The first band of the night, Ding Dong, consisted of juniors Ian Murphy on drums, Jon McAllister and Zach Taneyhill on guitar and David Belden on bass guitar and vocals. Belden said the band shared the same musical interests and just started playing together.
“We’re all the best of friends and have similar tastes in music, so we just started playing together, which eventually led to us forming the band,” Belden said.
When it came to choosing a set list, Belden said they wanted the crowd to be able to get involved.
“We chose our set list by picking songs we all loved to play and that we figured the crowd might get into,” he said. He said that the experience was a good one.
“Anytime you go onstage with that many people watching you, it’s a crazy experience to have, especially when you can’t hear yourself talk because the crowd is cheering so loud,” he said.

Brokyn System
“Sound of Madness,” the opening of Brokyn System’s set, was a cover of a Shinedown song that the crowd ate up. Brokyn System was made up of juniors, including Shawn Rambaud singing and playing bass and Jeremy Probst on guitar.
Probst said the band came together about three months ago and they all share a love of similar bands.
“We are influenced by other musicians who share the same passions that we do,” he said. “We all are addicted to music and in a way we influence each other.”
Probst also said the band has plans of staying together for the future.
“We are planning on remaining a band to do some local and neighborhood gigs, and possibly try out for the Battle of the Bands at the Palace Theatre in the spring,” he said.
Additionally, after their own experience on stage, Probst said other bands should join Hoover’s battle.
“I think that everyone who considers themselves to be in a band should go and do battle of the bands in high school,” he said. “We weren’t in it to win, because the experience was just as important.”

Isolation
Isolation, the youngest band of the night, performed third. Having been together two months, the band included freshmen Mike Coduto and Jeff Trompeter and sophomore Nick DiVitto. The other three members are currently eighth graders at St. Paul’s School.
The band members came together last year after the first battle of the bands, when DiVitto and Coduto decided they wanted to perform, DiVitto said.
“It wasn’t until the sign-ups came around that we started to really get together to practice and started writing,” he said.
DiVitto also said being among the youngest on stage didn’t phase any of the members.
“I mean, yes, we were the youngest band, but we didn’t feel like it,” he said. “We got to be with friends and play music and get the experience.”

Doorknob Reporters
Doorknob Reporters took the stage as one of the oldest bands present, including some members who were veterans from the previous battle.
Fronted by senior guitarist and vocalist Eli Jones, the band also consisted of senior drummer Brandon Schillig, as well as juniors guitarist Dave Radosevic and bassist Nick Fockler.
Jones said the band got together mostly to participate in the battle.
“When we heard that the battle was earlier than the previous year, we put ourselves together and now we plan on sticking together for some upcoming shows,” Jones said.
Jones also said one of the best reasons to join the battle is for the friendships formed.
“It was an overall good experience, especially because we got to hang out with cool people for a week,” he said. “You all share a common interest and are in the same boat.”

Trust Me, Im a Doctor!
Trust Me, I’m a Doctor! brought a new sound to the night, one that member Shawn Barth said is influenced by August Burns Red, Attack Attack and the Devil Wears Prada. Barth said the group has been together in some form for over a year.
“Our original lineup played in the 2009 battle, and after some time off, we started over,” he said. “Now we practice about five times a week for three to seven hours. It’s pretty intense.”
Barth said participating in Hoover’s battle is a learning experience.
“More than anything, we learned to get out and have fun, because it’s really all about the music and how much fun it is to play in front of people,” Barth said.

Abrasax
The eventual winner, Abrasax, took the stage in the middle of the show. The three member band, made up of Hoover seniors Austin Minor and Kevin Price and Mckinley senior Aaron Ovecka took the crowd by storm – with no vocalist.
Price said he thought the band should get back together for the Battle of the Bands, despite the fact that all three members had actually moved on to other projects.
“I wanted us to be together for the battle, and it was Austin’s idea to maintain the original lineup,” he said. “We just wanted to play together one last time where it all started a year ago, especially since it’s our senior year.”
He also said winning made the experience that much better.
“Winning was awesome,” he said. “Playing there was a great way to go out.”



Flying Zebras
Flying Zebras came next and offered a more danceable set, with covers of “Dashboard” by Modest Mouse and “Just What I Needed” by the Cars.Members included sophomores Rob Kerr on lead guitar and Parker Adams playing synthesizer.
“Our band got together because it was something that we all had wanted to do for a while, and it finally just happened,” Adams said.
Adams said he believed it was a good experience for all of the band.
“We chose a set list that exemplified our good taste in music, and we had a good time,” he said.

Postcard Propaganda
Juniors Matt Fernandez and Nicko Bagnolo formed Postcard Propaganda after numerous jam sessions together, eventually recruiting juniors Justin Carpenter and Lucas Harper. Fernandez said the Battle of the Bands was simply something they felt they had to do.
“After the Battle last year, we made participating this year a priority,” he said.
He said that another priority was getting the crowd involved with catchy songs, including covers of “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer, and “Stu’s Song” from “The Hangover.”
“We went for the crowd appeal factor, and we all enjoyed the reception,” he said. “I’d do it again because it was a lot of fun.”

The Dharma Bums
After practicing for last year’s battle with Tourist, senior Seth Troyer was recruited by some of the remaining members to form a new band for this year’s performance. The all-senior group took influences from Vampire Weekend to Smashing Pumpkins to put on a unique set that included an electric violin.
“Our whole band is obsessed with Vampire Weekend and pianos, which leads to an obsession with Coldplay, and we put our set together from that,” Troyer said.
Troyer additionally said that being on stage was fun.
“It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had in front of everybody and I was especially amazed by the freshmen band – they were by far our biggest fans,” he said.

The Skylight Revolution
The Skylight Revolution, the final band of the night, came together at the hands of juniors Ben Leeson and Nick Nonno while at band camp over the summer.
“It took us a while to actually get together and practice, but then in late November we started talking about how we really needed to get together and practice and we took it from there,” Leeson said.
He also said the band knew they were going to cover “All These Things That I’ve Done” by the Killers and Leeson was writing the original.
“The words just flow with whatever is on my mind,” Leeson said.
He also said playing in front of a crowd comes naturally to him.
“I love playing in front of big crowds, so I was really comfortable on stage,” he said. “Everyone felt so good afterward, it was a wonderful experience.” n