Bands battle to raise money for Save the Music

Nordy’s Place in the William Pitt Union rocked Saturday evening as four bands fought for the… Nordy’s Place in the William Pitt Union rocked Saturday evening as four bands fought for the No. 1 spot in WPTS’ Battle of the Bands benefit for VH1’s Save the Music Foundation.

The nonprofit foundation raises money to restore elementary schools’ music programs by providing instruments to public school districts. Attendees of the event were asked to make a $3 donation to the foundation.

The performing bands included, in the order in which they played: Sleepy V, White Like Fire, Otis and Shadow Puppets’ Sleepover.  Each band played between four and six songs in front of a crowdof about 40 people and three judges. WPTS station manager and Battle of the Bands judge Charlie Lotz explained that the bands would be judged on a combination of musical ability, creativity on stage and crowd participation.

The ultimate award went to the band White Like Fire, which lead vocalist and guitarist Blake Clawson says has an indie-pop sound. Before the band began to perform, Clawson ran all around Nordy’s, telling the audience members to get out of their seats and up to the front for the show.

His band warmed up the crowd with a sound check that featured a faster rock version of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes.” The song was full of powerful vocals from Clawson and a cymbal and drum solo to represent the gun shots and cash register components of the original version.

In addition, the band performed three of its original songs and an upbeat cover of The Beatles’ “Help!”

“We had a two-hour practice right before the show,” Clawson said. Not all of the members of White Like Fire live in the Pittsburgh area, leaving them to often pull all-nighters for band practice.

“Telekinesis is our main form of communication,” Clawson joked. “But it’s a lot of fun. We usually practice all night before a show the next day.”

The other members of White Like Fire are Ty Clawson on the bass and vocals and Joe Naylor on the drums and vocals.

Sleepy V, the first band to perform,  received cheers from the audience when its members got on stage. Bass player Ben Greenwood called the music of Sleepy V an “indie-folk-pop” musical hybrid. Though the band incorporates a trumpet, played by member John Manganaro, it avoids the ska genre.

The songs performed seemed very complicated. In particular, the song “A Few Weeks Without Laguna Beach” featured multiple parts and solos and ended abruptly.

“Each part of a song comes from an individual mind,” Greenwood said. “But there are so many parts to one of our songs, it’s like it all comes together in one mind.”

In addition to Greenwood and Manganaro, the band features Gene Paul Vercammen on lead vocals and guitar as well as Derek Krystek on the drums.

The third band, Otis, traveled from Erie, Pa., to perform. Its songs featured a more rock-based sound whereas its lyrics gravitated toward descriptions of animals and analyses of Erie-based hobos and lunatics.

Closing the Battle of the Bands was Shadow Puppets’ Sleepover.

Its music featured more harsh sounds than the mellow tones of Sleepy V and the fast pace of White Like Fire. It performed a series of original songs and made frequent jokes in between playing its songs switching sets.

All the proceeds of the event benefited VH1’s Save the Music Foundation. WPTS chose that particular group as an effort to get more involved in the Pitt community.

“It’s a great organization,” Lotz said. “Public schools have been rolling back on their spending for music education, and Save the Music really lines up with what we represent.”

The organization was very receptive in communicating with WPTS.

“They loved it,” said Akua Pokuaa Owusu-Acheaw, promotional director for WPTS. “It is a really creative organization, and we think people will want to come [to the Battle of the Bands] to support their friends and tap into that.”

To be eligible to participate, bands had to send WPTS a sample of their music as well as a $20 fee that went directly to Save the Music.

Many of the audience members attended the Battle of the Bands to support friends who were performing.

“I got a Facebook invitation and my friend might play, so I wanted to come see it,” freshman Sean Brady said.

Editor’s note: John Manganaro is an assistant news editor at The Pitt News.