For years, some of us at the Observer-Reporter - particularly Brad Hundt, our talented and knowledgeable entertainment writer - have helped the cause of the Graffiti Rock Challenge by serving as judges.
My turn came again on Saturday night, when I sat in for the second round at Moondog's in Blawnox. For those who are unfamiliar with the format, a total of 16 bands perform, four per night on four Saturdays, and the winners of each of those rounds square off in the finals, scheduled this year for March 4.
Of course, with four bands performing on any given night in the form of a competition, there are bound to be some differences of opinion with regard to their relative merits. For one thing, the judges don't always see eye-to-eye on what makes one band better than another. And the audience members often disagree with the judges.
From what I know of this competition, it's completely unbiased. Judges are left completely to their own devices when it comes to ranking bands in an assortment of categories. No input is given from the show's promoters, and in fact, judges are prohibited from comparing notes with one another.
As for criteria for entering the challenge, bands provide three-song demos, and another panel of judges reviews them, then selects 16 for the competition. Bands are under no obligation to enter, of course, which might answer questions about why The Hottest Thing Going doesn't happen to be part of the festivities.
All that being said, I enjoyed Saturday's show, which featured (in performance order): Tripshod, F (... as in Frank), Further Review and Lovehandle. I'll share some of the notes I jotted down as eac band played:
1. This band owes a debt to grunge, with regard to the vocal presentation and guitar effects. The drummer has a big sound. Songs generally have some decent hooks peppered through. Musicians seem to play off each other well. They know how to texture tunes - not just bombast. Would like to have heard more from guitar player, who flashes some chops.
2. Singer has a distinctive delivery, at times a bit reminiscent of a cross between Bon Scott and the "Sensational" Alex Harvey. Lyrics are actually intelligible. Keyboards provide interesting undercurrent to music, which is loud but not out-and-out metal. Decent harmony vocals produce some hooks. Some Middle Eastern elements in a few songs.
3. Instrumentation of two acoustic guitars driven by a heavy bass and powerful vocals, with two impressive singers. They perform good compositions, with well-constructed melodic elements and lyrical content. They're from IUP (my alma mater). Dual lead vocals work very well. A tightly knit band.
4. A funky R&B sound driven by bass player, although pedal steel guitar isn't exactly Stax-Volt. Pedal steel player seems to have drawn influence from Robert Randolph. This should be prime dance material, but audience might not be responding as much as they should be because this is the final band. The singer throws in some good scat.
The winner: #3 (Further Review), which I happened to have ranked first on my list, as well. They're younger guys who are making quite a stir up in Indiana, according to a Jennifer Aniston lookalike who happened to be sitting in my seat when I returned from answering a cell-phone call. She and a bunch of her college friends made the trip down to see Further Review, and I guess it was well worth it for them.
Next up, this Saturday: Boaz, Modern Habit, Wicked Earth, Steve Morrison & the Aviation Blondes
My turn came again on Saturday night, when I sat in for the second round at Moondog's in Blawnox. For those who are unfamiliar with the format, a total of 16 bands perform, four per night on four Saturdays, and the winners of each of those rounds square off in the finals, scheduled this year for March 4.
Of course, with four bands performing on any given night in the form of a competition, there are bound to be some differences of opinion with regard to their relative merits. For one thing, the judges don't always see eye-to-eye on what makes one band better than another. And the audience members often disagree with the judges.
From what I know of this competition, it's completely unbiased. Judges are left completely to their own devices when it comes to ranking bands in an assortment of categories. No input is given from the show's promoters, and in fact, judges are prohibited from comparing notes with one another.
As for criteria for entering the challenge, bands provide three-song demos, and another panel of judges reviews them, then selects 16 for the competition. Bands are under no obligation to enter, of course, which might answer questions about why The Hottest Thing Going doesn't happen to be part of the festivities.
All that being said, I enjoyed Saturday's show, which featured (in performance order): Tripshod, F (... as in Frank), Further Review and Lovehandle. I'll share some of the notes I jotted down as eac band played:
1. This band owes a debt to grunge, with regard to the vocal presentation and guitar effects. The drummer has a big sound. Songs generally have some decent hooks peppered through. Musicians seem to play off each other well. They know how to texture tunes - not just bombast. Would like to have heard more from guitar player, who flashes some chops.
2. Singer has a distinctive delivery, at times a bit reminiscent of a cross between Bon Scott and the "Sensational" Alex Harvey. Lyrics are actually intelligible. Keyboards provide interesting undercurrent to music, which is loud but not out-and-out metal. Decent harmony vocals produce some hooks. Some Middle Eastern elements in a few songs.
3. Instrumentation of two acoustic guitars driven by a heavy bass and powerful vocals, with two impressive singers. They perform good compositions, with well-constructed melodic elements and lyrical content. They're from IUP (my alma mater). Dual lead vocals work very well. A tightly knit band.
4. A funky R&B sound driven by bass player, although pedal steel guitar isn't exactly Stax-Volt. Pedal steel player seems to have drawn influence from Robert Randolph. This should be prime dance material, but audience might not be responding as much as they should be because this is the final band. The singer throws in some good scat.
The winner: #3 (Further Review), which I happened to have ranked first on my list, as well. They're younger guys who are making quite a stir up in Indiana, according to a Jennifer Aniston lookalike who happened to be sitting in my seat when I returned from answering a cell-phone call. She and a bunch of her college friends made the trip down to see Further Review, and I guess it was well worth it for them.
Next up, this Saturday: Boaz, Modern Habit, Wicked Earth, Steve Morrison & the Aviation Blondes
