Have you ever wondered who Liberty’s Hannah Montana is? Which Patriot rocks the keys or kills the bass? Who has promising prospects as a future rap god? If you attended Liberty’s third annual Battle of Bands on May 17, those questions were answered. Here’s your recap of the grooviest night of the year.
Battle of the Bands featured seven student bands and the infamous Staff Band. The musically diverse groups each performed two numbers for the enthusiastic crowd in hopes of snagging the champion title.
“The experience of finding out that a lot of people at this school have a lot of talent was wonderful,” Jazz Choir performer Kendra Selby (11) said.
The first student act was Yee Vang (11), who played two original pieces on the piano.
“I performed and emceed because Battle of the Bands is something I’m passionate about,” Vang said.
The next act was the jazzy troupe Big Phat Band, which was comprised of juniors Brendan Chin, Jill Polsin, Garrett Waters, Wyatt Waters, and Brendan Weibel. The musicians played the gig last year under the name The New Face of Elevator Music. Big Phat Band’s set included an original jazz piece by Garrett Waters.
“It was fun playing for an audience because they really seemed to like our music,” Polsin said. “Placing with Garrett’s ballad was very exciting.”
Next the show took a classical twist with performances by the Liberty String Quartet of Sidney Ching (11), Fiona Hinkulow (12), Alex Le (12), and Jessie Woldstad (10) as well as Liberty’s own Jazz Choir.
“Mrs. Wood enjoys involving the Jazz Choir in various competitions and we found that Battle of the Bands would fit that,” soloist Taylor Santos (12) said. “The atmosphere was friendly, supportive, and a little competitive.”
Next was the sophomore duo Bailey Keegan and Ethan Harris, otherwise known as Slight Levels of Anxiety. Keegan sang two ballads as Harris accompanied her vocals on the piano.
“The experience made me realize I want to perform more,” Keegan said.
Then came the indie-alternative group The Truman Doctrine, comprised of Nick Cacchione (10), McKenzie Fysh (11), Joey Hughes (10), and Truman Ricks (10). The band showed off their multifaceted skills by rotating vocals and instruments.
“It was fun being surrounded by friends and good music,” Ricks said. “After high school you don’t get many opportunities to express yourself and Battle of the Bands was a way we could.”
Finally, the rock band Last Minute stayed true to their name by hopping onstage from their seats in the audience just before their set. Tristian Boots (11) played the drums while Daniel Leach (11) played his electric guitar to two original songs.
“Every time we play a song, Daniel plays his solo differently,” Boots said. “We have a basic structure to all of our songs but whenever we perform was improvise a little.”
The Staff Band named Last Minute third place winners, Big Phat Band second place winners, and The Truman Doctrine first place champions.
“It was extremely difficult to pick a winner because all of the bands were so diverse,” Staff Band keyboardist and judge Ron Thruelson said.
The top three finishers will be playing sets tomorrow afternoon at Campus Day. If you missed the show or if you are hungry for an encore, be sure to check out Liberty’s musical prodigies.