Musical Thunder Rains Down on NAHS
March 3, 2010
Filed under A & E, Uncategorized
Last Saturday night, North Augusta High Schools’ auditorium went through an enduring test of survival as sound waves pounded against the walls and the power of music threatened to blow the roof off.
The competition began around 6:00 and by the end of the night, almost every audience member had experienced a great show (along with a small spell of temporary deafness). Each of the seven bands that played contributed a unique musical style to the event.
The show started off with a quintessential blend of garage and classical rock after band Somewhere and Nowhere warmed up the event and ended with a powerful Eric Clapton guitar solo performed by lead guitarist Jackson Redd. After a perfect opening act, another band known as Have At It helped build the mood even more. They started off with a lot of energy and then switched from metal to melody, with a slow and rhythmic acoustic performance following the brutal lead in.
Next, Lemon Lime made its way up and somehow managed to melt the hearts of every female standing in a twenty foot radius of the stage with a brilliant Fray cover. Their piece also featured a series of great original songs composed by frontman James Smith.
Forgetting Fera (who would end up winning the competition) played next, and seemed to have an excellent stage presence, interacting with the audience in between songs. This group traveled from Laurens, SC to perform and although they put on a nice show, some students and other bands believed that it was somewhat ironic and unfair that the winning band had no members that attended NAHS. Nevertheless, they did a great job of getting the crowd pumped up. Lead singer, Trey Gaines explained that his band “lives in a pretty boring town where the only thing to do is play music.”
The next band, Domestic Dispute, lived up to its namesake while practicing for the event. “We already got two noise complaints called on us. We might make it three,” said lead guitarist James Folkert before the show. Domestic Dispute succeeded in rocking the place after they featured a local rapper, Kevin Dunbar, putting down some verses over the guitar and drums. Needless to say, the crowd went wild.
The competition was officially over, but the night was still young and two more bands, Undead University and Dead Mary, were asked to play without the chance of being judged.
Undead University seemed to be heavily focused on their image with all the members wearing eye-liner and matching vests, but they still managed to put on a good act.
Next came the most intense metal of the night by Dead Mary, resulting in a busted bass drum and wicked series of basslines by Parker Boyd. They provided an adrenaline-charged ending to an evening that had already started off strongly.
Throughout the night, every band played well and came ready to rock. From start to finish the musical force grew until Dead Mary came in and officially brought the house down. However, the foundation had been slowly crumbling since the evening even kicked off.
Somewhere & Nowhere – Jackson Redd- guitar/vox; Max Gazda – guitar/keys/vox; Chris Hodges – bass/vox; Nick Moore – drums
Have At It – Zach Hyde – bass; David Beverly – lead vox; Zach Dodd – drums; Steven Brooks – guitar
Lemon Lime – (third place) – James Smith – lead vox/guitar; Parker Boyd – bass; Dustin Moore – guitar; Ish Bryant – drums
Forgetting Fera – (first place) – Trey Gaines -guitar/vox; Tres Bryant – guitar; Damian Johnson – drums; Jennings Compton – bass/vox
Domestic Dispute – (second place) – James Folkert – guitar; Garreth Calk – lead vox/guitar; Taylor Abraham – bass; Bart Good – drums
Undead University – Mike Keltz – vox/guitar; Nathan Gregory – drums; Christian Walton – bass; Paul Gregory – guitar
Dead Mary – Parker Boyd – bass; Daniel Peace – guitar; Kyle Eubanks – drums; Curtis Pearson – lead vox
