
Nite:
To
battle or not to battle?
Bands debate if the benefit of exposure is worth the risk of animosity
By
Richie Victorino
rvictorino@hippopress.com
There’s an age-old
argument that competition does not belong in art. First-place ribbons
shouldn’t go to the “best painter” in a competition and a band shouldn’t
win a battle of the bands based on a judge’s opinion that one band was
“better than everyone else.”
The support for this
argument is that everybody has his own opinion on art and music.
Essentially, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
In some instances,
competition-driven events like a battle of the bands bring out the worst
in people. For example, as I’ve written about before, one band at the
Jillian’s Battle of the Bands this past summer was furious, to say the
least, that they lost to another band that also performed that night.
Musicians tend to
flock toward each other, creating a bond with fellow brothers and
sisters on an unknown path. The only things these nomadic musicians
carry with them are their trusty instruments, a tune in their heads and
a circle of musical friends.
Does competition aim
to defeat this bond?
“As a musician … the
one thing I don’t care for is the competition side of it,” said Randy
Breton of LowellRocks.com. Breton and LowellRocks.com helped organize a
six-month-long battle of the bands this past year at Reflections in
Chelmsford, Mass. “I think the traditional format [of battle of the
bands] breeds animosity.”
What LowellRocks.com
did this past year to avoid the traditional format was to advance two
bands each night to the next round instead of just one. But some other
battles do that as well.
But what Breton and
LowellRocks.com also attempted was to get bands that played at battle of
the bands to perform at some other local venue regardless of whether
that band moved on to the next round in the battle.
The consensus among
musicians and organizers is that bands need to go into a battle without
a chip on their shoulder.
“Everyone has their
own opinion, and it’s the judges that you choose, based on their
opinions,” said Joanne Smith, assistant unit manager of Jillian’s. “If a
band goes into this knowing they might not make it, then they should be
fine.”
Like open mikes,
battle of the bands competitions have upsides, like providing exposure
for participating bands.
Many bands landed a
paying gig from the LowellRocks.com Battle of the Bands, and the same
can be said for the Jillian’s battle this past summer. For example,
local band Duty Free didn’t move ahead in the Jillian’s competition, but
is now regularly booked at Jillian’s because club owners liked what they
saw and heard.
And there are other
benefits.
“I think a benefit
is just to see where you rank amongst all the styles of music out
there,” said Joey Bolduc, lead singer of Nimbus 9. “Plus you make a lot
of contacts … get feedback from the judges.”
Many times these
judges are just your average Joes, regulars at a bar doing a favor for
the owner. Is it really helpful to get feedback from someone who might
not have expertise in the world of music?
“Yeah,” Bolduc said.
“Everyone listens to music and they all listen to it in a different way.
The average person’s opinion means something.”
Bolduc has trouble
with a bands being judged by the response of a crowd.
“For instance, we
have a lot of fans under 21 who can’t help us out [in bars due to age
restrictions],” he said. “That gets a little tough.”
Usually bands are
judged on some or all of the following: originality, musical talent,
stage presence and crowd participation.
In an ideal world,
the crowd at a battle would be impartial to the bands competing that
night. The crowd would listen intently to each band, and get up and move
if/when the music commands them to.
Sadly, all that
happens is that local bands get their friends/fans to come to the
battle. These fans make a lot of noise and dance at all the right times
to sway the judges. Good for these bands for bringing people to the
club; business-wise that’ll catch the attention of the owner and score
you a solid chance at a paying gig, but Bolduc’s argument is a good one,
is it really fair to judge a band on the crowd. Without trying to sound
too negative, I have to admit Southern New Hampshire’s knack for
scouting out and supporting local bands isn’t that impressive. |