First came torrential rain. Then came imminent snow. But not even Mother Nature could stop us from finally bringing our Summer Battle of the Bands to a close at Medici this past January. Yes, you read that correctly: “Summer Battle.” After our original finale at PVD Fest last September was cut short by a downpour, our finalists had to battle it out one last time. And honestly? We’re glad they did. What could have been a wash turned into one very special night full of camaraderie, community and of course, killer music.
The night showcased our preliminary round winners, each of whom had already survived fierce competition to earn their spot. Sun of Sound, took the Round 1 win against Gamma Rage, Ski Bunny and YONKS at Ladder 133. Round 2 winners, The Coe Street Co-Op battled against DakouDakou, People Eating Plastic and The War in Kids at Narragansett Brewery. Lainey Dionne secured the Round 3 win at Track 15 beating out Bird & Augur, Nymphidels, Benjamin Quinn and the Midnight Youth, and The Jake Wasson Malpractice. Round 4 winners Free Beer took out Swamp Yankee, Vudu Sister and The Devil’s Twins. Sadly, Free Beer disbanded just before joining us for the big finale, but they were there with us in spirit.
The finale was truly anyone’s game. All three bands delivered stellar performances, each bringing something entirely different to the stage. Lainey Dionne kicked off the night, showing off her impeccable songwriting skills and heartfelt lyricism. Sun of Sound had the whole crowd moving with their locked-in, rock-heavy grooves meshing perfectly with hooky, soul-tinged, hip-hop vocals. Everyone moved up front for The Coe Street Co-Op, who took us home with a set of feel-good classic rock bangers. If you get a chance to see any of these bands live, you will not be disappointed.
As the Motif crew crunched the numbers from audience votes and our panel of judges, MC Lydia Therrien took time to thank the many sponsors and individuals who made the Battle of the Bands possible before handing the mic over to last year’s winner, Olivia Dolphin, to announce the results. In second place was The Coe Street Co-Op, who took home a $250 gift card to Empire Guitars. The race was close. I mean, really close. By just four audience votes and two judging points, Sun of Sound prevailed as this year’s winners, receiving the $1,000 grand prize as well as a $750 gift card, both generously provided by Empire Guitars.
With “We Are the Champions” by Queen playing in the background, Sun of Sound took the stage to accept their comically oversized check and speak on the importance of community and supporting one another. After graciously thanking the audience and everyone involved in the Battle of the Bands, the band left us with some unforgettable parting words: “F*CK ICE!,” garnering cheers from the crowd and reminding us that this community stands together.
As Sun of Sound mentioned in their speech- this Battle of the Bands was “a journey”, and it truly could not have happened without the following people and organizations. Our sponsors: Providence Tourism, PVD Fest, Narragansett Beer, Track 15, the Providence/Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, Medici, and of course, Empire Guitars for generously providing the $1,000 grand prize, plus an additional $1,000 in gift cards. Our sound engineers: Johnny Dalton of Kung Pow Recording, Erik Gharaee of Fungal Records/The Proving Ground and Dan at Sound Advice. Our MCs: Lydia Therrien and Chris Hickman. Our judges: Olivia Dolphin, Michael Panico, Michael Shea, Dylan Titus, Ezra Juskewich and Kaitlyn Frolich. Our volunteers: Jasmine Sanatdar Stevens, Thalia Guardarrama, Alyssa Tuchon, Brenna Clark, Beth Killian, Jade Sisti. Our Motif Crew: Mike Ryan, Kiara Nieves, Olivia Lunger, Eric Barao, and Julie Rhodes. And of course, all of the incredible bands! Again, with sincerest gratitude, we thank you!
Recap video by Eric Barao
Sun of Sound photo by Julie Rhodes
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