What’s better: being caught in a spontaneous thunderstorm or listening to some up-and-coming home-grown, RI music? Whether you happened to be in the area for a drink or came to dance, Round 1 of this season’s Battle of the Bands was the place to be. Round 1 was held Friday, Aug 25, at Ladder 133 Kitchen & Social in PVD. First opened in 1902 as a Fire Station, Ladder 133 is a one-stop destination for pub food and drinks. With its namesake aesthetic (you might even be able to see some bullet holes from the bar’s previous days) along with relaxed lighting, this cozy venue was perfect for a great kickoff to an exciting season of music.
This year’s Battle of the Bands is particularly special because Motif is working with the City of Providence Arts, Culture, and Tourism Department, to make this summer a battle to remember; each of the 17 competing bands has 30 minutes to perform, spread over 4 weekends. Winners of each round will proceed to compete at this year’s PVDFest on September 6 in a grand rock n’ roll finale. In addition, Narragansett Brewery, Track 15, Empire Guitars, and Fungal Records are coming together to support this event and to make this year’s Battle of the Bands bigger than ever!
This first night of the multi-night series began with a hoot – or should I say, a bolt of lightning. Night one brought Yonks, Sun of Sound, Ski Bunny and Gamma Rage to the center stage for some fire beats and good vibes. Each of the competing bands had their own mood for the night, with music ranging from punk and rock n’ roll to hip-hop and blues. Each song had a story to tell; with such powerful voices, it was a tough call to see who would be declared winner of the night.
The first band was Gamma Rage, with local icon Malyssa BellaRosa dominating the stage. Starting out as a jam during COVID, Gamma Rage bonded over their isolation and desire to describe themselves through music. Their performance began with a fitting story about a lightning strike hitting her neighbor’s house just a few hours earlier from a spontaneous thunderstorm. Rain or lightning, there was no stopping Gamma Rage from raging out on stage. Gamma Rage was easily the loudest band of the night with BellaRosa’s rockstar voice striking through your heart like a bolt of lightning. The ground was shaking a burning passion for music that revolved around life’s struggles with love, betrayal and pain. Their genre could be described as heavy and hard rock with influences stemming from Souxie Sushi and the Banshees, Ty Segall, and the late Ozzy Ozzie Osbourne among other artists.
The next band to play was Ski Bunny with their music being described as blues plus a dash of pop with some influences from Prince, Alice In Chains, and Newwa. Ski Bunny always brings their own unique, impactful style, and lead singer Tracy Chevrolet had the audience eating out of her hand, performing to a room full of bunny-eared fans. She even had her own tributes as well; in the late Ozzy Osbourne’s honor, Chevrolet ripped off the head (fake, of course) of a bat with her bare teeth. Talk about metal!
After Ski Bunny, Sun of Sound took the stage, with the lead singer Randy Medina along with his bandmates, Steve, Jeff, and Andrew. Beginning originally as a one-man band known as “Son of Sound,” Randy brought his childhood friends along on the journey to become a band dedicated to the post-hip-hop scene. Randy used to be a firefighter himself, making the venue especially fitting – and perhaps adding some heat to the performance. Altogether, they woo’ed the crowd with their looks, lyrics, and instruments.
The last band to perform that night was Yonks, a fascinating, high-energy pop fest that took their powerful vocals to second place in a recent band battle. Led by Bianca Gouveia, Yonks, with her partner Jesse the Tree, they took the stage and the crowd votes for second place. Yonks began as a simple nickname for Bianca, with the band itself forming in 2019 after Bianca came together with drummer Nate Melanson, a drummer, and the rest is history. The duo was joined by bassist Jack Petit and guitarist Nick Martin. Similar to other rockstars of the night, Yonks also draws influences from pop and blues rock with their biggest heroes being Paramore, Lady Gaga, and The Pretenders.
But still, there had to be a first-place winner. With some loud drum rolling, the first place winner was none other than Sun of Sound. With Randy’s previous experience as a firefighter and Ladder 133’s venue, it was a very fitting win for their flawless execution of their songs and the overall chemistry of the team.
Randy describes the band’s music as hip-hop with rock influences, with post-hip-hop and live hip-hop as the major influences. For specific bands, Randy quotes Jamiroquai, The Roots, and Rush. Even so, it’s difficult to put an exact label on the band, as the members come from diverse musical backgrounds and truly complement one another on stage. From small beginnings in a parent’s garage to the stage at PVDFest, Sun of Sound absolutely deserve their spot in the finale.
If you’d like to check out Sun of Sound, you can find their most recent albums Nectar and Steady on streaming platforms such as Spotify and YouTube. You can tune into more RI bands during the rest of the competition series, at the following dates and venues:
- Round 2 | 8/9 @ Narragansett Brewery feat:
- The Coe St Co-Op, DakouDakou, The War In Kids, People Eating Plastic
- Round 3 | 8/15 @ Track 15 feat:
- Bird & Augur, The Jake Wasson Malpractice, Benjamin Quinn and the Midnight Youth, Nymphidels, Lainey Dionne
- Round 4 | 8/22 @ Narragansett Brewery feat:
- The Devil’s Twins, Free Beer, Vudu Sister, Swamp Yankee