The Mid-America Music Festival Battle of the Bands is an event that was supposed to kick off last year, but it was postponed until this past weekend due to the pandemic - however, I can say it was certainly worth the wait!
I went to the Rock night, which was on Friday. Saturday was dedicated to local country bands, but I decided to go to the Rock night only. Both parts of the 2021 series of Battle of the Bands were held at the Black Silo. The bands were competing for the opening slot at a July gig that has legendary bands like Autograph, Slaughter, and Great White on the bill. I have attended other shows at this venue but those had been outdoor; as it turns out, the bar also has an indoor stage. This is where the show started.
The first band hit the stage. Their name is Monday’s Child. The promo in my hand said they are a 3-piece blues-rock band from St. Joseph. Already, my expectations were growing; still, the thought in the back of my mind told me that I was here to have a good time, hear some good music, and have a good night.
The first thing I noticed was that Monday’s Child is a trio. With only three members, I was eager still to hear their sound. And they brought the VOLUME. Their “instant chemistry” was a clear, obvious thing from the very beginning. The band played their own material, with the exception of a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”. Their slow, simmering blues sound with the soulful vocals made for an excellent fun opener. Their very loaded 1960s/1970s blues-rock sound was something that shined on songs like “If You Love Me Like You Say” and “You Ain’t Dead to Me (Cause I Ain’t Killed You Yet)” and was a great start for the night.
Surprisingly to me was that there were a couple of cover bands on the set next. I was thinking: Now, how were cover bands going to compete with bands who had their own material?
Because sometimes cover bands are sadly nothing more than a novelty. I do love seeing an Elvis impersonator every now and then, and there is a local 80s tribute who I see every time they come to town - but tribute and cover bands are a difficult, strange thing that is sadly at times nothing more than a novelty.
This was not the case on Friday night.
The first cover band went by the name The Ghosted. The band is actually from Trenton, MO where the battle was. All that I knew before their set started was that the band specializes in alternative rock from the 1990s and 2000s. Now, I was born ever-so-slightly after this time, but it still sounded like it would be an awesome time.
The Ghosted opened with a version of Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation”. A great song that I have loved ever since it was in one of the Shrek films. Besides, Joan Jett is one of those musicians who carry such a fierce attitude and a driving sense of rock-n-roll that you could take a list of her songs and pick one to be an awesome opener.
Around the second song is where The Ghosted’s strengths started to pop out. The singer asked for anyone that wanted a t-shirt to go up to the front, where the stage was. Of course, my sister and I headed up there. She got a t-shirt, but I was happy just being up there. By this time, a small crowd had gathered, and the music continued.
The strength of The Ghosted comes from two things: crowd participation and knowing what songs sound great to get a crowd fired up. Two of the best examples of this was a cover of Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”, a surprisingly almost-grunge version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, and a rock edition of Britney Spears’ “...Baby One More Time”. It made a hard-hitting always energetic set.
The second cover band 90 Days, like Monday’s Child, is from St. Joseph. They were another high energy cover band - and the crowd energy that The Ghosted had built was starting to simmer up again. The promo stated that this band plays music from bands like AC/DC, Van Halen, Journey, Poison, Alice in Chains, Metallica, Volbeat, Shinedown, etc. And as I looked around, it was not only the generation who those bands had originated in who were standing alongside me at the front of the stage, but also people from my generation. It was a really cool, surreal set in the fact that it was massively dependent on crowd energy.
And the crowd absolutely loved it! From the opening of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer” to Journey’s “Separate Ways”, the energy never really stopped. The massive outpour of crowd excitement rolled off the fans to the band and back again in an endless loop that kept being fed. This was particularly exhibited in the second half of the set where the audience never stopped singing their way through Alice in Chains’ “Man in a Box”, Poison’s “Fallen Angel”, and the closer of Journey’s “Separate Ways”.
The last band Unwritten Rulz was where there were the most people by the stage. I was quite surprised as the other bands had all had a decent enough turnout for people huddling by the stage - but that was nothing compared to the energy and rush that Unwritten Rulz brought to the stage.
This was the only band the entire night to have studio material. However, I was not familiar with the band’s work, nor with any other band on the lineup. I was just there for a good time. Around the second song, the band started handing out t-shirts and throwing guitar picks and drum sticks, which was perhaps a way to influence you to give them a good score on your scoring card. Which I say as I left the venue that night with a t-shirt and a drumstick!
And as the night winded down to a close, the energy only built and exploded in a frenzy! It seemed that part of the audience had come out specifically for this one band, as a couple of women had shown up wearing shirts with the band’s logo. Even if you didn’t know the band’s music, you left with a feeling that this is a band who you should keep up with! Their crowd interaction was amazing, almost ridiculous in a sense as the band was very confident and not afraid to get up right in your face - which is just awesome! To me, Unwritten Rulz exhibited the greatest amount of energy.
AND THE WINNER IS. . .
I cannot recall the exact scores I had given each band, but they were all favorable scores. When voting for one band, I did not find myself comparing them to another, although, perhaps, that was the point of the whole night. Still, it had been an amazing time, and I found myself sticking around to see who would win. In my eyes, I would have expected any of the four bands and could not have been 100% confident to have bet on the results. . .
Finally, the end of the night rolled around. From the blues-rock introduction by Monday’s Child to the heavier rock of Unwritten Rulz, I was buzzing from the energy from the music and the people around me.
The band who won really came as no surprise. Their set had been filled with energy, and the crowd had been carrying this strange force that creates the sort of atmosphere that you can find only at a concert.
That band was 90 Days. So, they are going to open on Friday, July 16 on the same bill as Autograph, Slaughter, and Great White! A great honor that I am certain they will have an amazing time, as will the fans and everyone who shows up.
Overall, it was a wonderful time. For the first annual Battle of the Bands, I had gone out with the idea that I would have a good time - and I did have a good time. It was a great night filled with great music, and I cannot wait for next year’s battle where the energy will be ignited once more and good music will fill the air on a nice night in spring.
READ ABOUT THE JULY 16 FESTIVAL HERE
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