“Oh my gosh, open the doors already!” screamed the tense and exited crowd that were hungrily pressed outside the auditorium doors. This almost animalistic uproar was due to the annual Battle of the Bands that was held on October 1, at 6:00 p.m., a show where students can watch their peers rock out onstage and have an all around good time.

Once those doors were opened, students and parents alike scrambled into the seats, in hopes of not missing any action that night. The Thespian hosts tried to excite the crowd, screaming at them to ‘not be afraid to stand up and jump’ along to the bands. The opening band of the night was No Line, a freshman hard-edge band that sounded “like a punk mixture of MxPx, Sum 41, and Blink 182,” said guitarist Bryan Lowe. Despite some technical difficulties, they seemed to play their best even though the sound quality and vocals could not be heard.

Montauk Point followed, playing their impeccable indie pop, with a fun, synthesized edge that is a nod to Minus the Bear. Once again, the vocals and instruments were barely audible, but that didn’t stop bassist Eric Lopez from hopping and serenading all over the stage, leading the crowd to a round of enthusiastic hand claps during their opening song ‘Talking In Rhythm.’ Hills announced that their last song ‘Fresh Is Dead’ went out to his girlfriend, and sweetly asked the crowd to dance with them, their final song being a definite dance-to with its tambourine shakes. Surprisingly, during the middle of the song, the members of band Post Mail scrambled onstage to lead a “Montauk Party,” throwing beach balls at the audience, while Post Mail’s drummer, John Olin, threw a shower of rainbow confetti that made the crowd go insane. All throughout the night, the same beach balls would still be seen floating and bumping around the room, with the audience’s fingertips lingering in the air.



Vendetta was the 4th band to perform, with pint-sized sophomore Stephanie Montejo as frontgirl, as well as alums Mike Skinner and Nick Guzman on bass and drums respectively. Vendetta was mainly a cover band, playing ‘Silhouette’ by Thrice, and ‘Come Close’ by Saosin, which triumphantly showcased their guitarist, Andrew’s screaming vocals. The last song of their set, ‘Stop This Song!’ by Paramore had a few fans singing along to the lyrics, “This experience was amazing; it was a definite out-of-body experience,” said Montejo.

The main attraction of the night was Post Mail, with the crowd teetering on the edge of their polyester seats to see if this band could live up to the hype…and they did. Post Mail uses a variety of unconventional instruments and objects to capture a unique sound; with guitarist Nick DeLuca simultaneously banging on a graffiti-clad metal trash can, vocalist Michelle Blades strumming on a tiny ukulele, and Erik Maleki playing the mellophone. Simply put, this band really had their stage presence and collective sound down pat; Deluca’s swaggers on the guitar were almost like witnessing a modern day Agnes Young. Blades was mesmerizing and captivating as frontgirl, while John Olin scintillatingly played the drums. Reminiscent of Beirut, Talking Heads and Feist, the crowd ate up their sounds, swaying and clapping along all throughout their set. During their last song ‘Hey Moon,’ members of other competing bands like Montauk Point and Conscious Maze, as well as friends and girlfriends of the band, came onstage to sing along and share the experience; it was a warming family atmosphere that could not be missed. “During the last song, we wanted the audience to sing and dance and to just have a good time,” said Deluca.

P. Sherman, a band that took their name from a ‘Finding Nemo’ quote, played covers by Paramore, Anberlin, and All Time Low. The audience enthusiastically sang along to their cover of ‘Dear Maria Count Me In’ by All Time Low. Following them, Conscious Maze, whose performance was a colorful mixture, described themselves as “The Mars Volta, mixed with Jack Johnson, Circa Survive, and Dave Matthews,” said guitarist Cristian “Mumbles” Rocha. Their cover of ‘Your Guardian Angel’ by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus led many to put their cell phones in the air, and even prompt a pair of spontaneous ballroom dancers in a corner. Their final song ‘Poor Love’ was an original piece about wanting to take someone out but having no money. “Instead just enjoying their company,” said Rochas. A trumpet and saxophone showcased this bands jazzy and upbeat sound.

Kryptic Throne, a band who told the hosts to proclaim that they are “inspired by Britney Spears,” is a band whose heavy metal sound made many fans throw up “metal” hand signs. A cover of Trivium’s ‘Dear One’ was followed by the original ‘Deadly Tides’ that almost caused a near mosh-pit within the crowd. A hurricane of a song, the band members’ hair was seen flying about, as those ever-present beach balls zoomed all over the audience. “Everyone was jumping around, going crazy…it was pretty cool,” said guitarist Andrew Salazar. Heavy breakdowns, fierce guitar solos, and a brash, gravely vocals dominated this band’s overall sound.

Last year’s winner Bachaco took the stage to close the show, and their reggae/salsa Spanish twist made the audience literally dance around the room, jumping around enjoying their Latin flavor. Obviously a crowd favorite, the audience screamed in delight when Tom Morrello performed a guitar solo at the end of their set. If this band had competed, they would have definitely won again.

In the end, this year’s winners were: Kryptic Throne in 3rd place, Post Mail in 2nd place, and Conscious Maze as the 1st place champions.