_{By Andy McFerren}

During a typical night at Velour Live Music Gallery’s Battle of the Bands, there might be a band that doesn’t live up to their potential or has on off performance. Tonight, however, every band was on their A-game, playing a tight set.

OrcaMind 

OrcaMind got the night started. Having garnered a wide fanbase through their Twitch streams, the band had some fans in the crowd who flew in for the event. I can’t get my friends to come to a show, and they have people flying in.

The thing that stuck out the most to me about the band was their songs’ capacity for storytelling. They credit video game music from the ’90s as an inspiration, and that comes through. Every song felt like a cutscene from a video game that was furthering the plot. 

Outside of the vocals, the band was not very loud – something I am not accustomed to at Velour. It led to a very calming experience. The band was technically very impressive, but not flashy, blending well to create a single, cohesive sound. Their simple-but-effective harmonies got a big response from the crowd, and even thinking about them now is lulling me to sleep. The band does a lot of cool things that the casual listener (AKA me) might not fully appreciate: from playing a song in 5/4 time to the drummer’s effortless flow. 

Casio Ghost 

Given the calm nature of OrcaMind, I thought for a second my ears were going to get a break from the all out assault that Battle of the Bands has been this week, but Casio Ghost took the stage and immediately injected the crowd with some energy with their first song, “The Stranger.” The decibel level doubled at the very least.

The best way to describe Casio Ghost’s sound is through another event regularly held at Velour every year – Cowboys and Indies. Except instead of needing multiple bands, one indie and one folk, they single-handedly check both boxes. They are Cowboy Indie. 

They played a tight set, powered by their rhythm section, with driving bass lines that drove me all the way home. You don’t need Jesus to take the wheel with bass lines that powerful. There was one tiny hiccup regarding a synthesizer that was way too loud and screechy in the middle of their set, but besides that, I never wanted them to stop playing. Despite my love of music, I have an aversion to showing any kind of emotion during a live concert. But Casio Ghost broke me. I couldn’t resist tapping my foot and bobbing my head their entire set. 

Chi Chi le Möt

The night was already turning out to be an impressive night, and then Chi Chi le Möt turned it up to eleven in every way. They’re just a trio, but they sounded just as full as any band that played tonight. 

There is nothing subtle about Chi Chi le Möt. They are a force to be reckoned with. Lead singer Dallin Major’s vocals demand your attention. I don’t think I could ignore them even if I wanted to. The man can belt it with the best of them in one breath and then shred with the best of them in the next. The only reason I assume the crowd did not have a boisterous reaction during the band’s first song is that they were too busy picking their jaws up off the floor. It was hard for me to even briefly look away to take notes because, much like Aerosmith, I don’t want to miss a thing.

During the first song, fellow judge of the night and Cardinal Bloom lead singer Joey St. John leaned over to me and simply said, “Damn dude. Dynamics.” What he was referring to is that Chi Chi le Möt knows when to play quiet and let the song (and the audience) breathe, and they know when to ramp it up, creating the peaks and valleys that carry the emotion of a song and give it soul. 

The most impressive aspect of their set however? Dallin chewed gum during the whole thing. I told you. A force to be reckoned with. All jokes aside, the most special moment of the night was managing to get the whole crowd singing on the last song of their set, “Moan.”

New American Gothic 

Chi Chi le Möt was a tough act to follow, so huge props to New American Gothic for coming out and giving it their all. Their first song seemed a little discombobulated, maybe due to nerves, but they settled into their set after. 

New American Gothic has an entertainingly eclectic sound, making them quite different from your average band that regularly plays Velour. Their sound can border prog rock, but usually settles into metal or hard rock at some point during every song. It’s technically very engaging, with each band member playing very intricate parts. However, I don’t think it always meshes together, though that is maybe the band’s intention. There is a calculated dissonance, especially between the vocals and the guitar that kept me on my toes and guessing what was about to come next the entire set. There’s a reason they won The Boardwalk’s Battle of the Bands.

Result

Despite four incredible performances, Chi Chi le Möt won the night and will be moving onto the final tonight. Make sure to get to Velour early because it will surely sell out fast. 

Velour’s Summer 2023 Battle of the Bands finals kicks off tonight at 7:30 PM! Catch Chi Chi le Möt, Local Kin, The Plastic Cherries, Jumpmonk, and The Mellons. Tickets are $10 at the door. Make sure to follow Chi Chi le Möt on Instagram and check out “Unfaithful” below!