by M. Lewis Barker
Night Two
Tighty Willis
Tighty Willis works best with Velour’s sound system. They played a really great, upbeat show and I have no complaints. They knew how to be gentle and how to rock hard. Colin’s voice was spot on too and they have some great vocal melodies. I’ve talked about them before, but this time they really did a fantastic job. If you’re into danceable indie rock like Bloc Party, check them out.
Victoria doesn’t really play my style, but they do a great job of what they do. It’s pretty straight up rock and roll and the guys are fine instrumentalists with a tight sound. I will admit to having been backstage during their set so I listened but didn’t watch, making this review fairly barebones.
I have been blown away twice in the past few months at local shows. The other time was the first time I caught The Lunatic. Jenn Blosil did it again. She plays piano and sings what I would call “Indie Jazz”. Having some extremely talented friends play as her backup band helped a lot. Chase, Tyler, and Jesse managed to add a lot to her sound and gave us something extraordinary. She’s the Provo Norah Jones, and you should all know that I love Norah Jones. Check her out this Saturday. They’re great.
Archie Crisanto & the Travelling Salesmen
This was us. We’ve sounded better. Never donate blood and play a show in the same day because it is exhausting. We had a lot of fun though with the inclusion of Travis White on lead guitar. You all would have to tell us how we did. If only Blosil’s fans had stayed after she finished!
To the surprise of nobody, Jennifer Blosil won. She deserved it.
Night Three
Foxheart
I know I’ve said some negative things about Foxheart in the past, mostly upset at them beating us in Muse’s Battle of the Bands. I thought the sound was sloppy without energy, but I did say they’ve gotten better with each show and that I think I would like them eventually. Fortunately, “eventually” came a lot sooner than expected. I only caught the last couple songs, but the sound was solid and they did something really great with Chris Wiltsie’s songs. The whole band played well together, and they benefited a lot from Velour’s sound system. I recant my previous statements.
Ryan Innes can sing. He can sing well. Having a band of professional musicians may have helped him out, but they deserve it. A friend of mine commented that he didn’t like how little the band moved around, but these are serious musicians and they concentrate completely on their instrument. Innes plays a very funky, loud jazz rock, somewhat similar to Jennifer Blosil’s music (both bands have Chase Baker on rhythm guitar too). Look for Ryan in the future.
Street Legal
These guys are an ironic throwback to late 90s/early 00s VH1 rock. Influenced by the likes of Nickelback, Creed, and Matchbox 20, they manage to completely and successfully imitate the melodrama and pure cheese of “corporate” rock. They even dress the part, with bandanas and tight-fitting t-shirts to show off their muscles. They are very talented musicians with a great singer, and they use their gifts for irony! I say congratulations, Street Legal, on perfectly pulling off ridiculous.
The Lunatic
I’ve talked about the Lunatic before, so you know I love them. Their levels were all jacked up last night though. The guitars were way too quiet and I couldn’t understand the vocals. I talked about how Foxheart benefited from Velour’s sound, well the Lunatic is best at Muse. Check them out at Muse on December 18 with Wild Apples, D9, and Minus Mark! It’s going to be a fantastic show.
Well that’s where we are right now in the Battle. I ventured back and forth between Velour and Muse last night, and I caught the lovely Taylor Olson playing some very classic smooth jazz and lots of Christmas songs. Lovecapades also played a solid set, and Bearcats finished the night with some good ol’ fashioned Indie Rock. Everyone was inappropriately sitting down for their set so it killed the energy. Maybe next time, fellows.