_{By Michael Luce}

On a night where most of Utah was divided by a war most holy, there was a beacon of hope. A chance that although competition would be inevitable, both Salt Lake and Provo could be united by a shared love of music. And so, in a week that’s been full of argumentative temperaments, conflicts internal and external, and sour feelings, The Boardwalk became a sanctuary where the fighting spirit could coincide with comradery. Where brotherhood and battle could mingle. A place where friends could be made even as lines are drawn between them.

A battle. Of the bands.

Ok, poetic bullcr*p aside, I’m so happy for this week and for all the hard work Brian Cabello and the rest of The Boardwalk team put into this. It’s an awesome experience every time, and their work in continuing to support and build the scene is irreplaceable. So a very very heartfelt thank you to them from all of us at Provo Music Magazine.

Recap

Last night’s finals were very interesting. Normally The Boardwalk is known for their hard-hitting emo, punk, and alt acts making the biggest waves, but last night we ended up with three finalists all in the moody indie space. Oh, and a Midwest emo group. I’m not complaining by any means because it meant I got to see four awesome bands, but it was a strange subversion of expectations for a competition like this.

The Drought

As if welcoming us to this most unusual of battles, The Drought started the night off with a mildly proggy swirl of sound that spared no love for 90s greats like The Cranberries and Smashing Pumpkins. Their compositions were interesting and totally unique, using chord progressions Jacob Collier would wish he wrote to weave incredible tapestries of sound and ambiance. I’ve seen so many groups that seem scared to linger in moody buildups for more than a few bars, but The Drought was confident in their tension building. They knew how to sculpt a mood from the sound and just sit in it, letting it fester and build until the glorious release finally came. They connected really well through tempo changes and switchups, and they set the stage beautifully for the rest of the moody night to come. I felt like I could listen to them just jam and flow all night long.

I can see this group going so far in the coming years. Musically, they might already be there. However, showmanship is really where The Drought has the opportunity to grow and take their performances to the next level. While the music was excellent, I couldn’t help but occasionally feel like the band members didn’t look like they were having much fun on stage. Blank faces and minimal movement created a bit of a disconnect between what I head and what I saw. At one point the bassist took an absolutely ripping solo, but they didn’t move to the front of the stage or adjust their stance or even move to the music any differently. I know BotB (and especially being the opening band) comes with a unique set of nerves, but confidence and energy on stage can have a huge impact on the reception by the crowd. Once The Drought dials that part in, their shows are going to be the talk of the scene.

Lunar Spirit

As if to say “we can do cool textures and tension too,” Lunar Spirit took the stage swinging with three-part harmony and a whole lot of tasty vocal dissonance. There was also a fair amount of not-so-tasty vocal dissonance early on, but fortunately those rougher bits seemed to lock in by the third song. And once they did, my gosh were those harmonies heavenly. It’s rare to have a band pull off multiple lead singers so well with two, but three? Unheard of.

The group put on a great show, and clearly connected with both each other and the audience. From an unexpected mouth trumpet solo to equally unexpected genre changes, Lunar Spirit were having their way with the stage and were having a great time. I think they might be fans of Provo Music Magazine too, because I saw some potentially Joe Vickrey-inspired synchronized hip shaking. I think my favorite part was how despite having six members, the shape of their formation across the stage subtly shifted from song to song to help convey the emotions and energy therein.

I’m going to sound like a broken record saying this so much, but this is another group who’s going to do great things. I think the next step for them is really honing in and narrowing down on what their sonic core is. While each of the different styles and ideas they presented through the night were done well, it was hard to find a common thread through the set. I love variety and genre-fluidity as much if not more than the next person, but if you asked me what genre Lunar Spirit is, I’d have a hard time explaining it other than “mostly kinda-indie with a lot of pretty vocal work.” It’s clear they’ve got the skills to make almost anything they try sound good, and I’d love to see how much better it gets when we have a more concentrated sound from this crew.

Ivy Avenue

Ivy Avenue gave us the first truly grand intro of the night, as the build into their single “I-15” was as glorious as the sunrise finally peeking over the mountains. They absolutely commanded the attention of everyone there. While there were a few jitters on some newer tracks afterward that jostled the flow a bit, it was clear that Ivy Avenue didn’t mind being a bit angsty with their spin on that Provocore sound.

If The Drought was about lingering in moods and Lunar Spirit was about variety, the high point for Ivy Avenue was definitely their command of tone and dynamics. The different sounds this group was getting through their use of pedals and effects showed a strong attention to detail and intentionality. Like at one point the guitarist ripped into this solo that was half noise and half wah, and you could tell the whole crowd was thinking “what on earth did I just witness??”

The one thing I felt this set lacked the most was a sense of urgency or direction. While all the music was performed well and was in a pretty strong order, it didn’t seem like there was much intentionality with the direction of the set. After talking with lead singer Kassidy McKean, I was amazed to hear that at least one of the songs had been completed that morning, and the setlist was hastily redrawn from the night prior. See, the group were actually a late substitution for another band that wasn’t able to perform Friday night, so Ivy Avenue had never expected to need a second set for finals. Simply getting to Saturday was a win for them. Let me say, if this is what this group can put together in an overnight cram session after performing the day prior, people should be on the watch for what they make when they have time to breathe a bit. As another judge put it, “I would not be surprised if we see these guys blowing up in the coming years.”

Dog Years

After a night full of unexpectedly relaxing indie music, the last thing I think a lot of the crowd expected was absolutely pounding drums and tapping guitar solos to melt their faces off, but that’s what they got with Dog Years. The three-piece took the stage to the sound of John William’s “Across the Stars” from Star Wars (which wasn’t technically a cover, but definitely fell in that gray area of legality), and unleashed a barrage of Midwest emo so pure, you’d think they’d found the source of all angst and distilled it into sound.

The calm vibes of the first three bands certainly made Dog Years stand out, for better or for worse. It took a second, but once the audience had finally registered the shift in sound, they took to it like barracudas at a feeding frenzy, and there was all sort of rowdiness, moshing, and barking (yes, barking). This crowd was secretly craving some violence all night, and they finally got what they were hoping for with Dog Years.

I was the only judge who had seen them previously, and I gotta say, while this set was excellent, I think their Wednesday night set was even better, as last night was a bit rougher, and gimmicks like the money hammer distracted from their set rather than contributed to it. I also need to apologize to the guys for making them self-conscious about their lighthearted, goofy stage presence, because I think last night they were trying a bit too hard to have that same energy instead of letting it flow naturally. But hey, this was the first time I’m aware of that an artist on stage has directly referenced something I wrote, so that was cool.

Results

This was such a good night of music. As previously stated, it was weird to have so much indie happening at finals at The Boardwalk, but sometimes that’s just how things shake out. I can assure you that the judges left no stone unturned, as each of these groups had strengths in spades. After an extended deliberation, the judges passed their decision to Brian, who descended the staircase to the stage and opened the envelope containing the Fall 2024 champion’s name:

Dog Years.

A major congratulations to Dog Years as well as all the other bands that competed in the Fall 2024 BotB. There were a lot of new names and faces in this season’s competition, and this competition showed the depth of talent the Utah scenes hold. Once again, a very special thanks to The Boardwalk and all the hard work that went into making this event happen. I’m already excited to see what Spring 2025 has in store for us.

Be sure to follow all four of the finalists on Instagram — The Drought, Lunar Spirit, Ivy Avenue, and Dog Years — as all four are absolutely going places (ok fine, I’ll stop saying it). Finally, thank you dear reader for following along with us this week. On your way out, check out “Rengoku” from last night’s winners, Dog Years!