Rock took the stage, rock won the prize

The task had been set before them, and each and every band had fulfilled what was required… The task had been set before them, and each and every band had fulfilled what was required to make it to this final night. Four semifinal nights produced four finalists, and a month after the whole competition started, the final product was right for rocking.

The final competition brought a great crowd to Mr. Small’s Funhouse; with more than 500 people in attendance, the bands were all ready to rock.

First to the stage was week-four winner Legendary Hucklebucks, who came out in their traditional Blues Brothers-esque black suits, white shirts and black ties. The band started playing once on stage, and the lead singer took the mic, introducing himself and his band mates, and thanking everyone for coming out to support local music.

Their set was filled with energy right from the start, and their musical abilities were evident with every song. They played a swinging rock that had an overabundance of energy. The lead singer looked very similar to the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” in his later years — a spitting image of Elvis after he had eaten one too many fried peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches.

The front man played to the audience, though, telling jokes between songs and drinking beer while rubbing his gut, all while reminding everyone to “Buy our shit, ’cause the beer is free.”

What they did that was interesting and peculiar happened during their last song. The lead singer pulled out a spotlight, one bright enough that it could be used for deer-spotting out in the country, and shined it into the crowd. They played a song that wasn’t their best, but got the crowd into it, and they ended on a high note.

Next to the stage was the rock band Alisium. The youngest group of the finals and winners of the first semifinal night, Alisium came on to an enthusiastic crowd chanting them to the stage.

The lead singer came up wearing sunglasses, which made him look like he was trying to be cooler than he is. Wearing sunglasses inside should only be left to the blind and the hung-over, but he tried to make it work. It didn’t.

With a somewhat strong rock sound — they need to make a few adjustments here and there, but mainly just the small details need fixing — Alisium provided the rock that the band’s fans were expecting. They brought a few fans that weren’t there for them into the mood, but not many. That’s a big factor in a competition like this.

A strong point for Alisium was the band’s lead guitarist, who was very impressive, moving in and out of solo spots with a subtle touch of rock star mentality. They had the look and the sound, and were able to make the crowd get a little rowdy — all ingredients in what could make a strong showing in the local music scene.

Mark Scheer and the Discount Stars, winners of semifinal week two, came to the stage next, set to try to keep rocking the pants off of the crowd. Unfortunately, this week proved to be a little stale for Mark and his Stars, and the pants stayed on for the majority of the large crowd.

In their semifinal night, Scheer and company had energy and charisma that topped that of the other bands, but on this night, only Scheer and the drummer had any bit of that energy. The other three Discount Stars showed very little signs of life — a few steps forward and back, and awkward leaning from side to side don’t cut it when the front man is dancing around like Mick Jagger begging for some satisfaction.

Like the front man for Alisium, Scheer came to the stage sporting shades, but for some reason, he seemed to carry a little coolness with the look that the other guy couldn’t hold. Wearing a suit complete with a boutonniere on his lapel, Scheer looked like he was the best man at a wedding before making his way to the show. But with little activity on stage from his band mates, Mark’s moves just looked overworked and stressed, which is too bad, because his songs have some really good lyrics and some catchy beats.

Closing the night of rock was a band with a twist. The Rockwells came to the stage having been winners of the third week of the contest, playing an alt-country, jam-band style. Sounds awkward, but think of Jimmy Buffett jamming away in Margaritaville. Except the bar is all out of tequila and the music’s not as good.

The Rockwells also brought along a strong support group. Their fans crowded close to the stage, hooting and hollering as they danced and sang along to every song. But the catchy, toe-tapping rhythms only held one’s attention for so long; about halfway through, it lost its touch and started getting a little overdone.

Towards the end of the set, the front man showed off his yodeling talents, bringing the crowd, who had started to drift away from the stage, back up to the front. He took a risk, and that is a very commendable thing to do, especially in a rock challenge where every song is being scrutinized by so-called “rock experts.”

The Rockwells had the support of the crowd and played the music to make them dance and have a good time, and were a surprising end to the night.

In what was a great night of rock music, the final standings were extremely close, the way it should be, and coming out victorious was Alisium. After all was said and done, it was rock ‘n’ roll, straightforward without gimmicks and with some well-written songs, that took the coveted title and the bounty of prizes that awaited.

With a little more fine tuning, and minor adjustments here and there, Alisium could be the next big thing that you hear being played on the radio or headlining a sold-out show. Whatever they do will be another step closer to success as long as they choose to do something with the benefits that come from winning this competition; hopefully, they will choose wisely, and hopefully, bands in the future will as well.