In many aspects college exceeds high school, and “battle of the band contests” happens to be one. Back in the day (okay, just a year ago), I might have had to painfully sit through hours of screechy guitars and squeaky pre-teen vocals, but I was pleasantly surprised at this year’s battle of the bands hosted by BU Central. The final round on March 4 presented four outstanding bands, three from the Berklee College of Music and one from Boston University. Each put on an impressive half hour set showcasing their own style and talent as well as their rendition of a Lady Gaga song. Regardless of one’s music taste, BU’s Battle of the Bands was thoroughly enjoyable and was refreshing see such passion in the Boston community. 
The Bands
The Trish Hosein Band — Described as a mix of Regina Spector, Fiona Apple and Florence + The Machine, The Trish Hosein Band began a year ago and has just released their first EP. As the key songwriter and composer, Hosein bases her songs off of “quirky” piano hooks, the end result being folk fused with groove. Bassist Miles Hancock and drummer Ricky Petraglia provide deep undertones to her upbeat piano hooks and simple melodies. The Berklee-based band performed “Bad Romance” while Hancock put on a little performance of himself dancing. They probably need to rethink the band name, nut as far as music goes, Trish Hosein and Co. have that special something.
Canary — Although this may be overly simplistic in description, Canary is a good ‘old rock ‘n’ roll band. Taking influences from Led Zeppelin and No Doubt, Canary has only been together for four months, but they rock hard. They performed Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” and Jet’s “Rollover DJ” with incredible energy and talent as well as playing some of their own catchy songs. Vocalist Jackie Berkley has a strong presence, and guitarist Amy Mantis, drummer Cole Bingham and bassist Kyle Hovland commanded their instruments like pros. They have already performed around Boston a number of times, and the future looks bright for these young musicians.
Planckton — Being the only BU band proved to have a few advantages and disadvantages, namely being the little experience they have playing live, but you couldn’t tell they’ve only been together for three months. Vocalist Sid Vashi, bassist Jon Suh, and guitarist Mike Simpson met at BU and said they only met drummer James Steinberg a couple of weeks ago, which was an accomplishment in itself. Their influences range from classic rock to jazz but Planckton’s music thus far is “assertive ambience” as they describe it. Covering “Paparazzi” and the classic “Ain’t No Sunshine,” Planckton proved they had the skill to compete with the Berklee bands.
El Frente- Common in most battle of the bands, the best — and this time most experienced — was saved for last. Mixing Latin rock with funk, El Frente is a motley crew of cultures and influences, ranging from Colombian musician Juanes, AC/DC, and the Black Eyed Peas. All six members come from different musical backgrounds and the band definitely has the experience and talent to make it big judging from their stellar performance. They covered “Bad Romance” and played numerous of their own songs which were upbeat and danceable with guitars reminiscent of Santana and percussions like that of any great Latin rock band. Bassist and vocalist Eddie Vasquez gave summed up their band with a simple phrase.
“We’re not just a band,” he said. “We’re a way of life.”
The Verdict
In the end Planckton were named the winners, and awarded a cash prize. They are also opening for Free Energy on March 26. BU came out in full force Friday night so it was no surprise that the BU band took home the prize. I initially feared Battle of the Bands would be painful, but I could not have been more wrong. All of the bands showed immense talent and passion for what they do.
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