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Battle of the New Bands finals

Meadow Viscuso. Photograph by Karalyn Hope.

JORDAN BUDD

Staff Writer

The Music Industry Club (MIC) held Battle of the New Bands Dec. 3 from 7–9 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Williams Center. The room was decked out for a memorable musical experience complete with speaker systems and lighting provided by the Sound Services club. 

Jon Maternowski, a sophomore business administration student at SUNY Fredonia, played stimulating DJ mixes under his pseudonym, DJ Majik, and acted as an MC between each performance. 

Emily Rasulo, a senior double majoring in music industry and public relations, and president of MIC, explained how the long-running event — which is at least ten years strong — has consistently been giving artists and bands a head start in the Fredonia music scene. She described it as a unique possibility to meet people and network. 

Jenna Casper, a senior in the music industry program and the promotions chair for MIC, had much praise for the event’s benefits for the artists involved. She said that the competition is a rare opportunity to play at a big event which gives the new bands much needed experience in this field. 

“All the stuff they are doing right now may seem like a small nerve-racking thing but it’s also one of many times they’re going to have to go through that exact same thing as an up-and-coming band,” said Casper.

She described it as an unforgettable experience that may cause them to realize the amount of work that goes into being a new artist.

Johnny Zareski, a junior sound recording technology major, has a unique outlook on this event as this is his second go around in the competition. In 2019, he performed with the indie, alt-rock band Beach Tower on rhythm guitar, but he’s picked up a new instrument as he plucks bass for The Science Behind It this year.

Zareski gushed with excitement about hearing the new bands, making it clear that he believes once you’ve made a band, you’ve already won. 

First up was the pop and R&B artist Meadow Viscuso. She sang over a backing track played through the speaker systems. Viscuso started her performance with “High” by Miley Cyrus, a pop rock and country song that was an appropriate opener. Her soulful performance captured the audience and as the final notes rang throughout the room, the singer was met with an immediate warm round of applause.

Her next song traveled further down her country influences as her cover of “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood brought in an even fuller twang.

The up-tempo and vengeful country barn-burner was a compelling addition to her performance that had a strong effect on the audience. On this song, her resonant voice and vibrato continued to blend well with the harmonies in the backing track. 

Viscuso followed this track with yet another style change up, highlighting her impressive talent for a multitude of genres. Her cover of “Stained Glass” by Madison Beer found Viscuso masterfully singing over the pulsing synths.

Viscuso was comfortable on stage, even tackling a technical difficulty with ease as her transition to acapella was almost unnoticeable. She was visibly in her element, as she laughed and shared sentimental moments with the audience. 

She prefaced her performance of “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish with a tender, but inspiring message about experiencing pain or heartbreak. While singing the Eilish hit, she effectively held the mic out to the audience who sang the passionate verses back to her on the ladder moments of this slow burner. 

After hitting all the notes on the outro, Viscuso followed this up with possibly her strongest performance of the night, her cover of “Easy on Me,” Adele’s latest hit single phenomenon. This song once again spotlighted her knack for riffs. The shining chorus ignited the audience with woos and cheers. 

Next up was her original song titled “Love Till It Hurts.” Sonically, this number was centered around a downtempo guitar melody, while its lyrical message focused on being kind to people no matter how they treat you.

Her cover of “Consideration” by Rihanna featuring SZA closed out her performance. The hip hop influenced backbeat motivated head nods throughout the room as Viscuso weaved throughout SZA’s vocals that were included in her backing track. 

Viscuso’s bold solo performance deserves many props as she was amidst a mostly group driven lineup. 

The post hardcore band, Edelwood Creek, were up next. The group is composed of Hunter Lares (vocals), Michael Tumbaco (rhythm guitar), Mike Perry (drums), Dennis McAndrew (lead guitarist, vocals) and Alex Salmeron (bass).

Edelwood Creek. Photograph by Karalyn Hope.

As the group took the stage, a fuse was lit. A mosh pit promptly erupted in the crowd when the group swiftly launched into their first song, an original called, “Not In Letterkenny.” Afterwards, McAndrew expressed his appreciation for the audience’s lively contributions. 

“In Between,” a Beartooth cover from 2014, highlighted the dueling vocalists in the group. In this catchy post hardcore pop punk blend, Lares’ guttural, screamed vocal delivery perfectly contrasted McAndrews palpably melodic delivery. 

The players quickly refueled with water, praised the crowd once again, and played their original song, “Moon,” which featured ripping guitar riffs and an impressive solo from McAndrew. 

Following this, Lares announced his fellow band members by name, especially underlining the work of their drummer and bassist.

The band announced that their next song was a recognizable one before beginning their cover of the generational banger, “The Downfall of Us All” by A Day to Remember. The unique acapella chant of the song’s lead riff is a dead giveaway for one of the quintessential Warped Tour classics. 

Lares’ imitative explosive scream of “Let’s go” opened the floodgates for the metalcore breakdown that ensued. The crowd reacted excitedly once again as audience members sprinted to get involved in the moshing shenanigans. The deadly guitar rhythms from Tumbaco triggered clapping and headbanging throughout the MPR. This was certainly a standout moment amongst their performance and the night in general.

Their Touche Amore cover, “Honest Sleep,” featured eerie guitar lines as it built to a shred-tastic solo from McAndrew. Perry mastered the drum rolls that lead to bombastic thrashes of guitar.

Their final song, an original aptly titled “A Bird Wouldn’t Rest on a Lion’s Fangs,” closed out their performance on a strong note.

The final act, The Science Behind It, a science-themed indie rock band made up of Lucas Cottet (vocals and rhythm guitar), Jacob King (lead guitar), Johnny Zareski (bass) and David Moran (drums). The group donned lab coats and goggles while they hung a periodic table behind the stage.

The Science Behind It. Photograph by Karalyn Hope.

They repeatedly played into their theme, always prefacing their interactions with the audience as “science facts,” which was a hugely additive entertainment.

Their first track was an original called “Woodland” which included a soaring guitar solo from King on the back end.  

Their audition cover, “Panic Switch” by the Silversun Pickups rang off appropriately while being performed once more, this round with a full audience in the MPR. Zareski’s angular bass lines mingled with King’s alt-rock guitar playing, while Moran’s steady playing was just as necessary to their success.

As their performance chugged along, they transitioned into another original titled, “Cautious,” which was a zesty and danceable indie-rock tune that got the crowd moving. 

Before playing their next cover, “What Once Was” by Her’s, Cottet uttered a meaningful rest in peace message for the duo who died in a road traffic collision in 2019. 

The modern jangle pop track was a standout moment that showcased Cottet’s vocal strength and delivery. The vocalist leaned into each verse with an undeniable passion, smiling out of a clear love for the song. His falsetto coos swooningly rolled over the audience with a warm wave of dream-pop gratification. The scientists’ did this emotive indie song much justice. 

The final song of their performance and the event at large was the group’s original and soon to be released single, “Lights.” King’s playful guitar noodling swirled around the ears of the Battle of the New Band spectators, which eventually led to his ever intriguing and conclusive solo.

Zach Richardson, a senior music industry major and events coordinator of the MIC, took the stage to announce the winners. Jackson Moeller’s diligence throughout the event was rewarded appropriately as he won best manager for his role in The Science Behind It. 

Finally, Richardson announced the science-themed indie rock band as the winner of the event, which led to an overjoyed reaction from the bands themselves and the audience members. The Science Behind It won an opportunity to play at either a local bar, BJ’s, or the house venue in Fredonia, the North Pole Strip Club.

Afterwards, Richardson, and his fellow senior music industry major and executive board member of the MIC, Dan Doyle, the vice president, expressed similar sentiments to Zareski about the outcomes of the event. 

“Even getting to this point [The Finals], you’ve already pretty much won, you’ve made a band, you have some songs, you know how to prepare for a show,” said Richardson.

Doyle added that winning “is a nice opportunity to get that next step right after [by securing an upcoming performance] but countless losing bands like Eerie Shores and Beach Tower or even non-competitors like The Weather Might Say Otherwise, have went on to have much success in the community of performers within Fredonia and Western NY at large. 

Doyle continued “getting the first show under your belt is important” as the bands and artists can build upon this valuable experience while they hopefully enter the growing Fredonia music scene.

Congratulations to these artists, their managers, Sound Services, the Music Industry Club and all people involved in this immensely important and fun-filled event which is an integral aspect of the musical culture of Fredonia.

Follow these emerging artists and the Music Industry Club to stay up to date on future events and music releases. 

Instagram Account Names

Music Industry Club: @micfredonia

Meadow Viscuso: @meadowviscusomusic

Edelwood Creek: @edelwood_creek

The Science Behind It: @the_science_behind_it_band

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