crowd by pummeling them with bursts of noise and tempo changes. It sounds like this band bought a few expensive guitar peddles but never bothered to learn how to use them. And, not surprisingly, their ode to gay penguins in “Penguin Song” failed to inspire the crowd.
While they were hardly the most technically proficient band on the bill, I couldn’t help but enjoy Machismo’s two-song set. The five-member band looked like a bunch of B-team soccer players who bought a few Iggy Pop records and decided to start a band. Shoot, it worked for The Strokes, so maybe Machismo will get some sweet record deal down the road. Guitarist Mike Chirco explained that the band formed two weeks ago with the intent of performing in this competition. I didn’t doubt it one bit.
Flipside is the new project of SLU junior Tim Alford, who is still quite enamored with the Dave Matthews/John Mayer school of rootsy, acoustic balladry. It was difficult to make out his vocals in the mix, but his lyrics seem to be of the inward-looking, earnest guy type. Matt Derginer switched from a phase-heavy electric guitar to an alto saxophone for the second song, and while multi-instrumentalists always get bonus points, Flipside made it clear just how hard it is to work horns into rock music. Still, give these guys a few more months and things should look brighter.
The Brews were perhaps the most eager for fame of all the bands, complete with a merch table full of CDs and t-shirts. Their style of high-gloss punk rock was a hit with the crowd, and their well-choreographed jumps weren’t quite punk but were, well, cute. The Brews’ set was tight and succinct, a welcome sound compared to the loose, wandering jams that a few of the night’s bands opted for.
And while The Brews are perhaps the most promising young band on SLU’s campus, the night belonged to Stoked Mobius. The band has been playing around SLU for the past four years, including last year’s Spring Fever, and has accrued a nice little following. Their sense of humor is a big part of their on-stage charm, as seen in their version of Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You” that prefaced “Empty World.” Stoked Mobius took home the $100 and the prestige of opening up the Spring Fever stage later this month.
If you can’t wait until then to hear more quality SLU music, check out Fat Freddie’s this Saturday night, as Dave Paradise and The Reef will play through the night, with Flipside opening.
James Clement/The University News
(top) SLU junior Sam Lalk and Krissy Tourkakis rip it up with their band, One Man Out. (bottom) SLU junior Matt Derginer blows his horn as part of Flipside. Both bands took part in Greek Week’s Battle of the Bands, which happened last night in the Gries lobby.
