Matthew Harrison/Collegian
Matthew Harrison/Collegian‘
Last night, after classes had let out and the campus had begun to clear, the Student Union started filling with an odd assortment of students. Black-clad emo punks, skank-dancing ska fans and hip-hop aficionados packed the ballroom as it prepared to host the UMass Battle of the Bands.
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The winning student band ‘- On Trak and Malato ‘- will serve as the opening act for the UMass Spring concert. The concert will be headlined by All Time Low, DJ Girl Talk and hip-hip artist Lupe Fiasco.
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The first act started things off on a high note, with a predictably ‘ska’ group known as the Ska-Some Society. With talented instrumentals and an up-beat attitude, they received high scores from the judge panel and gave high hopes for the rest of the evening.
Sadly, those hopes were to be dashed in short order, as the following performers were more or less along the lines of hip-hop karaoke and high school garage bands.
Presiding over the battle was MC Roy Wood Jr., a comedian who has been featured on Def Jam Comedy and Comedy Central. Between acts, Wood kept the crowd entertained, if not attentive, with solid commentary on college basketball, hunting and the notorious ‘super-F’.
Few of the middle acts were noteworthy. Members of the crowd slowly got out of their seats over the course of four or five acts, but there was little energy evident. And no one got more than a half-hearted cheer out of the fans.
This all changed, however, when Quarterlife CRISis took the stage. This all-UMass band upped the energy with danceable songs and an original entry which earned them straight 9-out-of-10’s from the judges.
Following Quarterlife was the all-girl rap group Solo Sexx. By far the most unusual entry in the competition, Solo Sexx was like a cross between Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century and Missy Elliot, complete with luminescent back-up dancers and plenty of glitter. Perhaps despite of their unique appearance, the girls were undeniably talented, and brought home top scores for the first round.
Finishing off the first round was On Trak and Malato, a hip-hop group that outshined similar acts proceeded.‘ Although they were a bit hard to understand, they won over the crowd, and along with Quarterlife and Solo Sexx, moved on to the second round.
The second round of the competition proceeded with better performances than the first. Solo Sexx’s offering brought the ballroom to its feet, and finally put some enthusiasm into the melancholy crowd. On Trak followed them up with a superior act, and despite a lack of original material, Quarterlife was well received.
Despite an impressive display of rap talent, Solo Sexx was eliminated at the end of the second round. ‘I think personally that we did really, really good, we were really original,’ said front girl M.C Velvet. ‘Unfortunately, we didn’t see eye-to-eye with the judges, and that really sucks. We lost to a band that did covers, so what can you say?’
The final round went much like the first, with On Trak showing its skill and versatility, and Quarterlife providing talented instrumentals, but still singing covers. Decision time came and the crowd’s opinion was heard, On Trak and Malato were declared the winners. ‘The competition was tough,’ said A-Live of On Trak. ‘The girls did their thing, and the rock band did their thing.’
Andrew Sheridan can be reached at [email protected].
