There Can Only Be One

Ah, the Battle of the Bands. Whether an attempt to perform a “most triumphant” rock concert in order to deliver mankind from a grisly alternate destiny (Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey), or taking on The River Bottom Nightmare Band to earn enough cash to buy a piano for your Muppet mother (Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas), the time-honored tradition maintains a special place in the hearts and minds of music fans. And not just those who watch too much Saturday afternoon television . . . ahem.

In this very column last week [1], I reported that I’d be judging a Battle of the Bands at Saint Michael’s College. Despite my reservations about participating in the unseemly union of competition and art, I was eager to catch a glimpse of the music currently being created in the hallowed halls of our institutions of higher education. It’s been a few years since my cameo appearance at UVM. So, as I ventured into St. Mike’s McCarthy Arts Center last Thursday, I wondered how much the scene had changed since those halcyon days of Sublime, Strangefolk and Phish knockoffs populating the quads and student lounges of Groovy Uvee. The answer: not much, apparently.

By and large, the proceedings were marked by a handful of pretty generic “college bands.” While aimless, meandering funk and jammy noodling certainly pleased the crowd’s head-bobbing broseph contingent, by and large it seems as though college rock hasn’t really evolved in the last 10 years or so — or, since most of these whippersnappers were 8 years old. But perhaps I’m just dating myself.

Heady dude-rock aside, the evening was not without its more interesting moments. In a rather unexpected turn, third-place finishers Mike Check weren’t even technically a “band,” per se. The group represented that unique collegiate musical subset, the all-male a cappella group. While they won’t be giving Rockapella a run for their money anytime soon, the boys — bizarrely bedecked in costumes that crossed The Village People with the cast of Flashdance — served up a quintessentially cutesy set of pop covers, and even a passable barbershop number. They were easily a crowd favorite. But I’m guessing the UVM Top Cats [2] and Middlebury’s Dissipated 8 [3] can rest easy . . . for now.

Taking home the silver was an appropriately groovy UVM outfit, The Sepia Tones [4]. The pop-funk quartet was probably the tightest outfit on the bill — “tightness” was actually a judging criteria. Having spent the last year or so gigging on and off campus, they were also the most polished group, delivering a sound vaguely reminiscent of Portland, Maine’s Rustic Overtones — speaking of late-’90s college faves.

The winner was an energetic outfit called Fink [5]. An obvious hometown crowd-pleaser, the SMC collective balanced relatively sharp jam tendencies with smart, almost anthemic rock not so far afield from pop-rock gurus Spoon. They also provided the best moment of the evening.

The battle’s organizers were rigid — almost to the point of obnoxiousness — about keeping each band’s set time within the designated 10 minutes. After flashing the houselights as a warning, on a number of occasions they simply turned out the lights altogether, often in mid-song. It would have been humorous in an exit-music-at-the-Oscars sort of way, were it not so ham-fisted and borderline rude. But in an act of teen-movie-inspired defiance, Fink — the evening’s last act — refused to be silenced. With the crowd in a legitimate(ish) frenzy, they continued rocking well past lights-out, winning the hearts of the audience and judges alike. Rock and effin’ roll.

One other act of note was the evening’s first entrant, experimental rock duo Maga [6]. They likely didn’t score as highly as they should have, but that was perhaps more a result of unfortunate mixing-board follies than their ability. Alternating among guitar, piano, drums and some spacey percussion looping, the decidedly un-groovy UVM outfit delivered the night’s most ambitious set. But, given the crowd’s thirst for more conventional fare, that likely worked against them. In a more appropriate setting — i.e., one in which you could actually hear the vocals — they would definitely be a band to catch.

KIDS IN THE HALL
Last spring, I reported on a curious night of comedy and improv at beloved Burlington live-music landmark Nectar’s. Though it often flies under the radar — perhaps because the music editor at this alt-weekly is the only person who writes about it with any regularity — Vermont actually has a pretty solid standup comedy scene. Who knew? Oh, right. I did.

Anyway, the evening I’m referring to was coordinated by two young aspiring comics, James Huessy and Mike Thomas. I caught the latter — once again as a judge, believe it or not — at last winter’s Higher Ground Comedy Battle. Apparently, the night was such a success that Nectar’s has tabbed the high schoolers to continue the show as an ongoing series. So, from now until the end of time — or at least graduation, I suppose — the first Tuesday of every month will be a standup-comedy free-for-all at the house that Phish built. Huessy and Thomas will handle emcee duties and will be joined by the Essex High School Varsity Improv Team. But 90 minutes is a long time to be funny, so the night will also serve as a comedy open mike.

BITE TORRENT
Perhaps due to tryptophan-induced food comas, Thanksgiving week is traditionally one of the slowest for local music. Though the calendar is admittedly a tad light, there are still plenty of options for those seeking relief from Black Friday madness. Among the better choices . . .

If it’s tongue-in-cheek New Wave you seek, you’d be well served checking out Anaïs Mitchell [7]’s all-star ’80s tribute Sputnik! [8] as they travel the highways and byways of Vermont this week. The righteous babe is once again stateside following a European tour opening for chamber-folk darlings Bon Iver. Catch them Friday at Langdon Street Café and/or Saturday at The Monkey House.

This Saturday night, those with a thirst for “Smokey Melodies and Shadowy Ambience” should swing by The Bakery on North Winooski Avenue in Burlington to catch a collaboration between Chicago’s Kranky Records [9] and local online champions of “other music,” Aether Everywhere [10]. Slated to appear are psychedelic minimalist Boduf Songs [11], loop-laden Pitchfork darlings To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie [12], and local experimental guru Greg Davis [13], performing with longtime collaborator Ben Vida [14].

One show you probably won’t get to see is Leon Redbone [15] this Saturday at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater. As of this writing, the next installment of the venerable After Dark Music Series [16] is four tickets away from a sellout. Congrats!

And speaking of shows you can’t see, the Bonjour-Hi! electronica series Sunday nights at Nectar’s is no more. In its place, the increasingly popular Family Night Jam Sessions will move from Tuesday to Sunday.