Molly EnosFour bands cranked up their amps and took to the stage in their best efforts to win the opening slot for Cabrini’s spring concert.
The bands competing for the coveted opening slot Feb. 25 in Grace Hall consisted of Small Towns/Big Cities, Pigs in Flight, The Stillverse and Last Day to Live. Each band was given one 15-minute set to strut their stuff.
The winner of the event, Pigs in Flight, are set to ready the crowd for Cabrini’s spring concert headliner, Mae. The concert will be held at Cabrini in the Dixon Center on Friday, April 17.
The battle of the bands throw down began at 8 p.m. in Grace Hall where students huddled at the front of the stage set up. For the crowd, which did not feel the need to stand at the base of the stage, seating was made available.
The judging panel that decided the fate of the bands was a hand-picked group of Cabrini students. The students judging were Jake Verterano, Christina Cimmino, Kandace Keefer, Gillian Davis and Andy Stettler, who scored the participants on a one through five scale, five being the best.
The criteria each band strived to excel in were performance, stage presence, good timing, time constraints and effectiveness of performance. After all four bands had played their set, the judges chose who would win the spot to open for Mae.
The first of the four bands on the list to hit the stage were Small Towns/Big Cities.
Pigs in Flight were the second band on the lineup. They livened up Grace Hall with some original rock songs that brought up the energy in the room.
Bassist Rob Martinsen might have cold feet before a show, but that doesn’t stop him from giving his all.
“I was very nervous for this show, but I get nervous before every show no matter the size of the crowd,” Martinsen said.
Their stage presence and overall performance led to cheering, applause and the opening spot for the Mae concert.
“I think it was awesome that we won because opening for Mae is going to be a great way to get our name out there,” Martinsen said.
People in the crowd and members of the judging panel enjoyed the other acts as well.
“Small Towns/Big Cities was good too. They had a really cool sound,” Kandace Keefer, senior English major and a judge, said.
Last Day to Live closed the event. Their set had a darker heavier sound than the other performers, with Metallica and Iron Maiden influences. With a different sound came a different look of long hair and a pointy pitch fork-like bass.
If not privileged to have heard these bands at the event, all three are on MySpace. The winner of the night’s festivities, Pigs in Flight can be seen with Mae for a ticket rate of $10 for Cabrini students.
Pigs in Flight, a band that claims to “eat pork rolls,” also play at other colleges and have dates listed on their MySpace, myspace.com/pigsinflight.
