BATB Victors!

The winners are...

9 Tigers (third)

A Streetcar Named Funk (second)

Jamestown, The First Town in America (first)

Stay tuned for some more in depth discussion of the BATTLE and some pics.

Z

Battle of the Bands 2012 Predictions

It's time for BATTLE OF THE BANDS again! That time where a bunch of Yale bands compete for who will get to open at Spring Fling! And what a beautiful day for it! The sun is raining down in sheets and prefrosh are sprouting up everywhere. Enjoy a hot (almost) summer night with some rockin' tunes infused with..well...moRtaL KomBat.

no, i did not take this photograph...arcade something

This year's BATB contestants are Ghost to Go (Jake Backer and non-Yalies Sam Backer, Howe Pearson and Owen Callahan), Jamestown, The First Town in America (Raphael Shapiro, Mark Sonnenblick, Jacob Paul, Will Moritz, Will Hutchison, Andrew Everett, Brendan Ternus, Yael Zinkow), The Keep Calm (Alex Bae, Ishan Sinha, Kenneth Crouch, John Cocco), A Streetcar Named Funk (Michael Blume, Nathaniel Meyer, Alyssa "tenor sax extraordinaire" Hasbrouck, Grant Phelps, Nathan Prillaman, Tim Gladding, Andi Zhou, Zach Simao, Will Moritz), Deeck (Jamar Bromley, John "Greeno" Greenawalt, Katharine Seggerman, Matthew Prewitt) and 9 Tigers (but four members..Adam Klein, Sam Frampton, Matías Anaya, Tayo Ajayi). They go on in that order in 45 minute sets starting at 9 p.m. tonight. So do some math and show up about 15 minutes after your fav band's calculated time to account for error in stage transition time and OMG THIS BLOG IS NOT A LAB REPORT. Physics 206 woes. It's happening, at the Crypt of 438 College Street...hmmm not too far from lab...

The WYBC is playing host to fewer bands than last year's nine this year, although 22 bands auditioned for the honour to compete, including Salivating Eyes, the oft-under-rated-soon-to-be-graduated, wailing rock group that I think most embodies college spirit, Sister Helen, which took third last year, Chilled Water Supply, the kings of jazz, and No We're Not, an up-and-coming band that boasts the musical compositions of former Gets the Girls and current Streetcar man Nathan Prillaman JE '13.

comeonnn!

These bands did not make the cut, sadly. I was also looking forward to hearing the Rain Brigade, but because of band members' studying abroad, the band is taking a two-term performance hiatus while members hit the studio instead. Bummer. Fortunately, many musicians in the rejected bands are also in bands that got in, and many of the groups the WYBC chose not to admit to the BATTLE including things such as laptops and synthesizers and DJs and skype?

Anyway, onto what's important in life. Who should and (probably) will actually WIN.

In thirrrrdd placcccce....

THE KEEP CALM

Keeping Calm at Fall Fest

This group has come a long way this year and has garnered a solid fan base. The riffs are very catchy, and the new, improved bass lines help carry the tunes along. The band also strikes an interesting, existential balance between rocking and keeping calm, as its name suggests. For these reasons, the band is likely to take place but unlikely to win. Alex Bae is a talented lyricist who doesn't seem to take himself too seriously (great appeal for Yale), though his vocals sometimes lack the smooth, expressive transitions throughout different parts of his range we love hearing from singers with more professional training, and a stronger command of the mixed vocal register (it's haaaardd) would especially help this band's relaxed yet strong style. Still, I'm expecting good things from this group and a good crowd of supporters to voter avec les screams. (Not only is this Franglish appauling, but it's redudant. I can't say this!! Oh wait, too late; I just did.)

2ND PLACE: A STREETCAR NAMED FUNK

Michael Blume knows how to WORK IT with the crowd. The band also has strength in numbers, so lots of its members' friends (disclaimer myself included) should show up. The jazzy style might be a nice wildcard in a three-band set that is likely to feature a lot of typical(ish) rock music. Plus the group features some of the most talented musicians on campus and the composing talents of Prillaman. Blume and the kids are likely to win a lot of hearts tonight. The group does have some weaknesses, but they are more the intangible kind...we'll save these for another time and point out the one tangible flaw of this funkified frenzy. Right now, Streetcar is really more of a covers group. Yes, Nathan has given them a few nice original songs, but most of the high-energy, crowd-pleasing numbers are covers. Hopefully by Spring Fling Nathan will be able to whip out some more originals though. I have faith, and I can't wait to see everyone in this group in crazy outfits making magic, especially if they get improv solos.

Streetcar performing one of its favourite covers..surpise guest visit by Wes Moyer!

The Winner. Will. Be.

Jamestown, The First Town in America

Not much to say about Jamestown, last year's victors that hasn't been said other than that I can't wait for the EP. Jamestown is the most popular campus band competiting, and for good reason, and I know the group has kept in shape with lots of shows this year. They did it once; they'll do it again. I will say no more.

Last year's champs

New band I'm most interested to see: 9 Tigers.

Bare your teeth for the BATTLE. And BE PREPARED.

Z

Music Video Stardom

Hey everyone,

Welcome back. And welcome back to an opportunity to be in a YMS music video! Plume Giant is shooting one today starting at 11 a.m. and going until around 6 p.m. (earlier if you guys are good dancers who get moves quickly?) Meet at Phelps Gate to walk over to the site in Wooster Square.

According to an e-mail from Oliver, this will be a "decked out Busby Berkeley type production with trombones coming out of car doors and sgt pepper costumes."

Wikipedia

There will be pizza and champaign. The YPMB will be featured. So much delicious.

Wear clothes along these lines: marching band, americana, sgt pepper, ziggy stardust.

Plume Giant

Mmmhmmmm?

If you're not getting back in time but are free Monday, Plume Giant is also looking for a group of about ten people for a smaller, rag-tag "featured" band from 10–4 tomorrow. Contact them for details.

Be moviestars,

Z

Hola, Apocalypse!

Don't you love it when an event's title is in Spanish for no reason? I know I do ;)

Tonight's lineup might be almost as good as a trip to Madrid...almost.

yep, took this one in Madrid

In the Morse/Stiles Theater from two Yale and one alum band are taking the stage. At 8:30 it's A Streetcar Named Funk, at 9:30 alum band Brother K (my limited research into this group says nobody knows who they are but they sound "chill."), and Salivating Eyes at 10:30.

Streetcar, or rather bassist Nathan Prillamen '13, has been working on some funky originals, so be sure to look out for those.

Salivating Eyes is kind of goofy, as the following "cover" video shows. These guys know how to have fun. But when it comes to their originals, they really bring it. The guitar solos alone are enough to make my eyes salivate (whatever that means?!?!?)

I really love this song...and that drawing is pretty sexy...

So get ready for FUNKY, CHILL, SHREDDING SALIVATION. In that order. Alright, I support this.

See you front and centre,

Z

Olusola Wins NBC Sing-Off

Kevin Olusola MC '11, beatboxer and cellist, just won NBC's "The Sing-Off" with his group Pentatonix on the show's season finale Nov. 28.

The a cappella group requested Kevin join them in the competition after hearing his beatboxing. Sadly, Kevin could not also assist the Whiffenpoofs, who could not generate the necessary appeal to advance on the show.

Check out the Pentatonix performing a cover of Florence And the Machine's "Dog Days Are Over" on the show's semi-finals.

But even more impressive than this televised victory is Kevin's cello, vocal and beatbox single "Void of a Legend" with Antoinette Costa.

Download it on itunes here.

Z

Go Underground

Tonight from 8-11 check out the underground rap scene!

The WYBC presents 216 Underground Rap Show! At Dwight 216.

Rappers include Tayo Ajayi BC '15, Jake Backer MC '14, Evan Okun & The Freestyle Collective from Wesleyan, Alan Sage SM '14, and Jacob Sandry BC '15.

Watch them spit somerhymes.

Beethoven and Cooley

So I am slightly annoyed (this may or may not be understatement)

I am annoyed (slightly) because.

1) I have to write a piece for carillon (the big bells in Harkness) for my composition class. While originally I thought Cool, I get to write for bells! That’s awesome! I must be frank. This assignment is kiiiiind of driving me insane. The bells just keep ringing and ringing; you never get to write in rests; and the dissonance just keeps piling up. To add insult to injury, the assignment itself requires a ton of weird harmonies and a disturbing amount of repetition. (I never want to read the sentence “You must demonstrate a high degree of motivic coherence!” again.) I am a failure of a composer because I can’t get this to sound even halfway good, and I am days behind.

2) The carilloneur in my class for whom we’re all writing is having her orchestra piece played tonight 8 p.m. by YSO alongside Beethoven. The concert’s title “Beethoven and Cooley” satirically juxtaposes the two composers. Of course, you’d go to a concert and hear both of them! Unfair.

3) I just listened to the piece, and pairing Ludwig Van Beethoven with Emily Cooley PC ’12 might not actually be so outrageous.

SO I’M MAD!

Anyway, of course you should go to this. YSO is amazing this year for any of you who were not at the Halloween show. The Beethoven pieces include Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, which features Mia Nishikawa JE’ 14 on piano and Michael Li PC ’12 as conductor and Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major.

Emily’s piece “Render and Reach” varies a theme making ample use of the different orchestral instruments and smooth yet colourful modulation.

The piece opens with music one might expect to hear at a wonderous ballet or fairy tale dance production as the music creatively varies off a theme, but the piece then goes minor and adds post-Wagner and film score elements, building slowly. Emily then adds small spurts of melodic material in different instruments in a quasi-minimalist fashion that starts to lose me a little, especially when it comes back later in the piece. The piece modulates back to major, blending chords and pleasantly overlapping melodies.

The next section of the six-minute piece is characterized by upbeat rhythmic sections that open with a tapping, percussive sound and quickly incorporate drum kit. The upbeat melodic sections that go with the drum rhythms are underlined with legato re-representations of the theme, which spiral up into a big crash of power only experienced and fully appreciated in orchestras.

Throughout the piece, Emily makes effective use of horns to blare the melody and add emotional impetus. During the minimalistic sections with more sporadic melody lines, the flutes are instrumental in adding continuity with steadily rising harmonies. High, repeated notes in the strings bring back a modified theme and the horns come in to finish for a finale, a grand instrumental flourish.

Fantastic. (damnit)

So yeah. Tickets are $2-$5 for students and $10-15 for non-Yalies. Go. I would, but I have to finish this (and another) piece.

Dooooooonggggg.....

Z