Madison bands battled to win the annual Band to Band Combat
by Emily Genco
December 2011
Imagine a high school battle of the bands competition. Teen bodies crammed together at the front of a high school auditorium. The air is saturated with hormones and the reverb of escalating riffs that test the capacity of the cheap PA system. Sweaty-handed drummers pound out and occasionally miss beats on the snare.
Now, replace that auditorium with the Frequency, one of the most in demand live music venues in the city, and exchange beginner musicians for the local artists of all ages that fans of Madison music deserve to know about.
Again this year, the Band to Band Combat competition presented by Isthmus strove to grow the local music scene by providing artists the opportunity to share their work with a wide audience. Since Nov. 11, fans have been listening to the song samples musicians provided and have voted for their favorite bands at TheDailyPage.com/bandtoband.
“Most of the bands really put their best foot forward and showcase a new song they’re really proud of,” Isthmus Digital Media Director Jason Joyce said.
Through a series of eliminations, voters narrowed the field from 35 hopefuls to the four finalists who vied for the grand prize at the Frequency Dec. 15, the last day of classes for UW students. This year The Big Payback claimed the title and walked away with 20 hours of recording time at Blast House Studios. El Valiente, Sky Road Fly and TL;DR also flexed their musical muscles at the competition.
The Selfish Gene, the winner of the 2009 competition, used their studio time to record a six-track B-side with three songs on Side A and three songs on Side B.
Mike Olson, the owner of Blast House Studios, provided the recording time to help local bands increase their exposure. Though according to Olson, the winning band can’t be considered superior than the other contenders, because all of the groups forward unique styles and approaches to music.
“I [wanted] to involve Blast House Studios to help motivate more bands to signing up for this as I know a lot of local musicians aren’t concerned with contests,” Olson said.
Isthmus first started hosting the competition in 2001 when the staff was asked to recommend a band to play Toronto’s North by Northeast music festival, according to Joyce.
“We figured that we might as well have local bands compete for the honor and let our readers decide. It was a blast, and our readers really got into it. Plus, we were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the musicians. They begged us to do it again, so we did,” Joyce said.
Isthmus presented the competition annually until 2003 when staff took a six-year hiatus to books bands as a part of the Madison Music Project. In 2009, Isthmus re-introduced Band to Band Combat to re-engage readers in the local music scene, according to Joyce. Many bands were drawn by the chance to record at Smart Studios, the legendary space where Nirvana recorded the album “Nevermind,” which celebrated its 20th anniversary this September.
By voting, readers helped determine the line-up of the final show. Over 1,400 participants listened and voted for their favorites to determine last year’s final four making Band to Band Combat Madison’s largest band contest. This year’s participating artists even mobilized social media resources and e-mail lists to accrue votes, according to Joyce.
The reach of Isthmus also makes participation in the contest a smart marketing move for local musicians, according to former participant and member of The Nod Brett Newski.
“That paper gets so many dang eyeballs it was just great exposure for the whole scene, not just the Nod. There were several bands I found out about through the Combat that I hadn’t yet heard of. It’s kind of the rock n’ roll bible for Madtown scenesters,” Newski said.
Past participants have included but aren’t limited to the United Sons of Toil, Ida Jo and the Show, Charlemagne, Brainerd and The Nod. Though The Nod will not be performing this year, former frontman Brett Newski will play the release show for his album “In Between Exits” at Mickey’s Tavern Dec. 16.
The contest enables participating artists to survey the work of other players on the local scene, according to Joyce.
“All the best music cities – Austin, Seattle, Minneapolis – have a friendly competition vibe at work that benefits everybody and hopefully our contest can foster a little of that in Madison,” Joyce said.
Band to Band Combat helps introduce fans to new bands crashing the scene and keep up with local veterans, Joyce said. No member of last year’s winning band Sleeping in the Stereo was over 17 years old at the time of the competition.
“If each of those voters ends up liking just one new band that they hadn’t heard before, that’s pretty cool. And if they actually check out a show or two, that would be even better,” Joyce said. “Maybe they’ll discover a new nightclub or even a restaurant nearby in the process and connect with not just the Madison music scene, but local small businesses in a different way.”
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