RI Battle of the Bands had a smooth run this year, every performance dodging the monsoons that have plagued past iterations. The year started out with 16 highly accomplished, but not necessarily well known (yet) bands, old and new, selected from 89 applicants to take part in four preliminary rounds. Over four concerts and a few months, these were winnowed down to four finalists. Several of the pre-lims were nailbiters – victors were chosen half by popular vote, and half by the suggestion of a judging panel that included some long-term musicians, some music teachers, and members of Brown Student Radio, in homage to the WBRU Rock of yesteryear, a direct inspiration for this Battle. At Narragansett Brewery, there was an actual 3-way tie in the popular vote, so the judges really had to buckle down and make a tough decision.
The genres ranged from low-key jazz acts to poppy storytelling to experimental to older, harder rock. But each night came together as a full, curated evening.
In the first round, Maintenance eked out a narrow win with their emo-indie, laid-back rock vibes, winning over much longer-standing acts. In the second, which generated the most voting in the prelims, it was down to the wire between all the bands, with the grittier I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying beating out the uber-melodic Felt Time in what was essentially sudden-death overtime. Lainey Dionne cleared the competition with her pop sensibility, amazing vocals and memorable original lyrics and storytelling. Finally, in a more experimental evening, the youngest band in the competition, Tevio and the Aces, got the nod to move on to the finals. Their innovative mash up of R&B and classic rock with intense guitar work and vocals won the day.
The finals were again neck-in-neck. The beautifully illuminated, acoustically powerful Burnside Stage elevated everyone’s game, and commanded the attention of hundreds of onlookers – some there for the show, some bouncing around the curated sensory-overload that is PVDFest. Booking agents and record producers were coming to the organizers, each with their own favorites. From the final tally, Tevio and the Aces emerged with the grand prize of $1,000, a $750 gift certificate to Empire Guitars, and gift cards to Track 15.
Throughout the course of the competition, the most noticeable aspect was a sense of community. Music and art are not really competitive sports, and in many ways assigning a “winner” to something so subjective is absurd. Fun, but absurd. The community that rallied around this project understood that. We didn’t have people trying to stuff the ballot box – we had dedicated musicians creating remarkable performance nights that entertained from start to finish. It was impressive how many bands who fell out in early rounds showed to support at the finale. At one prelim, when it looked like we would have no drum kit, musician Duncan MacDougall of the Digital Handyman, just leant one, even though he wasn’t connected in any way to any of the bands. Later, when a performer’s footwear stages a wardrobe malfunction, folks came together to create a gaff tape / duct tape solution, and the show went on. The family-friendly shows had children and grandmothers cutting the rugs / floors / grass with an abandon and freedom that captured exactly why we all do this.
Thanks: A five-concert series involves a lot of people, so we’re leaving so many out, but we want to acknowledge the sponsors, professionals and many volunteers who made it possible. So thank you to the City of Providence Arts Culture Tourism Department, Narragansett Brewing, Empire Guitars, The Providence Tourism Council, Track 15, Club Medici, and Fete Music Hall at the Bend.
Thanks to Soundz Organic, A+ Sound and Music, and PVDFest, who kept everyone sounding great. Allie Boyer coordinated and a small flotilla of volunteers supported, judges contributed their time and remarkable musical expertise, and.
And thanks to you audience members who came out and made it all worthwhile.