For some groups, it's an uphill climb. Pistolwhip's members are all seventeen years old, meaning that instead of relying on their buddies to make some noise, they've had to rally an older crowd -- parents, uncles, that guy with the tattoo who works at the 7-11 -- anyone who might be interested in 25 minutes' worth of melodic hard rock. Pistolwhip arrived at America's Pub on Wednesday, August 8, with fifteen "older friends" in tow, according to the group's Chad Veach. By contrast, last year's Battle winner (and subsequent one-time Marilyn Manson opening act) Bent commands a veritable army, one that can immediately seize the front lines of a club and impose martial law on fans of opposing acts.
Pistolwhip gamely loaded its slingshot ("We jumped up and started going nuts right away," Veach says) and maintained its intensity through an aerobic workout of build-ups and drop-offs. But the first round of competitions is a graveyard for upstarts -- for example, no sixteenth seed has ever upset a No. 1 in the March Madness tournament -- and Pistolwhip couldn't bludgeon its way past the mighty Bent.
Neither did Phantom Fear, though to hear guitarist Jon Baskind tell it, the contest was close. "It was one of those magical nights," he raves. "The vibe, the energy from the crowd, it was electric." Phantom Fear benefited from perfect attendance, with Baskind reporting that everyone whose presence was requested showed up to cheer. The band rewarded those who turned out with a solid run-through of its well-rehearsed set, but it, too, failed to upset the incumBent. It was the kind of hard-fought skirmish that could have planted the seeds of a bitter rivalry, but Baskind instead opts for gracious, Gore-style concession. "Everyone gave it their all," he cheerily assesses. Baskind has good reason to remain in high spirits, because Phantom Fear won its round of a recent battle in Chicago, overcoming astronomical odds in beating indigenous opponents in a crowd-response-based system. The group competes in those finals on Saturday, September 1, at Champ's Rock Room.
The members of Moaning Lisa, who on Wednesday, August 1, competed for the berth into the finals that Shudderbug eventually claimed, don't have another battle to look forward to, and thus weren't as congenial. "Our show was better, our crowd response was better and our crowd size was bigger," argues vocalist David George. "If the reason we lost is because our people got bored and left by the end of the night when they call out the names of the bands and/or because of a time-limit infraction [Moaning Lisa played for forty minutes], that's screwed. Judge us on our talent and ability."
Comments (0)