Velour Winter 2025 Battle of the Bands – Night 4

Calling Card

Orem/Provo’s collective of “cracked musicians” took the stage right where they wanted to be: first up. While most groups struggle to find their footing and energy as the openers for BOTB, Calling Card have made it their bread and butter. On both their prelims and finals nights at The Boardwalk’s Spring 2025 BOTB, Calling Card went first and crushed it, and last night they showed they hadn’t lost their touch. From the opening notes of “Fun,” the group slowly built their way from a soft, groovy shuffle to a funky beat and then into a full-on jam. The way this band seamlessly builds and takes you on a journey in just one song is incredible.

If you haven’t listened to Calling Card yet, you need to. Their debut EP from earlier this year is probably my second favorite release from a local band in 2025 (behind UltraVatic’s REVEL, of course). Their tracks are full of fresh progressions and unusual chords that blend lounge, jazz, and indie together into something very refreshing. Singer Trent Mac Bain absolutely owns the stage, and you can’t help but feel like he wants the crowd to have as good a time as he is having. A friend in the crowd who was seeing them for the first time rushed over after their set finished just gushing about how good they were, which is – as my girlfriend puts it – “the Calling Card effect.” Truly, this group is one to keep your eyes and ears out for.

I always hate to repeat feedback, but like in spring, I think the biggest thing holding Calling Card back is their stage presence. Mac Bain is an absolute showstopper of a frontman, and the others are warming up a bit more, but I often found the other members uncomfortably stagnant. Your music is groovy as all get out guys; I feel like it almost takes more effort to be so still while laying down a groove that tight! There were times when guitarist Tag Bradbury would lay down a RIPPING solo but barely step forward. I’d love to see the four other band members joining Mac Bain in the middle from time to time, embracing the spotlight they equally deserve and just letting themselves show off that fun a bit more.

American Bird

Second up in this night’s feast for the ears was American Bird, the expanded band version of Amelia Webb’s musical project. While I’ve always been told to expect the unexpected at Battle of the Bands, I was absolutely not prepared for a full harp to be carted out on stage while they sound checked. I don’t dare to say that’s a first at BOTB, but it was certainly a first for me.

American Bird was clearly having a great time on stage, just excited to be a part of the event. There was a lot of genuine enthusiasm there, which is always infectious and reflects in the crowd participation. The group feels like they’re still exploring their sound, and I’m interested to see where they land. Their tracks ranged from indie rock with a touch of Western influence to Americana rock to something almost like a Disney Channel original soundtrack. There was some country twang, and even a hint of soul in there, so I have no idea what to call them. Oh yeah, and just a reminder: they had a HARP.

Webb announced before “Between Lines” that it was the rest of the band’s favorite track, and I could easily understand why. The dreamy ballad enveloped the room, showcasing not just the two vocalists’ talents and ranges extremely effectively, but also held a wonderful space in the arrangement for each band member to contribute without stepping on each other’s toes.

This sort of balance in arrangement is really where American Bird has the chance to grow, I think. So often through their set, it felt like a few of the parts were competing for attention. The drummer was really giving his all to the performance, but it covered up the more delicate guitar and key parts. The harp was a really cool touch for a rock band, but it usually ended up buried under the other instrumentation. For many bands, it simply comes down to more time together before those sorts of arrangement details click into place, and I trust that more time together will help American Bird hone both their sonic identity and the balance between parts.

Poolhouse

I was intrigued to see Poolhouse set up without their signature light rig they’ve had at BOTB before. While the lights are fun and definitely add to the show, it felt like this time the group trusted their music and experience to do the heavy lifting this time around. And you know what? They should. Their professionalism has definitely taken a massive step up; they’re tight and play well together, they bring solid, consistent energy, and they write great songs. Like, “Blue” is just one of the most fun tracks to see live that a Utah band has ever written. I’ll fight you on this.

Poolhouse brought exactly what you’d expect from a group that’s been tour-tested and experienced a level of virality. The first half of their set had the crowd jumping, pumping, and screaming along (even the fans of the other bands). Their set list was a mix of old favorites and new additions, with the group even debuting a song live for the very first time mid-way through their set.

I gotta give props, playing a new song at BOTB is bold. On one hand you get to show off something fresh, especially for judges who may have seen you perform before. On the other, it completely guts the chance of the audience singing along, and I think this shift in audience energy shook Poolhouse’s momentum a bit more than they expected. After that new track, they never quite got that enrapturing energy back, and it almost felt like they settled into routine show mode instead of competition mode.

My personal biggest complaint with Poolhouse’s set was that it was SO LOUD. I’m not faulting the house engineer for this one, as I think it was less about actual decibels and more about how the tracks were arranged. Most of the group’s dynamic range started at forte and just went up from there. The nuances of the vocal and guitar lines often got smushed under the wall of sound, and the big moments just didn’t hit like I knew they could. For as good as Poolhouse is, I worry they might subconsciously fall into the “louder is better” trap a lot of bands struggle with, and I’d love to see a greater dynamic range to help make those special moments pop and avoid listener fatigue. At the end of the day though, Poolhouse is good. Like really good. But you didn’t need me to tell you that.

Dogpaw

Barking. So. Much. Barking.

Dogpaw took to the stage to a sound that was less like a Velour audience and more like the local humane society shelter. So you can imagine my surprise when instead of heavy metal or punk, we were presented with a group I can only describe sonically as Provocore meets John Mayer meets Mumford and Sons… but not quite. You see, Dogpaw live in that sorta folksy influence that Lantern By Sea does so well. (In fact, I could see these guys absolutely rocking a lineup with Lantern By Sea. I’m manifesting this if it hasn’t happened already.) But don’t mistake a milder sound for a milder show. No, this was a group here to have a good time and give the audience an even better time.

Dogpaw were masters of using dynamic contrast to their benefit, leaning into interesting arrangement tricks like trading parts of a riff between the two guitars to create tonal shifts or cutting their volume entirely during a track. These sorts of effects had the audience eating right out of the band’s hands (er… paws?), and at one point the entire crowd was jumping during near silence! You know you’ve got a powerful groove when you can make people dance to nothing.

The only thing I knew about Dogpaw going into the night was that they reportedly had a “crazy good drummer,” and after he blindfolded himself during an early song, I found myself jumping on the Ethan Nielsen bandwagon. (It’s a simple trick, sure, but goshdangit if it isn’t fun!) His drumming was a perfect rhythmic addition to each track and boosted the incredibly fun energy Dogpaw brought.

Like many other groups early in their career, I think Dogpaw is still in that slightly unfocused stage, like they’re one step away from locking down their sound. Again, I’m sure this will come with time. The bigger distraction I found during their set though was their staging. The group traded singing responsibilities between the members, and when they first started, I couldn’t figure out where the vocals were coming from because the singer was in the darkest corner of the stage. Obviously, there’s only so much a band can do about the lighting, but I’d love to see them position the vocalist a bit more prominently each song to help channel the energy even better.

Results

It was a crazy good night, and as host John Schultz took to the stage to announce the winner, he remarked that it felt like a finals night with the caliber of performances we had just witnessed. I think I speak for the rest of the judges in saying we absolutely agreed. In the end, only one band could advance, and the band returning to play on Saturday was announced to be Dogpaw!

You can catch Dogpaw at finals this Saturday with Cougar Gold Music, Allo Monroe, Breakfast Biscuit, and tonight’s winner! Velour’s Winter 2025 Battle of the Bands Night 5 is tonight, featuring BLEACHER BABE, LOAFA, Late For What, and HATCHBACK. Doors open at 7:30 PM.

While you’re waiting for the show to start, check out “Willow” by Dogpaw below and be sure to follow the Night 4 winners on Instagram!